Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.
Chapter Seven
Later in Scarlett's room Mammy told her what had happened. Mammy said, "Mr. Rhett had said to me, 'I have to go to New York. Wade and Ella can go back to Tara while Bonnie will go with me to New York. Prissy can come up from Tara and go with me.' Then Miss Bonnie said, 'No, Mama.' Mr. Rhett started to tell the little miss all the fun things they were going to do in New York, but Miss Bonnie had just said, 'No. Mama.' Mr. Rhett had said in a firm voice, 'You are going to New York with me.' The little miss stared at Mr. Rhett and then she peed all over the rug in the nursery. Mr. Rhett was beside himself. He even yelled at her to stop. She continued peeing and looked at him and screamed, 'No!"
Scarlett was a little bit happy that Bonnie preferred her, but she was mostly sad for Rhett. He loved Bonnie so much. It would really hurt him for her to not love him that much in return.
"So, he sent her back to me."
"Yes, ma'am. He can no longer control her. He always gave her everything she wanted and now that he can't give her what she wants he can't control her."
"Thank you, Mammy."
Scarlett felt such compassion for Rhett. Bonnie was the only person he loved and now she didn't love him. No. That wasn't right. She didn't love him best. Scarlett wondered if they would ever see Rhett again. If he didn't think Bonnie loved him anymore, he may not ever return. Or even if he didn't think Bonnie loved him the most he may not be back.
Rhett knew that he should have taken the children to Tara and checked on Scarlett instead of putting them on the train with just Mammy. He just couldn't bring himself to go to Tara. It was going to be hard enough to face Scarlett after forcing himself on her then running away from Atlanta last April. Not to mention his spending three days at Belle's and implying that he had been with Belle during those three days. Tara was Scarlett's stronghold and therefore he would have immediately been in a weak position. With him going to her instead of her returning to Atlanta his position would have been even weaker. No, he would just wait her out. He knew she would eventually return to Atlanta, after all Mr. Wilkes lived in Atlanta. She would always want to be close to Mr. Wilkes which made him wonder how she had stayed away from Atlanta for so long. He guessed she was still afraid of the censure from the matrons especially with him being gone. The real reason he was going to New York was he felt like a fool sitting in that house waiting for her to return. He wondered if that was how she felt whenever he had run away in the past. Probably.
While Mammy at been in Atlanta to take care of the children Rhett had visited Belle's several times but he had quickly gotten bored with his nocturnal activities. One night he had looked at Belle and saw her for the woman she was an illiterate whore passed her prime. As he had looked at Belle, he had wondered not for the first time how he could have not only let Scarlett believe he was having relations with Belle but all of Atlanta also. How could he have justified shaming Scarlett that way.
He should have just told Scarlett about preventatives. He was a man who prided himself on his self-control, yet he let his temper get the better of him that afternoon. That happened far too often with Scarlett. He had replayed the words that day over and over again. She had said, 'I don't want to have any more children.' He knew she hadn't wanted any more children. He knew she hadn't wanted any of her children. Admittedly he knew Mr. Wilkes had influenced her that afternoon, but he also knew that if he had refused to move out of the master bedroom there wouldn't have been anything she could have done about it. He also knew that she would never have said no to him. After the fact, his pride wouldn't let him back down.
After his visit to The Painted Lady a week ago, he had decided to go to New York. He had bid Belle goodbye and walked out the door of the saloon. He had been sad and discouraged about his life at that moment.
Rhett had boarded the train to New York the same day he had put Mammy and the children on the train to Jonesboro.
He would go to the opera and the Metropolitan Fine Art Museum those activities would cheer him up. He wished Scarlett would travel with him. He would love to take her to the opera and show her the sights of New York. She refused to leave Atlanta although he had quit asking her to join him after she got pregnant with Bonnie. She claimed she couldn't leave her businesses for that long. The truth was that she probably couldn't considering who she had working for her. Elsing and Wilkes had been worthless, and Gallagher would have robbed her blind.
Rhett had lost quite a bit of money when he couldn't follow his investments closely those months after he had run away with Bonnie. These last two months he had gotten his finances in order. He had to unload several dogs that he should have sold weeks if not months ago. There were several deals that he could make a lot of money on he wanted to investigate in New York. These next weeks would be profitable although he knew the truth was that he was running away from Scarlett again by not going to Tara and resolving their issues.
He thought about Bonnie. When she had come back to Atlanta after being in Scarlett's care for two months, she had been a sweet, spirited, mostly well-behaved little girl. She did everything Mammy told her to do. She did nothing he asked her to do unless she wanted to do it.
Bonnie had refused to sleep in his room. She wanted to sleep with her Sissy. He had Bonnie's little bed moved into the room across the hall from his and Bonnie and Ella slept in the room together. He had given Mammy the room next to the girls. He had given Wade his own room. Ella and Wade had been kind, polite and respectful but there was a wall between him and Wade. In that moment Rhett wondered how much Wade and Ella had heard of his and Scarlett's fights. Enough judging by the coolness he was receiving from Wade, not only had he heard the fights he had understood what Rhett had said to Scarlett. Not the least being him calling his wife 'my pet.' He would have to mend that fence when he got back.
Bonnie had refused to sit in his lap when they had meals. When he had tried to get her to, she had said, "Big girl."
He had watched her struggle with using a spoon and he had said, "You can just eat with your hands."
She had replied, "Big girl."
