Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.
Chapter Six
The first two weeks with Bonnie had been rough. Scarlett knew that she indeed had not heard the word 'no' the entire time Bonnie and Rhett had been gone. Scarlett had two advantages. Bonnie had really missed her mother and she also knew that neither her mother nor Mammy would give in to her demands and her temper tantrums. In fact, her mother and Mammy got up and left the room when she threw a temper tantrum. She had tried the same ploy on her mother that had been successful with her Daddy, and it fell on deaf ears. When Bonnie cried for her Daddy, her mother would sit with her and rub her back and tell her they all missed Daddy but hopefully he would be home soon. Her mother would get the family picture she had in her toy bag and her mother would start talking about her Daddy. Bonnie did miss her Daddy which her mother would acknowledge but her mother would still not give in to her demands, no matter what Bonnie did.
When Bonnie tried to wear the same dress two days in a row Mammy had simply said, "No." She had tried limply lying on the floor several more times but Mammy and everyone else just ignored her until she got bored and got up.
When Bonnie had started screaming at the table when there wasn't anything on her plate that she wanted to eat. Scarlett picked her up and carried her outside to the porch. Scarlett firmly said, "It is not proper behavior to scream in the house. If you want to scream you can stay out here."
When Bonnie refused to eat, Scarlett let her go hungry. Scarlett made sure nobody gave the child anything to eat until it was either snack time or a mealtime.
When one night at supper Bonnie pushed her plate onto the floor, Scarlett made her pick the entire mess up. She then carried the child upstairs and gave her a bath, put on her nightgown and put Bonnie to bed. Scarlett stayed with the child the entire time and read her story after story. Soon the child was asleep.
Scarlett also wasn't letting Bonnie just eat with her hands. She didn't scold Bonnie when she did eat with her hands. She would simply continue to put the fork or spoon in the child's hand.
Scarlett knew Bonnie was a strong-willed child which, she was proud of that, but Bonnie needed to be a well-behaved little girl if she was going to fit into the society that Rhett sold his soul for her to be a part of. Scarlett was following Mammy's advice in regard to getting Bonnie under control. Mammy had already raised a strong-willed child once.
Bonnie liked playing with Suellen's daughters and Ella. She liked playing with their dolls. She liked playing with other children. She liked playing with her Daddy, but she wanted to play with other little girls.
There was another advantage that Scarlett had. Bonnie loved being at Tara. She like her siblings loved that red dirt. All Scarlett's children felt an affinity with the ground.
The last advantage that Scarlett had that she didn't know was that probably for the first time in her life she was at peace. Definitely since she had gone to the finishing school. She was finally a restful person.
One evening after all the children were asleep Will, Suellen and Scarlett were sitting in the parlor talking about people still in the county.
Scarlett said, "I know a lot of the men died in the war but where did everybody else go."
"The Wilkes moved to Atlanta and Macon, Cathleen Calvert and her Yankee husband moved back up north, the Johnson sisters moved to Athens to live off their relatives, theā¦"
"Enough. I get your point. Almost everyone else is dead or living off of someone."
"I'm still mad that you stole Frank away from me, but I am happy with Will. I know you did a lot of things you would rather have not done so we could keep Tara and so we could eat. For that I am grateful."
"Thanks. Yes, I did too many things I didn't want to do." Scarlett turned pensive with those words. Then with force brightness she said, "What is done is done. I'm going to turn in."
"See you in the morning. I'll get the eggs tomorrow morning."
Scarlett smiled and nodded. Scarlett didn't know how but Suellen had a talent for getting the eggs from the hens without getting pecked.
Scarlett walked up the stairs and decided that if she was going to stay, she would have to add on to the house. She would think about that later. If she thought about that she would think about Rhett, and she didn't want to think about him.
She changed, put on her nightgown and wondered what excuse she could use not to go to Atlanta for Christmas. She shortly fell asleep.
Scarlett was dreading having to turn Bonnie back over to Rhett. Scarlett knew that her well-behaved spirited daughter would turn back into a brat when Rhett was around. She didn't know what she could do about it, so she didn't think about it. She was just going to enjoy the child for now.
Scarlett got the telegram from Rhett on December 20th. It said: In Atlanta STOP Return to Atlanta tomorrow STOP
Scarlett's return telegram said: Will return to Atlanta on nine AM train STOP
Rhett replied: Meet you at the station. STOP
That afternoon Scarlett fell and broke her ankle. At least that was what she told everyone.
Scarlett had put on quite the act that afternoon. It had taken the doctor a long time to arrive. The entire time she was waiting she was pinching her ankle and slapping it. When Dr. Carson had arrived, it was red and slightly swollen. Every time Dr. Carson tried to touch her ankle she had screamed because of the pain. Finally, Dr. Carson said, "I don't think you broke it, but your ankle is badly sprained. You will have to stay off it for two weeks. Actually, three weeks considering your condition."
Scarlett sobbed out, "We are going to Atlanta tomorrow for Christmas."
"You aren't. You aren't leaving this bed for three weeks."
"No, I have to go. I don't want my children to miss out on the fun."
"Will can take your children to Atlanta. Are you joining family?"
"Yes."
