Chapter Twelve: Courage
Ella and Scarlett were working in the hospital while Melly was at home resting. She was having a difficult pregnancy and the only way she would rest was if the sisters agreed to keep working in the hospital in her place. Scarlett had tried to stay at home under the illusion of looking after Melly, but Ella dragged her along. If Ella had to be in that hospital, so did Scarlett.
It had been a hard day. They had run out of pain relief and the men were crying out in agony. Ella was tending to some men while Scarlett was following Dr Meade around. The doctor announced that one of the men needed his leg taking off and they asked Scarlett to assist. Scarlett reluctantly made her way to the operating room, but when she got there she couldn't bring herself to enter. As she heard the man pleading with them not to take his leg, she decided she'd had enough of being around dying men and ran out of the building. She ran down the steps and tried to make her way home through the crowds of people.
Meanwhile, Ella hadn't noticed that Scarlett had left. She heard a call for a nurse and hurried to help, but when she saw the man having his leg removed, she almost threw up. Ella ran outside and took deep breaths while bracing herself against a wall. When she looked up all she could hear was noise. The street was in chaos. People were running around, carriages and horses raced past as shells fell from the sky. Then she spotted Scarlett in the crowd at the bottom of the steps.
"Scarlett!"
"Ella!"
Scarlett watched Ella rush down the hospital steps towards her as she got swept away in the crowd. Scarlett soon realised she couldn't fight against the crowd and allowed herself to be pushed along. Scarlett managed to move away from the road and onto the patio of a parade of stores, where she looked around. She was dizzy from being pushed around and the dirt being kicked up from all the horses and people was making everything seem hazy.
"Scarlett! Over here Scarlett!"
Scarlett searched for the owner of the voice calling out to her. She spotted a small buggy with a big man holding the reins.
"Scarlett get in! This is no day for walking, you'll get run over."
Scarlett happily jumped in and sat next to Rhett.
"Oh Rhett! Are the Yankees here?"
"No, not yet Scarlett. Why were you out in all this chaos?"
"Oh, I was helping at the hospital. Oh Rhett, it's so awful there! I tried to stay home with Melly, but Ella wouldn't let me."
Speaking of Ella made Scarlett gasp.
"Ella! Rhett, Ella was with me!"
Rhett pulled the buggy to a stop as they had reached Aunty Pitty's house.
"What?! Jump out Scarlett, I'll go find her."
Scarlett watched as Rhett hurried to turn his buggy around before racing off back towards the hospital. She'd never seen Rhett so dishevelled and thought that perhaps he really cared for Ella.
Ella was standing on the steps of the hospital as she looked for Scarlett in the crowds of people running about. She had been sensible enough not to throw herself into the chaos and instead wait on the safety of the steps. However, as she searched Ella leaned forward and lost her balance. Ella felt herself being to fall forward. Her heart dropped, she was going to fall into the road and get trampled.
She closed her eyes and braced herself, but instead of hitting the ground, or people, she felt two strong arms lift her up and carry her away. When she was placed in a seat she cautiously opened her eyes to find herself sitting in a buggy. Ella clutched her hand to her chest and took some deep breaths to calm her racing heart.
"Aren't you going to thank your saviour?"
Ella jumped and turned to see Rhett Butler sitting beside her in the buggy with the reins in his hands.
"Rhett? What… How did you… Where did you come from?"
"Well, I just picked up your sister and delivered her back home when she suddenly realised she'd left you behind. It seems like I arrived just in time."
"Scarlett's okay?"
"Yes, Scarlett's safe and sound. Now let's get out of here."
As Rhett tried to manoeuvre his buggy through the chaos in the streets, he suddenly took a sharp turn which made Ella grab onto his arm. A shell dropped nearby which made her jump and hide her face against Rhett as she clung onto his arm. Eventually they reached a quieter street.
Rhett looked down at Ella. Seeing her holding onto him like that brought up feelings. He didn't want her to ever let go. He wanted to always be the one who would protect her. He could have let her continue, he could have held her, comforted her and told her she was safe now, but he didn't. Instead he pushed her away.
"You're a jumpy little thing aren't you? You're holding onto me rather tightly."
