A/N- I must apologies; I am in not a historian in any way, shape, or form. I understand that I am not the best writer but I do have plans for what I wrote in the last chapter. Plans which I will reveal in this and later chapters.

To all my other reviewers, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your reviews are what keep me going! Thank you for sticking with me.

Disclaimer: Gone with the Wind is not mine. All relations come from Mrs. Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind. (And some background from Alexandra Ripley's novel Scarlett)

Chapter Fourteen

Days turned to weeks and weeks inched slowly by into long months before Scarlett was released from the hospital. She was ecstatic for she hadn't felt the sunlight on her face for a good three months. She missed the warm sensation of the rays of light caressing her face affectionately.

That glorious day, Scarlett, Careen, Eulaine and Pauline, the children, and Arlene accompanied Scarlett to the home she had had built two months prior. The home, however did not reside in Charleston, but Chattanooga, Tennessee. Careen had advised Scarlett convincingly that she didn't want her living in South Carolina; Careen hadn't led her astray in the week's prior, so she did not argue.

It was decided by Doctor Reid that Scarlett was still not to be left alone, so it was determined Arlene would be residing with Scarlett in the five-bedroom home she now owned. Scarlett was glad, for Arlene and she had become the very best of friends, and she would give Scarlett some companionship.

Scarlett had all she wanted, a wonderful comrade, magnificent relationships with her beautiful children and a good quality existence, but she still could not shake a emotion that had been growing in her heart for weeks and weeks on end. Loneliness, she was lonesome. She was familiar with his less than pleasant emotion for she endured it day in and day out. Her heart ached for something, something she didn't understand, an emotion she didn't know.

Some days, the tearing emotion in her heart was so overpowering that she did not have the will to do anything but sit an a large, comfortable chair in the study of her knew home, contemplating the sentiment while staring out the large bay window which overlooked a lush green plot.

Other days it was as if Scarlett were a new person; all the distressing feeling forgotten, just like all of her past. She would laugh with her children and talk with Arlene. These days were extremely often, but on the days she was 'off', you could do nothing. She went into a world that could not be disrupted by nothing or no one.

Today was one of Scarlett's good days. She had awakened that morning in the large featherbed, in her quaint home, smiling to herself. Scarlett was happy which was quite ironic, for if she had been in her right mind, she would have know that today was the 9 month anniversary of Rhett leaving her.

"Momma!" Ella shrieked merrily, her crème colored nightgown rustling as she ran and jumped atop her mother's soft bed, hopping up and down on its thick edge. The child pealed with laughter as Scarlett began to tickle her daughter's sides, one of her best tickle spots Scarlett had found out.

"Good morning, my dear!" Scarlett exclaimed over her daughter's cries of laughter, a smile on her bright features, "How has your morning been thus far? Have you by now woken up your brother?"

Ella nodded as Scarlett ceased her morning ritual with her daughter. "Yes, momma I have!" Ella exclaimed proudly, sticking out her chin a bit breathless. Ella was ecstatic when her mother granted her the task of waking up her elder brother. "I woke Wade up ages ago, but momma I'm so hungry!"

Scarlett threw back her ebony haired head with hilarity, her silky locks falling elegantly down past her shoulders. "My, darling, I conjecture this means you want me up so we can have breakfast together then, huh?" Scarlett asked ruffling her daughter's ginger coppers lovingly.

Ella nodded vigorously, her dull green eyes illuminating. "Please hurry mother! Wade told me this morning that when my tummy grumbles and hurts that the large bear in my belly is eating my insides because it's so hungry!"

"Well then, my dear, we have to time to lose! We won't have that awful bear eating your insides now, I promise. Now let's get you and me dressed so we can feed that teddy in your tummy." Scarlett smiled and poked her daughter's stomach, watching her giggle.

Scarlett went to go fetch Josephine, the new maid Scarlett had hired a mere few weeks ago by a woman who requested her, the upstairs of the new home ringing with merriment while downstairs in the foyer, things were not so joyous.

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Arlene had been up early that morning, coming from her room dressed in daytime attire at 5:30 in the morn, checking that everything was in order when there was a soft knock on the front of the oak door after the dying sound of hooves against gravel.

Arlene made her way to the entrance leisurely, opening it silently to reveal a rather tall man with a chestnut mare tied to the gate a few feet away. "Hello, sir." Arlene said placing down a pitcher of ice water for breakfast on a small side table. "Can I help you?"

The man glanced into the picturesque foyer, never moving from his stance in front of the door, curiously glancing in, as if pondering something. "This is the residence of Scarlett O'Hara, is it not?" When Arlene nodded suspiciously, the sandy blonde haired man brandished a letter from the breast pocket of his large jacket. "This is from Mrs. O'Hara's lawyer back in Atlanta. It's very urgent, please deliver it to her as soon as possible."

That was it; there was no time for the nurse and confidant to react. The blonde man strode to his steed, mounting it with some difficulty due to the fact that he had a maimed leg, from the dreadful war Ms. Lombardi had assumed. Arlene let out a breath she had not realized she was holding in. For a few moments, she had thought it was Scarlett's husband.

Arlene glanced down at the large manila envelope and soon realized that this was probably worse. Attached to the envelope was a telegram, which the man had forgotten to take, it read: JOSEPH RILEY STOP DELIVER TO NIECE S O'HARA STOP SEE IF DOING WELL STOP WORRIED ABOUT HER AFTER THIS STOP HENRY HAMILTON

The nurse crumpled up the telegram in her hand and clutched it tightly as she glanced at the envelope only to nearly drop it in shock. On the top left hand corner in looped writing, read Rhett Butler, Charleston. Arlene gulped as she saw the characters that were scribbled across the heart of the packet; Scarlett O'Hara c/o Henry Hamilton.

Arlene knew exactly what it was even before the seal was even opened, they were divorce papers. The woman knew Scarlett wouldn't understand them, she didn't even know she had a husband and how horrible would it be to find out through divorce papers! No, Arlene decided, she wasn't going to give them to Scarlett, it was for her own good.

There was shuffling of feet racing down the stairs and Arlene's eyes widened and she shielded the letters with her back putting on false guise of calm. "Good morning Wade and Ella, how was your sleep last night dears?" The two children glanced up at their mother's friend smiling and answering her questions with 'very wells' and then racing each other into the kitchen.

Arlene could hear Scarlett coming down the polish wooden staircase, chuckling at her children's behavior. Without thinking, Arlene glanced around the room and when finding a drawer in the small mahogany writing table a few yards away, she shoved the mail clumsily into it, and closing it quickly with nothing more than a slight thud. The nurse turned just in time to smile at her comrade and say, as if nothing were amiss, "Good morning, Scarlett."

A/N- I hope this chapter was enjoyable! Please review to give constructive critism.