Notes back:
Ninjini: We're at like day 300 of this new world. I've watched everything on Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO, PBS, AMC+, Apple. Writing is at least something different. In a world with nearly no socialization, no gym time (no being exhausted from gym time), no commutes, I'm also a poor sleeper (which ties into the no gym time). Lol. The theme is more "It's a Wonderful Life," looking at the impacts of events/people. I think being mindful is one of the best things a person can do, especially during the holidays, lol or all of 2020. I am not a mindful person, I am definitely one of those people that had a wake up this year that went, "WTF did the last decade go?"
Moonfire Star: Lol. I feel like I could give you a pretty detailed follow-up summary for most of the fics in, "The Path to." I definitely over thought most of them. Narrowing them down is always my challenge. Ugh. And this is my reminder to make sure I do a GH post for the holiday season. There are two early in the book fics with this one. I don't even know where Ashley is in them. :-P
ScarlettGator: Thanks! Each piece is a complete mini story.
AN: Thanks for all the great reviews guys. I am glad you are liking the concept of this. Feel free to ask any questions afterwards if a jump within the fic feels like you're missing something (lol. There might be a scene I should add for future readers). I feel like there is a lot of "Poor Beau" in this just because several of them will involve Melly passing, I do have Rhett mention in one of them how he doesn't hold the child responsible for the man his father was. Once Beau is no longer fully the child of the man that was such a wall between Rhett and Scarlett, it becomes easy for Rhett to accept him.
6. Prissy delayed in kitchen, Bonnie ending up with a broken leg.
The kitchen in the morning was always such a hectic time. It hardly made any sense, the family nearly always ate the same thing, but somehow the kitchen became chaos which never spilled over to the service in the dining room. It was likely because Miss Scarlett always managed to use her bell pull at the worst moment.
Prissy's hand wasn't in the exact right spot on the plate as she stopped short. That fancy little biscuit with cream and jam that Miss Scarlett touted as a 'Queen Cake' went flying off the plate she was bringing out to Miss Bonnie.
She was annoyed at having to go prepare another, but as she was doing it as the sprung bell continued to ring with such an exact ring that the entire house was able to identify it as Miss Scarlett's room, the child was likely already angry at the delay, a few moments longer wouldn't matter much, better to avoid an angry mistress and so she prepared one for Miss Scarlett as well. She handed off Miss Bonnie's to a maid when she was done with them both and went to go fill a teapot with hot water for Scarlett's tea.
o-o-o
Bonnie's head dropped slightly as she spotted the insect as they neared the jump, it distracted her ever so slightly from her jump, shifting her interest for the briefest of moments, altering the placement of her body ever so just before she went flying off her pony.
o-o-o
The household erupted into chaos the morning Miss Bonnie broke her leg. Mrs. Butler tore through the house in her dressing gown, losing her slippers along the way. Miss Bonnie screamed in despair and pain. Captain Butler barked orders at the staff.
Mrs. Butler screamed blame and anger at her husband and then just as quickly turned to consoling and comforting her daughter.
The two parents huddled around their beloved child offering her comfort and reassurance until the doctor arrived.
The staff all gave knowing looks to each other that it was that damn pony that had finally taught Miss Bonnie a lesson. Hopeful that someone would let the pony escape before Captain Butler put a bullet in it like they all knew he wanted to do with Lou.
Of course, Miss Bonnie's screams as her father carried her out of the yard and into the kitchen so Dr. Meade could set her leg broke their hearts. Reminded them that she was just a small girl and her attitude the result of the parents in her life.
Mrs. Butler insisted on Bonnie being brought to her large room instead of the nursery or her father's room, the guilt-ridden and heartbroken Captain Butler agreed.
o-o-o
Scarlett lay alongside Bonnie until the little girl fell asleep, Rhett sitting on the other side watching over their daughter's every breath.
It flooded over Scarlett in an instant making it impossible for her to breathe, she launched herself off the bed and ran towards the hallway. Taking in gasps of airs as emotion tore through her, tears and sobs as she couldn't hold her body upright any longer she fell towards the floor only to be caught up in Rhett's strong embrace.
"She'll be fine. Dr. Meade said she'd be fine," he informed his wife, those words had been playing through his head as he watched Bonnie's every breath.
"She could have…What were we thinking…Pony's don't jump. Four-year-old's don't jump. I thought it was just like Pa, when she…Oh god, I thought she was gone. I thought I watched the last second of her life."
"She's fine Scarlett, bones heal, she'll be fine," his heart was pounding dangerously in his chest as she fell apart on him. He managed to get them out of their crumbling upright forms so that he was seated on the hallway floor and Scarlett secure on his lap.
She shook in his arms, "You were right. We should have given her to Melly. I wasn't meant to be a mother. She could have died."
"The jumps are already being-"
The wracking sobs left her body as she grew more forceful "The jumps? That pony is gone. I want to send her to Careen's convent."
He laughed unexpectedly.
"I'm not kidding Rhett."
"I know you're not."
"Why does love hurt so much?"
He let out a pained laugh, "I don't know."
"Please keep her safe. I don't know how, but promise me you'll keep her safe."
"Always," he promised.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Dr. Meade remanded Bonnie to bed and bed only for several weeks, once the bones began to mend he said she could be moved around the house, but the break had been severe and he hadn't wanted to risk having the bones shift from how they had been set. Leaving Bonnie in her mother's large bed and all the frustrations of an energetic child trapped in bed. It became a family affair to amuse her.