Ella peeked out and saw they were in a quieter part of town. She glanced up at Rhett and as she processed his words she immediately sat up straight, let go of his arm and brushed her hands over the hair and skirts.
Apparently, it wasn't awkward enough for Rhett.
"I heard you met Belle."
Ella stared at Rhett. Ever since that night, when she had met Belle and saw her leave in Rhett's carriage, she had wondered what Rhett's relationship was with the woman. She desperately wanted to ask who she was to him, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words out loud. Ella felt she had been far too obvious with her feelings for Rhett already and asking such a question would only make her appear jealous. Deep down she knew the answer. She'd heard whispers of who, or should she say what, Belle was. Ella was certain Rhett and Belle were very close.
Instead, she feigned ignorance.
"Who?"
Rhett glanced down at Ella. He had a feeling she knew exactly who he was talking about. Ella's face was an open book.
"Never mind."
Rhett had one more trick up his sleeve.
"I have a proposition for you Ella."
Ella was immediately suspicious. No good could come of a man like Rhett Butler using the word proposition. She decided to proceed cautiously.
"Do you indeed, Mr Butler."
"How would you like to get away from all of this? From the war, I mean."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm asking you to run away with me, my dear."
Ella gasped. Was he seriously asking her to…? Well of course he was. After all, he was Rhett Butler the scoundrel. Ella slapped his arm, but the smallness of the buggy meant that to have room to do so, she had to lean away from him. She lost her balance and would have fell out of the side of the buggy if Rhett hadn't wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back up right.
"No need to be so eager to get away from me, my sweet."
Ella fumed as Rhett chuckled, his arm still around her. Ella pushed his arm away from her and moved as far away from him as she could, which wasn't very far. She felt like she had been thrown about with Rhett's changes in personality. One minute he was a gentle kind man with whom she could talk for hours, and the next he was as all the gossip in town described him. Ella didn't know which of the two was the real Rhett. Either way, she wasn't interested in playing games with him.
When they reached Aunt Pitty's, Ella immediately jumped out.
"So are you coming with me or not?"
Ella didn't dignify Rhett's question with an answer and continued to march straight into the house. However she didn't expect to find the house in such chaos.
"What on earth…?"
"Oh Ella, you're back! Aunty Pitty's leaving and I'm going too, quickly pack your things!"
Ella watched as Aunty Pitty and her slaves carried her things outside and put them in her carriage. Ella followed Scarlett outside.
"We can't leave Scarlett."
"Yes we can and I will. I want to go home. I want mother!"
Dr Meade came over at this moment.
"You girls can't leave. Mrs Wilkes needs you."
"She can come with us."
"She is pregnant and having a hard time with it, the journey would kill her and the baby. She can't be moved."
"But…"
"Ashley is out fighting for the cause, it's the least we can do to look after his wife and bring his unborn child into the world safely."
"He's right Scarlett. We can't leave Melly."
"Ashley. I promised Ashley."
Ella wondered Scarlett had promised Ashley, but she was glad that it meant Scarlett would be staying to help look after Melly.
"So, you'll stay?"
"If you're staying Scarlett, I'll be leaving now."
The sisters watched Aunt Pitty leave with longing eyes. The realised that they were truly alone in Atlanta now, alone in the middle of a war.
"Good. Now Melly will need a lot of help with the birth and we don't have the doctors to spare for her, so you two will need to deliver the baby."
"What! But you said she'll have a hard time and I don't know anything about childbirth!"
"I know. I know about babies being born. I've done it loads of times."
"Well, then Prissy will help you."
Ella was sceptical. Prissy could hardly do the simplest of tasks, Ella had doubts she had ever seen a childbirth let alone delivered one herself. She wouldn't leave Melly's life, and the life of her child, in Prissy's hands.
"Dr Meade?"
"Yes, Miss Ella."
"Do you have some medical books about childbirth that I may borrow? I'd like to be prepared when the time comes."
"Right you are. I'll put some aside for you, if you come by and pick them up tomorrow."
"Thank you Doctor."
As they watched Dr Meade leave, Ella and Scarlett clasped hands. They both were afraid and had doubts about how they would survive this, but at least they would have each other.
A/N: Can you guess what will be happening in the next chapter? Let me know in your reviews!
