Here's the next chapter. Oh, yeah, and I'm not making any money off of this.

Chapter 3

Scarlett had been at Tara for a month, and se already knew both of her children like the back of her hand. Ella, an outgoing child, liked to tell jokes and do tricks, and Scarlett always knew when she was going to tell her to look at her and what she was going to do or say. She knew all of Wade's aspirations as well. He wanted to be a lawyer and have 2 children, a boy and a girl. Scarlett grew to love playing with her children, and even when she got dirty, she learned to control her anger and sweetly tell Ella not to splash her mother with mud, or whatever Ella had done wrong.

Even though she was happy on the outside, giggling and tickling her children under the chin, inside, Scarlett was hurting. Every night, she cried herself to sleep, and her dream was reaccuring. She knew she needed to get Rhett back soon, or she would lose her cover and break down into tears one day. The last thing she needed was for Suellen to find out that Rhett had left her. It would be a field day for Suellen, who was always searching for Scarlett's faults. She also didn't want to upset her children. She knew they were already devastated by the deat of Melly, who had been a serrogate mother to them, but Rhett had been their father, to Ella especially.

Scarlett soon became so upset, she stopped eating. She became very thin, and had bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. She started spending more and more time locked in her room, crying. Everyone became worried when she started vomiting.

One day, Will decided to get Doctor Fontaine. Doctor Fontaine said that he wished they had gone for him sooner because by then, Scarlett could barely stand on her own, and she passed out often. He said there wasn't much chance of her surviving.

***

Mammy spent day and night holding Scarlett's hands and talking to her. Ella and Wade were beside themselves with their mother ill. Even Suellen was worried and spent a considerable amount of time in Scarlett's room. Whenever Scarlett had the strength to speak, she was barely audible, and she always called for Rhett. Will wanted to send for him, figuring he would want to be there if his wife died, and the children would be rightfully his. Mammy ended up telling them that Rhett had left Scarlett, though she was careful not to let the children hear as they were already burdened enough. Mammy decided to send a telegram to Rhett's lawyer telling him to please send it on to Rhett.