Here is the long awaited Chapter 24: more will be explained later...

Summer 1879

"Little Miss!" Mammy stood under the oak tree closest to the levee, squinting up as a plump, dirty foot dangled from the highest branch.

"I'm waving at Pa!" the voice was followed by a mass of long auburn curls, and two dark eyes that flickered with determination. Mammy was soon joined by Scarlett, "Rosalie, do be careful!"

"Pa!" the child's attention was to the long skiff that glided past the levee. Scarlett was drawn back to whimpering from the basket on the porch, as she drew up her skirts, and ran barefoot to the porch of Rose Belle Plantation.

"Come sit down, Mammy. She does this every day he takes the boat out."

"Miss Scarlett, let me help you back to the chair, it ain't even a month since that baby was born."

Scarlett grimaced, and didn't complain, but took the old woman's arm, as she gingerly sat on the rocking chair.

Rhett appeared at the top of the hill, and stretched his long legs as he stepped through the high green grass and Louisiana weeds. The branches shook and rustled as the child in the white linen dress, soiled with patches of mud and grass stains, dropped from the lowest branch and ran hell pell into her father's arms.

"Rosalie, whoa, you know your Pa is old!"

She giggled as Rhett struggled to lift her in his arms, at four years old, she was sturdy and strong, and her father felt his age as he tried to lift her.

"Pa, you not that old!"

Rhett laughed, and kissed her cheek.

He looked over and saw Scarlett sitting on the rocking chair, in her lace linen robe, and smiled seeing her out of the bed for the first time since John Gerald was born. He wasn't the only one showing his age, and he said a silent prayer of thanksgiving, that Scarlett was recovering.

Mammy took Rosalie by the hand, and whisked her in the house for a bath as Rhett stretched his legs in the chair next to Scarlett.

"It's good to see you up, dear."

Scarlett smiled, "It's good to be up and around, again. "

Her face was pale, but a faint glow of color crept into her face, as she smiled at her husband, as he settled into his chair with the bundle of their son in his arms.

"Did the doctor come by today?"

"Yes, he did, why do you think I'm up?"

"Everything, is better?"

Scarlett's face turned purple, and she sighed, "Yes, it's on the mend."

Rhett murmured something, it could have been to the baby, but it sounded and affirmation, and then he said, "I saw Ella in town, I assured her that you were better."

Scarlett smiled, "Is the school session ending soon?"

"Yes, Ella is having a recital next week, I told her I would be there with Rosalie."

"Yes, that would be best. Sister Hermione is letting Ella play?"

"Yes, she is the most improved."

Scarlett giggled remembering Ella's tearful letter after the first week of music class with the petite militant nun."

Rhett handed the bundle who screeched over to Scarlett, "Here, I believe he's hungry, and I can't help him."

Scarlett took the child, and kept her eyes down cast, "Put him in the basket, and carry him into my room."

"Scarlett, you can't climb the stairs again."

"Well, where am I going to… feed him, out here?"

Rhett looked around, "It's just me, and nobody's coming."

Scarlett's mouth dropped, "No."

Rhett giggled, "You are going to risk your health?"

"No, help me up, and I'll go in the study."

Rhett shook his head, and did as she asked.

The screams got louder, as his immediate need was not filled, and tiny pink fists thrust at the covers, as Scarlett gingerly sat on the leather chair, and arranged her gown. As John was placed in her arms, his nose nuzzled next to her breast to feed, and the room became silent again, only Rhett's chuckle vibrated through the room.

Scarlett hoisted the covers from the basket completely around her shoulders, and she said, "I don't know how we will make it on the train, next month."

Rhett's chuckle stopped, "I need to talk to you."

"Why?" Scarlett looked as the color drained from his face.

"I don't think we should go to Tara this summer. First, John is very young, and you are still ill."

"I'm not, I'm fine-"

"Scarlett, you could barely get up alone."

"Well, when can we go?"

"I will go to Tara, and check on your crops, and books. Then, we could all together for Christmas, meet Wade when he comes in from Harvard."

"But the store-"

"I'll see to the store, too while I'm there."

Scarlett huffed, and tears stung her eyes, and she said nothing, she knew it was true. SHe was in no condition to travel anywhere, and the baby was very young being born on the first day of May, and it was barely June. Rhett lifted her chin, and kissed her gently, it was a rare occasion that Scarlett cried, and obeyed him.

"It will be fine."

Scarlett wiped her eyes and nodded.

There was silence again in the room, and then Rhett said, "I was scared, when you were so, sick."

Scarlett nodded, she had been scared, too.

John Kershaw-Gerald Butler was born on May 1st, and his entrance into the world had been most dramatic, most unlike his older sister Rosalie Marie, four and a half years earlier in Charleston.

