And Scarlett raced outside to find that Ella had stubbed her little toe….
I'm kidding, that's not the chapter
Thank you everyone for the reviews. I am really enjoying getting inside of their heads ( or at least I am trying to).
Chapter 25
Scarlett's dress billowed behind her as she ran heedless of anything but finding her child. Wade ran ahead to one of the trees in the backyard. Careen who had been watching the child play was already beside a green pile of cloth lay at the base of the tree. Scarlett ran and fell to her knees beside Ella. The child was unnaturally still and her face was ashen white. For a moment Scarlett had a flashback of the moment of Bonnie's death, but Ella's chest still moved. And Scarlett nearly wept with relief. But she did not open her eyes. A large goose egg had already former at the back of her head.
Rhett stood back and watched as Scarlett so carefully looked after her child. There was no doubt that she loved Ella. And Rhett was amazed as more to his heart came alive watching Scarlett's fire and passion directed into something as mundane and yet sacred as motherly concern.
Scarlett brushed the hair away from Ella's face. "Baby girl, please wake up. Mommy needs to see your pretty eyes." But Ella did not stir. Scarlett glanced up at Wade who was nervously twisting his hands. "Wade you did a good job in coming and getting us." She consoled him, but it had no effect. His eyes held a glimmer of guilt and fear.
"Wade, what's wrong?" she asked him.
Wade's eyes filled with tears, "Mother, it's my fault. I dared her to climb the tree. I killed her! I killed my little sister!" He sobbed.
"Hush, Wade!" Scarlett scolded. "You didn't kill Ella, and if you were climbing trees then you know she would have followed you whether or not you challenged her. Wade, stop crying!"
There was still something maternal in her scolding, something that sweet talking and coddling would never have accomplished. Wade's sobs subsided, and he still held the look of guilt in his eyes, but he knew that mother needed him to be a man and not a child.
Scarlett started to pick Ella up, but Rhett chose this moment to come to her rescue. Although Ella was slight of build, she was almost too much for Scarlett to carry. Rhett bent and gently scooped the child into his arms. There was terror on his face, and Scarlett knew he was reliving Bonnie's death as she had just done.
She placed her hand on his arm. "Rhett, she's going to be ok. She just has a bump on her head. She'll be fine." The words were not for Rhett's ear alone, the words were spoken for Wade and for Scarlett herself. She still needed reassurance that she had not lost another child. Careen followed in their wake, trying to calm and soothe Wade.
Rhett led the way up the stairs, gently laying her on her bed. Scarlett sat beside her and stroked her forehead with the back of her hand, relishing in the warmth of the blood flowing beneath the surface of the skin. One of the nameless menservants was dispatched at once to fetch a doctor, but Rhett stayed in the room watching Scarlett who was oblivious to everyone in the room but her injured child.
Prissy arrived with a bowl of water and a towel, and Scarlett took it from her. She carefully wiped away the dirty smudges covering Ella's still pale face. She carefully began cleaning the scrapes that stood out in vivid contrast. Scarlett looked at her hands which shook, and she looked back at Ella, whose eyes fluttered open. "Momma, my head hurts." She whispered.
Scarlett nearly burst into relieved tears. "Baby girl, you gave momma, an awful scare." Her eyes stared into Ella's thankful beyond words to see the green sparkles again.
"Momma, what happened?" Ella questioned.
"You silly goose, fell out of the tree and bumped your head. Momma once did that too, when she was a silly little girl like you." Scarlett told her in a soothing tone.
"O, Momma, can you tell me about?" Ella's eyes began to sparkle again.
Scarlett began her story, but was soon interrupted by Ella. "Mother, my tummy hurts." At that Ella crawled from the bed and began vomiting. This terrified Scarlett because she knew of nothing that she could do to help her daughter. Soon after the wave of nausea had passed, the creak of the door revealed the appearance of Dr. Meade. Scarlett moved aside and allowed him access. He examined Ella, and his results were as expected.
"She has a concussion. You can't let her sleep, and she will want to sleep. But you cannot let her, because you can never be sure with brain injuries. But it is surely a good sign that she is awake and alert and in good spirits." Dr. Meade seemed very optimistic and handed Scarlett a package to administer for the head ache. "She's a lucky child," he concluded. And with that he departed.
Scarlett sent for one of the maids to fetch any and all entertainment that could be found to help keep Ella awake. Now that much of the fear and worry had passed, Rhett relaxed and began working at Scarlett's side to amuse Ella.
The room was soon full to overflowing with games and books and toys. Rhett seemed amused to teach Ella how to play poker. This intrigued Scarlett. She knew that she shouldn't allow Ella to play, but she was also very curious about the workings of the game.
As it turned out, Ella was not a very good strategist; however Scarlett soon was competition for Rhett. "Scarlett, I think you might be able to gamble on a professional level, now that you have learned to mask your emotion."
He was rewarded with a grin. It was her old grin, flirtatious and daring, and the very smile that Rhett longed to see. And for a moment, they were a united front. They were parents working hard to take care of an ill child, and they fit perfectly together. They worked in perfect unison.
Soon it was obvious that although Scarlett was enjoying the game, Ella would soon be asleep if they did not change their plan. She was already drooping in her seat. Scarlett then sent for one of the maids to bring a tray piled with Cakes and candies and sweets. She sent for a full pot of coffee and strong tea. Rhett laughed, "Of course, trust you Scarlett to think of food as the solution to your child's ailments."
Scarlett sent a glare his way, but the three of them enjoyed the rich deserts which arrived soon. Ella was excited to be allowed coffee, although she nearly spat after taking her first drink of the dark liquid. Rhett took great pains to mask the guffaw let lose by the expression on her face by feigning a coughing fit.
"Here, let mother make it taste better." Scarlett said trying to distract Ella from Rhett's poorly acted charade. She added a healthy amount of cream and sugar before Ella was willing to taste of it again. When she did she smiled, and Scarlett hoped that the coffee would help all of them survive the night.
Rhett saw the fatigue wearing at the edges of Scarlett. The stress of Ella's accident had worn on her as the stream wears away the rock, and Rhett realized that he must act for the benefit of both of the ladies in the room.
He began animatedly regaling them with edited yet still fantastic stories from his time in California in the Gold Rush. He told tales of hair raising adventures that truly were inappropriate for a young girl, they were more the stories that Wade longed to hear. But Wade had been sent to bed hours before after being assured that Ella really would be fine. Scarlett had to laugh at his ridiculous impersonations of the people he had encountered in his lifetime of travels.
When the sun began to rise and the pale rays of dawn streaked the sky, Rhett finally was able to tell Scarlett that the immediate threat had passed. Scarlett smiled at Ella, who quickly climbed into her bed and closed her eyes. And Scarlett like Ella was desperate for sleep. Careen agreed to stay in Ella's room and watch the child while Scarlett gratefully took a nap.
Scarlett was now bone weary, she felt almost too tired to lift a foot to take her to her room. And Rhett could see the exhaustion on her face. So without her consent he gathered her into his arms as hours before he had gathered Ella. This was not the passion that had inflamed him earlier. This was deep and pure love and concern. And Scarlett was too tired to fight him. And he carried her to her room and laid her on the bed. He carefully undressed her, and then lay himself down beside her. He then pulled her into his arms in an embrace meant to shield her from the dreams that plagued her. And for moments he knew a feeling of love so pristine that he could not comprehend it. But then his heavy eyelids sagged, and his breathing grew deep and even as he fell asleep with his wife in his arms.