Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

On January first of seventy-two, Scarlett had been at dinner when her water broke. This had never happened to her before. She jumped up from the table and said, "Rhett, get the doctor! Get Mammy! I will be in our room." She then hurried out of the room and up the stairs as quickly as her pregnant body would allow her to move.

Rhett looked at the stricken faces of his children. He calmly stood up and said, "Your mother is just having her baby. Nothing is wrong," None of the children seemed to be reassured by Rhett's words. He continued, "Wade, go to the nursery and tell Mammy that your mother needs her. Tell Eunice that she needs to come sit with you all while you finish your dinner."

"Yes, Sir."

Rhett went to find a footman to send a note to Dr. Hickman telling him to come at once to their home. He then went to be with his wife.

When Mammy got to the master bedroom, Rhett was right behind her. Scarlett told Mammy what had happened. The older woman made both Rhett and Scarlett feel better when she said, "That is the way it happens sometimes. Let's get you changed and into the bed but first walk with Mr. Rhett while I prepare the bed."

Rhett and Scarlett walked around the second floor. Rhett said, "Are you having contractions?"

"Not yet. I think that is why Mammy wanted me to walk around. To bring them on."

"Why am I walking with you? To get me out of the way."

Scarlett smiled and said, "That is probably the main reason but also in case I have a contraction and I can't stand up."

"Oh."

Soon Mammy was calling Scarlett back into the room. Mammy said, "Let me get you a nightgown to change into."

Scarlett said, "Rhett will get it for you."

Scarlett gave him a look and Rhett smiled. He said, "Yes, it is right here Mammy."

Rhett was shooed out of the room while Scarlett changed her clothes. He had gotten the nightgown that he had bought in Zurich. It was the only modest nightgown Scarlett owned. Although more times than not these days she slept without a nightgown. Despite them not wanting to have relations very often they still liked to sleep skin to skin especially when it was cold outside.

Dr. Hickman and his assistant, Ivan Crews, showed up while Scarlett was changing clothes. Dr. Hickman suspected that Mrs. Butler was in labor, so he brought his chloroform with him just in case.

Rhett saw the men to the master bedroom. He followed them into the room. When Dr. Hickman started to speak Rhett said, "I know. I am supposed to be down the hall, but I wanted to speak to my wife for just a minute."

"Alright. Just a minute."

Rhett squatted down by the bed and said, "Remember, I love you and I need you."

"I love you and need you too."

Just then the first contraction hit Scarlett and it was a hard one. She gripped Rhett's hand. When the contraction eased up, she said, "Go! This is a messy business."

Three hours later, Gerald Patrick Butler made his way into the world. It had been touch and go in the last minutes. Gerry had the cord wrapped around his neck and each time Scarlett pushed she was compressing the cord thus cutting off his oxygen.

When Dr. Hickman told her to stop pushing, at first, she didn't understand what the doctor had said. She was woozy from the chloroform. The doctor told her the situation and she said a quick prayer to the God she had always believed in. She also wished Rhett was there with her. She needed his strength. She didn't think she was going to be able to stop pushing because the urge was so great but from somewhere deep in her reserves, she found the strength to stop pushing. Dr. Hickman got the cord from around Gerry's neck and then Scarlett was able to push him all the way out.

Dr. Hickman put the child on Scarlett's stomach, and despite her wooziness, she knew that her son had her green eyes. Soon the cord was cut, and Mammy whisk the little boy away. As Mammy was about to leave the room with Gerry, Scarlett said, "Let me see him again."

As Scarlett looked at her son, she said, "Does he look like Rhett?"

"Yes ma'am. He does."

"How nice for Rhett. Let Rhett see him. Tell him I am alright."

Mammy carried the little boy into the nursery where Rhett and the other children were waiting. Rhett took his son from the older woman and said, "Scarlett?"

"Is just fine. You can see her in a minute as soon as I get the room cleaned up. It is a boy, Mr. Rhett."

Rhett smiled at the older woman. Indeed, he had become such a better husband and father he now deserved the honor Mammy was bestowing on him. He humbly said, "Thank you, Mammy. I will tell the cook to fix her a meal. She is going to be hungry. Her dinner was interrupted. But first let me show him to his siblings."

"Alright."

"Children, come look at your brother. His name is Gerald Patrick Butler."

Wade said, "That was my grandfather's name."

"Yes, we named him after your grandfather."

Ella said, "He is so tiny."

Bonnie said, "He is too tiny."

"We will call him Gerry."

"Alright Dad."

"Daddy, let me hold him."

"Not yet, Ella. Let me go tell the cook that your mother needs a meal fixed for her and me too, I guess. I never finished my dinner either."

"Alright."

"Dad, are you and Mammy going to have a celebratory drink for Gerry also."

"Probably."

"Can we celebrate Gerry's birth with lemonade instead?"

"Yes, I will get the cook to make some, and we will have it with our supper."

"Thank you, Dad"

This time Scarlett had remembered to buy the bassinet. It was right by Scarlett's side of the bed. When Rhett came into the room once it was cleaned up, she said, "Rhett, he almost died."