Her mother spending nearly all day abed with her, Kennedy's forgotten to the point her staff had actually had to come to the house on several occasions. Her father either in his chair next to her or sitting alongside her on the bed on the opposite side of her mother.
Wade and Ella were often in the room, attempting to entertain their little sister and often enjoying the stories their stepfather told or their mother read. Enjoying all the new toys their stepfather kept bringing home. Wade tended to leave when his mother would attempt to get the girls to draw or teach them needlepoint or how to knit. At least he did until his uncle Rhett picked up a pair of needles as well and began to wrap the yarn around the needle.
Scarlett slept in Bonnie's small bed in the corner of the room, a servant on a bedroll beside Bonnie's large bed in case she needed something in the middle of the night.
Rhett often spent a portion of the night sitting by her bed or watching from the doorway, feeling useless in a young girl's sickroom.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
It was nearly noon as Bonnie fell asleep as Scarlett was reading to her, the older children out with Miss Melly. Scarlett had spent the better part of an hour along one side of Bonnie, reading to her, as Rhett lay along her other side. Often not watching their daughter, but watching her mother.
He was driven by a need for her.
It had been simmering for weeks.
Suddenly spending endless hours in a close space with the wife he'd done his best to avoid since the child between them was a baby.
He wanted her more fiercely than he ever had.
He swiftly got out of bed before he thought and came around the bed, tugging her up into his arms. She returned the kiss he pulled her into. As fiercely as he. He held their bodies close, hands clutching at each other.
He would have taken her on the floor if he could have guaranteed Bonnie wouldn't awaken.
He swept her up into his arms and quickly strode out of the room and towards his own. Closing the door behind him with his foot.
He fell upon his wife in bed, she returned every fevered kiss. He needed to touch her skin, touch and kiss every inch of her, but there was a baser urge even Scarlett felt. Her hands were the ones that reached for the buttons of his pants.
It was an unceremonious, but spectacular joining that passed far too quickly, but based on the hammering of his heart, he'd likely not survived it for much longer.
"I might be out of practice, but I think we were supposed to remove our clothing," her words breathy and stunned.
"And last longer than five minutes," he supplied.
She let out a quick laugh and he joined in. "I'm so glad I stopped wearing a corset in the house, I'd have likely died."
He let out another laugh, "I'm quite relieved as well."
"Do you suppose we should try again?"
"You mean lasting longer than five minutes?"
"Truthfully, I was mostly thinking about the clothing, even without the corset this dress is not exactly comfortable."
He laughed yet again, but also found himself beginning to move within her again.
She let out a satisfying groan, but again she spoke, "Get me out of this dress first."
"With pleasure," he laughed.
October 25th 1873
"Are you alright?" He asked as they came into the house, finally departing the Wilkes' house at the same time as Dr. Meade.
Scarlett nodded with a hand on her waist. Their baby, likely just weeks younger than Melly's, still safe and secure within her.
"You're exhausted," he spoke with concern.
"Melly's gone. How did I not-There's so much-"
"I know," he said pulling his wife in close to him. The action so familiar to him in the four months since Bonnie's accident.
Bonnie was walking again with the aid of crutches, a noticeable limp when she tried without that filled him with guilt constantly despite Scarlett always trying to make light of it, reminding him that dancing was going out of style. Bonnie was walking that was what mattered, a limp was a small thing to a person with a personality as large as Bonnie's. They were having a difficult time with her behavior in the classroom since she'd joined her sister in school, they were also having a difficult time with Ella's behavior since Bonnie had joined her.
"There's so much I need to do," tears gathered in her eyes again.
"I will help you with it all in the morning. For now, you're going to take a supper tray in bed and go to sleep," he said as he swept her up into his arms.
October 25th 1874
"I imagine you're feeding that child too much, he's growing faster than any of your previous children," Rhett said entering their bedroom where Scarlett was nursing their son.
"I imagine that has more to do with the fact that he's your son," she took in the sight of her rather large husband.
"Nonsense the gluttonous appetite comes all from you," he smiled.
"What are you doing home so early?"
He was kept occupied far too often for his liking. He'd bought back her mills after Melly's death, but driving through the woods, had been far too much for her to do while pregnant and took far too long while they had a young baby at home.
She changed the side the baby was nursing on, yes, his wife was far too occupied as well.
"I didn't want to leave you alone too long today," he admitted.
"I'm hardly alone in a house with five children," she pointed out. It was the weekend; the four older children were at home rather than in school on the first anniversary of Melly's death.
"How is Beau?"
"So young still that he didn't even recognize the date."
"Are you still planning on taking them to the cemetery?"
She nodded, "I sent them into town for flowers." She paused. "And sweets." She paused again, "And new marbles."
He didn't remark on her bribing, occupying, distracting the children, "The children aren't home? Should we work on your project?"
Her project being another baby. "The children will be back in under an hour."
"That's plenty of time," he said going to remove his coat.
"The baby is still nursing," she pointed out.
"He may take his time," he removed the cloth from his neck.
"Are you even going to remove my dress?" Scarlett questioned, her lips lifting up in a smirk.
"Are you wearing a corset?"
"No."
"Then likely not," he laughed.
She let out a short laugh and rolled her eyes at her husband.
Thanks for reading!