"Then one of your servants could escort them."
"I guess Mammy could take them by herself. Wade is almost ten so he would be a big help. Would you call them in here?"
Dr. Carson left and told Will, "Mrs. Butler has sprained her ankle very badly. In her condition she needs to stay off it for three weeks. She was crying about not getting to take her children to Atlanta. I told her someone else could take them and she said her mammy could. Would you tell her mammy to go see her? I will be back tomorrow."
When Mammy came to Scarlett's room, Scarlett said, "I can't go to Atlanta tomorrow. I have broken my ankle. You will have to take the children and, of course, stay with them until I can join you there in about six weeks."
Mammy gave her a knowing look but all she said was, "Yes Miss Scarlett."
Scarlett smiled her conspiratorial smile. She said, "Would you tell the children to come see me?"
When the children came to her room, Ella and Bonnie climbed on the bed. Wade stood next to the bed. They all had worried expressions on their faces. Scarlett smiled and said, "I have broken my ankle. The doctor has said I cannot walk on it for six weeks. I am so disappointed, of course, but there is no reason for everyone to miss having a good time in Atlanta. Y'all and Mammy will go to Atlanta tomorrow and when I can walk, I will follow you."
The next morning when everyone came to tell her goodbye, Wade had hugged her. When he had pulled back, she knew that he knew that she was faking her ankle injury. She had smiled sweetly without acknowledging the look he had given her, but she had pulled him back and had hugged him again. She wasn't worried. Wade would never say anything. She had hugged her daughters tightly. As the children and Mammy had walked out of the room, she had felt so much love for all four of those people. She wondered if she would ever see Bonnie again. She hoped so. She really didn't want to see Rhett again. He wasn't the man he had been when they had first gotten married. He was always in a bad mood now. He was always saying unkind things to her. Worst of all he no longer wanted her.
About an hour after the train arrived in Atlanta Scarlett received a telegram. Suellen brought the telegram to her in her room. Suellen had ask the messenger to wait in case Scarlett had a reply. Scarlett said, "It is probably from my husband. So yes, I will have a reply."
The telegram said: You broke your ankle STOP When will you be able to return to Atlanta STOP
Scarlett wrote her response and gave it to Suellen with a dollar to give to the messenger.
Her response was: The doctor says I cannot travel for six weeks STOP
The next day the messenger was back with another telegram from Rhett. This time Prissy brought the telegram. It said: Can you be back in Atlanta by Feb 1 STOP
Her reply was: Probably closer to Feb 10 STOP
That was it. She heard nothing more from Rhett. She couldn't go to Atlanta in February at all. She would have just had the baby. What was she going to do? She decided that she would just stay here at Tara. Rhett would have to come and get her if he wanted her to return to Atlanta. That wasn't very likely. She did note that he hadn't told her to come back to Atlanta.
Christmas came at Tara, and everyone had a good time. Scarlett gave the girls some toys and that was it. Nobody gave Scarlett any presents either. She was alright with it. She had gotten enough presents from Rhett that didn't mean anything to want any more insincere presents. The dinner was good.
That evening as she tried to sleep, she wondered if her children had missed her. She knew Wade and Ella had. She hoped Bonnie had but she wasn't that optimistic. She wouldn't think about Bonnie. She would think about her new baby. Her baby. She would always have Wade, Ella and the new baby she hoped. Maybe she should run away before Rhett knew the truth. Before Rhett stole another one of her children. She smiled when she thought, 'I can't run anywhere. I can barely walk.' She needed just a little bit longer.
Her miracle came on January 15th. She got a telegram from Rhett that said: Your children will be on the ten o'clock train tomorrow. STOP I have to go to New York. STOP I will be back before Bonnie's birthday. STOP.
Scarlett didn't know if that meant all her children or just Wade and Ella, but she would be happy with what she got. She sent Will to pick up the children in Jonesboro the next morning. When Will returned, he had all three of her children and Mammy. She hugged them all like she wasn't going to let them go. They hugged her back. Everyone was overjoyed. They had dinner and settled in the nursery. All except Wade. She put him in the guest bedroom. He was too old to be sleeping with all those girls. He was happy with those arrangements.
She asked them all about their time in Atlanta. Wade said, "Uncle Rhett rented a house for us. It was on the south side of town where all the Yankees live."
Scarlett said, "Maybe that was all that was available."
"That is what Uncle Rhett said. He said that you would have to find us a new house when you returned to Atlanta."
"I guess I will. When I return to Atlanta."
She asked how their Christmas was and everyone started speaking at once. While Wade and Ella were speaking over each other to tell her how amazing their Christmas had been, Bonnie crawled up in her mother's lap and rested her head on Scarlett's baby bump. The children talked about all the gifts Rhett had given. Wade and Ella couldn't stop talking about the books and the toys they had gotten. Rhett had made them leave the toys in Atlanta.
Scarlett didn't know how she had gotten all three of her children back, but she wasn't going to ask questions. She was just so incredibly happy.
When Scarlett told everyone to go to the playroom. Bonnie came over and hugged her mother. She said, "Miss you."
Scarlett hugged her back and said, "I missed you too," In a louder voice she said, "I missed everyone."
