Pre Note: here is a rough timeline for this story.

June 1873: "That night"
August 1873: As I mentioned, condensing the timeline. So miscarriage, Bonnie and Melanie, all this month. Rhett also leaves.
December 1873: The "I'm going on a trip" letter to Rhett
April/May 1875: Scarlett returns to Atlanta; Henry contacts Rhett about the house
May/June 1875: Rhett sees Scarlett again.

So all told, it has been about 21/22 months since the "Frankly my dear" scene.

Chapter Three:

Rhett felt movement at his side, and glanced up to see Wade watching his mother, anxiously. Both he and Wade reached out at the same time, Wade taking the baby from Scarlett and Rhett steadying Scarlett as she tried to pull herself up. Ella stood back, watching the scene from the bottom of the stairs. When Scarlett was almost to her full height, she crumpled again, causing another cry to escape her lips. Rhett caught her, swinging her up into his arms on pure instinct. He moved up the stairs as Scarlett groaned, and Wade followed behind.

He pushed the door of Scarlett's room open with his foot and carried her to her bed where he deposited her. He glanced around as she adjusted her clothes and leaned back against the overstuffed pillows. Her room was much the same. It was still styled the same, with the same colors, but he noticed a crib near the bed, and there were toys around the room, and baby clothes piled in neat stacks.

The baby in Wade's arms began to fuss again, and Scarlett reached out for him immediately. Wade handed her the child and stepped back. Rhett turned to him. "Wade, son, go get the doctor. Tell him that your mother's probably broken her leg. Tell Ella to go play with Beau. I need to speak to your mother."

Wade didn't move, instead he looked to Scarlett. Rhett was shocked, Wade had always done exactly as requested, by him or any other adult. "Mother?"

Scarlett stopped looking at the child in her arms and smiled up at Wade. Rhett could see that she was trying to comfort both of the boys, it was an intriguing, and frustrating sight. "It's okay dear, go and do as he says. Dr. Meade will be over at Beau's and Ashley's, I'm sure, so take Ella with you."

Once Wade had left, and Scarlett was left alone with Rhett and Baby B, he pulled the chair from her vanity to the side of her bed. Scarlett looked at him strangely as he sat down. "Really, Rhett. You needn't sit at my bedside. I'm sure I'll be fine here until Wade comes back with Dr. Meade."

"I'll stay, Scarlett." His voice was rougher than normal, but not with anger. She couldn't quite place the emotion it concealed.

"Have it your way then." Scarlett sat up slightly, wincing as her leg moved, and pulled some more pillows behind her back to prop her up.

Bored with sitting on her lap, Baby B crawled out of her lap and around the bed. She noticed that Rhett's eyes darted to the child frequently, but then would look away deliberately. Scarlett could tell he wanted to ask her about the child, but she didn't understand why he remained silent. This was not how she pictured the conversation going, but she should have known her plan was foolish.

"You and those damn stairs, Scarlett."

Scarlett shuddered. She already had a hard time walking down them, after this she wasn't sure how she ever could, again. "Yes, well, all the more reason to let me sell this place."

"As I said earlier, you can do with it as you wish Scarlett. It makes no difference to me." He hazarded another glance at Baby B who was now standing on the bed beside Scarlett, on wobbly legs. "Where do you intend to go after you've sold it."

"I hadn't really thought about it. The children loved Ireland, but I don't imagine I could live there forever."

"So, Ireland was it? That's where you went when you disappeared."

"Well, I needed to leave Atlanta, and one night I had a dream that Pa was telling me to go to Ireland. So, I did."

"And how did you find it?"

"Oh!" She exclaimed, a huge smile coming to her face despite the pain in her leg. Though she found that it was lessening as she sat here and spoke with Rhett. "It was beautiful Rhett, just beautiful. Everything was so green, and the people were so nice…" She trailed off when she noticed the strange look on Rhett's face.

Rhett sat back in his chair, expelling a breath of air. "I'm glad you liked it, Scarlett."

Two hours later, Scarlett still sat propped up on her bed. Although now her leg was stretched out in front of her, and it was propped up as well. Dr. Meade had informed her that she'd broken her ankle, and had promptly wrapped and splinted, something he'd had to explain to Scarlett before she'd let him do it, the bone before ordering her to remain in bed for at least six weeks. She'd argued, of course, stating that she couldn't possibly stay in bed that long. She had things to do, and a house to sell.

"There will be no argument Scarlett. You're not to get up out of this bed for anything." He'd explained that she could bathe and relieve herself, but needed to be in bed at all other times.

As Dr. Meade gathered his things and went to leave the room, Rhett walked back in. She knew he'd waited right outside of the door as Dr. Meade tended her, and had heard everything. She waited for a mocking statement, but it didn't come. Instead, he approached the bed calmly, repositioning the same chair he'd sat in hours before.

"I'm sorry. Scarlett. I know you don't like being made to stay in bed. Hell, no one could keep you in bed after you'd given birth." He offered her a small smile, and it warmed her, unexpectedly.

Much to her utter embarrassment, Scarlett burst into tears for the second time that afternoon. In between sobs and breaths she lamented about how she would have to figure out how to take care of the children, and that she didn't want to be in Atlanta anymore. She was shocked into silence when she felt Rhett's weight join her on the bed, and felt his arms wrap around her.

"You mustn't cry, Scarlett. I don't have a handkerchief on me." He'd stopped carrying them shortly before he'd left, when it was clear she'd rather die than come to him for comfort, even if that comfort was just a clean piece of linen. "I'll be here, Scarlett. Until you don't need me anymore."

I'll be here until you don't need me anymore. His words echoed in her mind the rest of the evening. For the last year and half, she'd missed him. She'd wanted him. She'd hated him, and loved him. She'd taken care of her children, all three of them, and had done it with no one to help her. She'd like to tell him that she would never need him. Yet, as the words played in her head over and over, she wasn't sure if the day would come when she could tell him that, and truly mean it.

Post Note: 3 Chapters in 24 hours. I think that might be a new record for me. I'll probably post this and continue writing, but it might be a few days before you see it. I have work the next two days, unless my COVID tests come back positive, and then you might have a lot more chapters coming. Have a good day or evening, wherever you are. Thanks for your reviews, they mean everything. -Phantom