He knew that he had been coddling Bonnie and it was not to her benefit. He had been treating her like a baby because he had wanted her to be dependent on him. Scarlett had been treating her like a big girl and judging by Bonnie's responses that was what she wanted to be.
Bonnie had still wanted her mother every night when she went to bed but Ella would get in bed with her. He had heard Ella saying, "We both miss her. Everyone misses her but we will see her when the doctor lets her travel." After he had heard Ella, he started telling Bonnie the same thing. He would get her to sleep but almost every morning he would find Bonnie in bed with Ella. Bonnie had always been fine during the day, and she would never ask for her mother. She only asked for her mother before she went to sleep.
Rhett thought about her peeing all over the carpet. He had been horrified when she looked at him and peed on the carpet. That was when he knew he had no control over her. That was when he knew that Scarlett and Mammy had been right. Bonnie needed boundaries. He was going to have to learn to say no and mean it.
He also had to admit that Scarlett was a better parent than he was. In fact, she had been Bonnie's only parent while he had just been Bonnie's playmate. When he came back to Atlanta, he would have to put his anger and jealousy aside and become a couple. He smiled and thought, 'Maybe for the first time ever in their relationship.'
After Wade had unpacked his trunk, he brought Scarlett a present that Uncle Rhett had sent. She opened it and smiled. It was a lovely emerald necklace. It was a lovely piece of jewelry, but it was no more personal than what Rhett would have given his mistress. Scarlett put it with the rest of her jewelry. She hadn't given Rhett anything. He was so hard to buy for because he bought himself anything he wanted. Since she knew she would not be seeing him she had not bothered to buy him anything.
When Scarlett was tucking the girls in their beds, Ella asked, "How is your ankle?"
"Good as new. I was about to join y'all in Atlanta then I found out Uncle Rhett was leaving town. While Uncle Rhett is out of town, I wanted to stay here so I just waited for y'all to come back."
"I like it here."
Bonnie said, "Me too."
Their mother smiled and said, "I do too but I like it better when y'all are here."
Ella said, "Will we return to Atlanta?"
"When your Uncle Rhett returns, we will return. It should be before Bonnie's birthday."
Scarlett had almost forgotten about her ankle injury. She had been out of the bed after only a week. She knew that Will and Suellen had known she had faked her injury when over dinner Suellen had said, "It's a Christmas miracle your ankle healing that quickly."
Scarlett had laughed and replied, "Yes, it is."
The next morning Mammy found Bonnie in Ella's bed. She told Miss Scarlett, "Bonnie ends up sleeping with Ella more nights than not. Ella doesn't mind. I think it is good. Bonnie has found a way to comfort herself."
Scarlett smiled and said, "She is a very smart little girl."
Mammy gave Scarlett a big smile and said, "Too smart."
Both ladies laughed.
Scarlett showed Wade where she had hidden her strong box. She told him, "I am sure that nothing is going to happen to me, but you need to know. Your Uncle Henry will come and get you and your sisters. Just have Will send a telegram if you need your Uncle Henry."
Wade had just turned ten, but he was old beyond his years. He had lived through the civil war, and he had lived with her and Rhett which was like a war. Wade looked at his mother with tears in his eyes and said, "What about Uncle Rhett?"
"Uncle Henry will take care of contacting Uncle Rhett."
"Alright. I hope it is a boy. I would like a little brother."
"Me too."
Scarlett hugged her son and he hugged her back and neither person acknowledged the tears in their eyes.
A week later on January twenty-sixth in the early morning Suellen went into labor. By midmorning Scarlett knew she was going to have her baby that day also. Scarlett smiled to herself and thought, 'I hope Mammy is up to the task.'
Scarlett went to the nursery and hugged all her children then told them she loved them. Right now, she was going to be helping Aunt Suellen bring her baby into the world. She kissed Wade's head and said, "Take care of your sisters."
"I always do."
"You are a great older brother."
Soon they heard Suellen's son crying and knew that at least the baby had made it. Prissy rushed out with the baby and handed him over to Will. Will was beaming. He said, "When can I see my wife?"
Prissy said, "We are getting the room cleaned up. It will be just a minute."
Prissy came to Scarlett's bed and told her all the good news. Mammy came bustling through the door griping about babies not having good sense to not both come on the same day. Mammy got the bed prepared. In thirty minutes, Scarlett was in her childhood bed giving birth for the second time. Scarlett had known she was awfully close, but she hadn't said anything because she didn't want Mammy to get distracted.
It was a boy. He looked similar to Rhett. She was happy. The boy looking like Rhett would quiet a lot of the gossips but not all of them. It wouldn't matter. She and her children would be living in the country. She rested for the remainder of the day. Her children came to see her, and they saw the baby. They were all three more concerned about their mother than their brother.
The next day Scarlett was already out of the bed. She didn't have time to lie around. She had to get back in shape. She didn't know what to call the child. She wanted Rhett's input although when they were talking about names when she was pregnant with Bonnie he had always said, "Whatever you want, my dear."
At the time it had made her sad. It was like he didn't care enough about his child to even want to have a say in the child's name. For now, she would just call him 'Baby.' Maybe she and Rhett could go back to living together for the sake of their children. One name was definitely out for Suellen had used it. Scarlett knew Suellen had used it so she couldn't. Sue had named her son Gerald William. Scarlett just smiled. Such petty games she and Suellen played.
