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Part Twenty Eight

May 21st 1873

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Rhett greeted his mother outside of Scarlett's room, she ached at the sight of her son, having seemingly aged a decade since she had seen him the year prior.

"Thank you for coming," his words were tinged with despair.

"Oh darling," she gathered him in a hug as best she could considering her son had several inches on her. "How is Scarlett?"

"Dr. Meade's had to give her something to sleep several times. We had a difficult time getting her to give us the baby. Mammy's been sitting with him."

"Him," her eyes closed in pain at the loss of her grandson, her son's son. "Oh Rhett it's been nearly a day."

"We need to bury him," Rhett spoke with tightly closed eyes. "I can't leave her."

"I'll see to it," she nodded at him. "I'll come get you when its time." She paused for a moment before she spoke, "The other baby?"

"A boy, healthy and strong just like his brother was until his birth. Patrick."

Her heart tightened again, "The children?"

"The DeVaughns took them while Scarlett was in labor."

"That's good," she patted her son's hand. "Go sit with your wife."

o~o~o

Rhett's mother found Scarlett's mammy in one of the formal rooms downstairs. Her hand resting on a tiny coffin. The woman appeared ancient and the stillness of her seemed as if her own death were imminent if not already in the past.

She saw Wade in the corner of the room, not in a chair, but curled into the corner. "Oh Wade, how long have you been here? They think you're with the DeVaughns."

Mammy still remained with the living and spoke, "Mister DeVaughn took him back last night after he fell asleep, he was back here wit' me before I woke up."

"Did you eat?" she questioned her grandson.

Wade remained mute.

"Prissy forced him to eat breakfast. We sent word to the DeVaughns 'bout where he was. Reckon they'll be back for him soon."

"Did you eat?" Rhett's mother questioned the older woman, the woman who was likely her age, but appeared to be decades older.

"I promised Miss Scarlett, I'd-" her hand trembled on the coffin.

"I'll stay with him, then I'll need to arrange for us to say farewell."

Mammy gave a harsh jerk of her head as tears flooded her cheeks again, "Timothy."

"Irish names," she remarked.

"Miss Scarlett wanted ter make sure her Pa knew she was proud of her roots."

She gently placed her fingertips on the coffin, well aware she would lift the heavy lace off her grandson's face as soon as she cleared the others from the room. "Go and get yourself some food, have someone send for the undertaker and the pastor."

"Missus DeVaughn's been takin care of that."

"Then please send word to her that I've arrived and we should proceed. Please take Wade with you," she forced her words to be strong. "My daughter will be arriving shortly, make sure the staff is prepared for her and our luggage."

"Where'd she at?"

"I left her at the station to deal with our luggage."

"You's a good mother," Mammy nodded at her before going to gather up Wade like he was a toddler.

o~o~o

The entire house could hear Scarlett's cries as Rhett carried her into the parlor to say goodbye. It was only once Dr. Meade sedated her again and promised he and Mrs. Meade would stay with her until the family returned would Rhett agree to leave the house.

It was a small and somber affair with Scarlett's aunt by marriage, Miss Pitty crying to such an extent with her brother being unable to console her that their servant Peter had to take over. That display had made Rhett's mother was more than comfortable with her decision to leave Scarlett's aunts by blood remaining in Charleston. The DeVaughn's oldest daughter attended with her father. Mammy was there with Pork and Prissy by her side. Not willing to leave her charge until God had him safely in his arms.

"I failed her," Rhett said alone in the carriage with his mother. The rest of their house having stayed behind to watch the dirt cover his son.

"There is nothing you could have done."

"I could have not gotten her pregnant again," he crudely pointed out.

"You have a healthy son at home," she harshly pointed out.

"I failed her Mother," he repeated it again.

"This is life Rhett. Life is merely beautiful because of the harsh realities we also face."

"She needed me to be strong."

"You are strong Rhett."

"I cried with her, I held her and I cried," his guilt was palpable.

"Grieving for your child doesn't make you weak. I imagine it made Scarlett feel better to know she wasn't alone in her pain."

"Don't you understand that is the one thing she's ever wanted from me. My strength."

"Do not equate strength with no emotions. Your love for her and your family are your strength, not your weakness."

"We need Miss Melly," her son spoke simply.

"This will certainly be harder without her. Scarlett's sister meant a great deal to her."

"She was a great woman," Rhett closed his eyes.

"She was and you and Scarlett were both feeling her loss before this. She's lost her child and her sister in three months."

"I don't know how to help her," Rhett admitted feeling weaker than ever.

"I imagine by simply continuing what you've been doing, staying by her side."

o~o~o

Her eyes were empty when she awoke to find him sitting at her bedside holding Patrick.

"Has he been eating?" Scarlett's cursory question.

"One of the downstairs maids recently had a child," Rhett supplied, "Dr. Meade thought it best considering your sedation."

"Stop my body from killing another child," she spoke plainly. Imagining the baby's eyes closing to not open again after a feeding.

"There was nothing anyone could have done."

"Because it was my body."

"There was nothing your body could have done differently. You carried them wonderfully, you delivered them without complaint, you did exactly what Dr. Meade told you to do."

"It wasn't enough."

"No it wasn't. It was outside of our power to do anything else."

"I want Timothy," she spoke with exhaustion.

"I know you do. I do as well. We still have Patrick and the children."

"How are they?"

"Being spoiled by the DeVaughns," Rhett didn't supply that Wade had removed himself three times from that household."

"I'm glad you bought the plantation next to theirs."

"As am I."

"Funny how life works out. I wouldn't give Melly one of my babies, but she got one anyway."

"She'll watch over him," Rhett offered instead of his wife's self-deprecating words.

"Perhaps if we had given her Bonnie, God would have let me keep Timothy."

Rhett was unable to quickly find a response to his wife.

"Is this a sign that there is a god Rhett, he's punishing me for being selfish. Not giving Melly a baby when it was all she wanted, not wanting Bonnie, not paying attention to the children I had."

"I don't think there is any greater purpose in this than a senseless tragedy, my sweet."

"I just want my baby Rhett."

"You still have one Scarlett," he said moving closer with the sleeping newborn.

She cowered away from him, "No I can't."

"You can't what?"

"I can't look at him," despair filled her voice.

"He's our son Scarlett," Rhett's voice was compassionate.

"I can't. Please don't ask me to."

"Why not?" He was filled with fear. Fear that this was the end that had been hunting him. What would cause him to lose Scarlett.

"I can't."

"Why?" He repeated as much with despair for his son as for himself. Would the boy never know the warmth of his mother's touch?

"I can't see him and know-"

"Know what?"

"Know that he won't have his twin. That's he's going to be alone. I can't imagine it. I can't imagine a world without you, I can't expect him to have to face that. To grow up with that emptiness."

In his despair, Rhett heard his wife's words. In that moment he finally understood her love for him, accepted that it ran as deeply as his own. Raw grief tore through him that this was the way in which he finally saw it. "He won't be alone Scarlett, he'll have us, he has the children. He has Teddy."

"He won't have Timothy though," she cried.

"No," Rhett responded truthfully and climbed gingerly into their bed with the baby held against his shoulder with one arm. He didn't need to pull his wife into him, she readily moved to his side. "No, he won't. He'll have us and we'll have him."

Scarlett whimpered and placed a hand on their son's back as she cried into her husband's chest.