"What?! What happened?"

"The cord was wrapped around his neck. Dr. Hickman was able to save him. You are so wonderful for taking me to London to have my baby. He would have died in Atlanta."

"Dr. Meade might have been able to save Gerry."

"That quack! I certainly wouldn't have been using him. He is a little small because he is early. We have to be really careful he doesn't get cold. We may even have to keep our room on the warm side."

"Whatever it takes to keep Gerry healthy."

"Lay him down so I can see him."

Rhett laid the baby on the bed and got in beside Scarlett. Just then there was a knock on the door. He kissed her then yelled out, "Come in."

It was the maid with their meals. Rhett and Scarlett ate their meals and talked. Once she was finished, he removed the tray from her lap. She softly said, "You can hold him for a little while after I go to sleep then put him in the bassinet."

"Alright."

For the next two weeks, the master bedroom was not just on the warm side it was hot. The one-time Rhett had said, "Don't you think it is a little warm in here?"

Scarlett had looked horrified and said, "Would you want Gerry to freeze to death?"

"No, of course not."

Although Scarlett didn't hover over Gerry per se, where she was, was where he was. She would join the family for their meals but when she did Mammy was with the baby the entire time she was away from his side. She would let the other children visit her in the master bedroom. She would not leave Gerry alone and she would not take the baby out into the cold. The cold being anywhere outside of the master bedroom. She had even fashioned him a bag to sleep in to keep him warm all the time.

Scarlett arranged a birthday party for Wade. Surprising to Rhett that even though Scarlett didn't have her figure completely back she attended the party and left Gerry in Mammy's care. Scarlett was enjoying being with her children more and more but especially now that they could talk and tell her of their wants and needs. She was slowly letting her children be children. She had decided she wanted to be a mother like Mrs. Tarleton not like her mother. With her marriage to Rhett, she would never be a proper woman again so she might as well enjoy unreceived life. At least she was unreceived in the South. Certainly not here in London or in New York.

After three weeks, Rhett said, "Do you love Gerry more than your other children?"

"No. Why?"

"This is the first child you have shown so much affection for."

"Rhett, he is the baby that was conceived the night we told each other about our love. We almost lost him twice for sure and maybe a third time. It was like fate was trying to stop him from coming into the world. I can't let fate finish the job."

Rhett was taken back by what Scarlett had said. He had felt that way also. That fate was trying to prevent Gerry from living but he had thought he felt that way because Gerry had not made it twice before. He said, "I know about the bloody discharge and the cord, when was the third time."

"At the mansion. I was about to walk down the stairs and I had tripped. Luckily, I grabbed the handrail in time. We are taking those stairs out and replacing them with some that are not so steep after we get home."

"It is a miracle that we have him."

"All my children are miracles, but I love Genie and Gerry more because I love their father."

One month after Gerry's birth, Scarlett had her shape back. She loved how quickly she was able to lose her baby fat just by nursing her baby. She like the completeness of the situation. It was because of the baby that she got fat and it was because of the baby that she got slim again.

Rhett was just as silly over Gerry as he had been over Genie if not more so if that was possible. Surprisingly, he had not fired Eunice. In fact, Rhett thought she was a particularly good nursemaid. Rhett liked her well enough to make her an offer of employment, but unfortunately Eunice did not want to travel to Georgia with the family.

While Rhett and Scarlett were lying in their bed, he said, "I finally found a decent nursemaid and she doesn't want to move to America."

"If you found one you will find another one."

Sourly, Rhett said, "Not very likely."

Scarlett smiled at her husband and turned over to go to sleep. Rhett rolled over and wrapped his wife up in his arms. His wife that he knew he was the luckiest man on the earth to have.

Scarlett woke up in the middle of the night. Her breasts were hurting so she hoped Gerry woke up soon. She then heard her son starting to cry. He wasn't very loud yet so she would lie there for a few more seconds until she was completely awake.

Soon Scarlett was nursing her son. Gerry and Scarlett had done a lot better with the entire nursing thing than Genie and Scarlett had done. The first couple of times it was plain to see that Gerry didn't know what to do. Being more experienced this time Scarlett had drawn out some milk. Once Gerry had tasted the milk, he quickly figured out his part in the nursing arrangement.

Scarlett looked at her husband sleeping so peacefully, and she peevishly elbowed him a couple of times until she saw him waking up. When he opened his eyes there was an annoyed expression on his face, he said, "Was there something you wanted, Scarlett?"

"Did I accidently wake you up?"

"No, you didn't accidently wake me up. You woke me up on purpose."

With as much innocence as she could muster, Scarlett said, "Why would I do that?"

"Because I was sleeping peacefully while you were awake," Rhett sighed and said, "Do you want me to sit up and read to you."

Scarlett sighed and said, "No, Honey, you go on back to sleep."

As Rhett turned over to go back to sleep, Scarlett thought about the selfish person she had been when they had married. That girl would have insisted that Rhett stay awake to entertain her. She smiled as she noticed he had immediately gone back to sleep. She resisted the urge to wake him up again and she smiled. Maybe that girl wasn't gone completely.