Upon returning to Atlanta after their extended trip to New Orleans, Scarlett and Rhett went about settling their affairs, such as selling the Peachtree house and helping Beau deal with Ashley's choice of a new wife. The house and the memories had to be put to rest, as the Butlers moved forward, following the sale, the Butlers made an extended visit to Charleston. And welcomed 1875 surrounded by Rhett's mother and sister. As the new year started, Scarlett expressed the desire to start another family with Rhett, Wade was attending a private school with Beau in Atlanta, and Ella had traveled with them, and attended the convent school in Charleston.

Following a consultation from Dr. Bowen in Charleston who had the same reservations as the doctor in Louisiana, but felt enough time had passed and that Scarlett was in good health to deliver a healthy child.

So, as the first buds of the magnolia tree were blooming, Dr. Bowen confirmed a healthy heartbeat and indeed the Butlers would welcome a new baby by late Fall. Scarlett was anxious and self imposed bed rest on herself, which Rhett was relieved for once her self indulgent nature had been put aside for the welfare of the child. Rhett's sister Rosemary was at Scarlett's side to help her in various ways, with keeping Ella occupied with tasks or just to keep Scarlett company, and Scarlett welcomed the attention of a loving sister in law again, reminding her of Melanie's devotion. The town knowing Scarlett was having a "difficult" time, came to visit in throngs bringing sweets and cakes, as well as entertainment, but Scarlett assured them that she was just being careful. But the morning sickness bouts had been longer than the other children, and more tiring, being her age, at 30, as well as the aches and the pains "normal" in her other pregnancies, were cause for calling Dr. Bowen over to the house on a weekly basis. Rhett worried about her anxiety, and tried to coax her on a carriage ride, or a walk in the evening in the summer months, but Scarlett refused to move, unless necessary.

Wade had visited for the summer, and as he left on the train in the Fall to go back to Atlanta, Scarlett felt her son was almost a man, as he bent down to kiss his mother good bye, holding Rhett's arm on the train platform.

After sending Wade off, Rhett had the carriage turn into the Grand Hotel, and he said, "Mrs. Butler, I'm going to treat you to a decent luncheon. No more egg salad sandwiches and tea from my mother's kitchen."

"Rhett, I'm tired, perhaps-"

"You are fine, and you will sit just as you do at home."

Scarlett sighed, and looked across the seat to Ella's face framed in dark auburn curls, with anxious hazel eyes, "Please, let's go. I want apple pie."

Scarlett nodded and agreed, "Very well. But will your mother worry?"

"She knows, I told her I was kidnapping you for the afternoon."

Scarlett huffed, and figured Mammy knew as she made a fuss about Scarlett bringing her heaviest shawl, and woolen hat as she left. Scarlett eased down in the cushioned chair, passing her hand on her swollen stomach, which she welcomed, feeling the baby flutter inside with the movement as she settled down. Rhett reached across, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, just a little protest from your child."

Rhett laughed, "We haven't discussed names, yet, and it is almost October."

"It's October in three weeks," piped Ella as she drew her head up from the menu.

Scarlett settled back, "We have time, the doctor said it could be as late as December."

Rhett asked, "When do you think, you've had children before?"

Scarlett blushed and glanced at Ella, "Rhett, I think late November, if I'm right, but babies come when they are ready, It could even be the first week of December."

Ella slapped the menu in her lap, and removed her sweater, "I hope it's November, like me."

Scarlett looking to change the subject, sighed, "You talked about names Rhett, what were you thinking?"

Rhett was interrupted by the waiter, "Can I have your order, sir?"

Rhett looked back at the menu, he ordered entrees for the three of them, and then he asked, "Do you have apple pie today?"

"Sir, we do?"

Rhett smiled at Ella, "I would like an entire pie, for our table, with a bowl of whipped cream."

Ella giggled, and Scarlett shook her head, "Rhett, really?"

"Scarlett, I've seen you at night, you can eat a pie by yourself."

"I can not!"

"Well, half a pie."

Scarlett blushed, "It was a custard pie."

"Well, Ella and I will eat the other half."

Scarlett unwrapped herself from the shawl, as the restaurant was warm from the afternoon sun, and asked again, "Names? Rhett?"

"Well, you have always named the children, so?"

Scarlett pursed her lips, wanting to say, 'you changed names.', but she wanted to avoid confrontation, as irritable as she felt, she was controlling her sarcasm, "Well, do you have any family names you want to use, or perhaps you would like a junior?"

"No, juniors. There is only 1 Rhett Butler, I thought you would want to call him Gerald."

"I do, but he needs another name."

Ella asked, "Maybe it's a girl."

Rhett's eyes softened, and he smiled a crooked smile, almost a grimace, "It could be."

Scarlett said, "I want one of her names to be Melanie and the other Rose."

Rhett lowered his eyes and nodded, "Me, too, but Rose?"

"Well, you can come up with a another name, but your sister has been so kind to me."

Rhett nodded, "She is glad you are here with me. SHe may be my younger sister, but she worries about me like a mother hen."

Ella said, "There is a Saint Rose, in my book of the saints."

It was on a sunny day five weeks from this luncheon, that Dr. Bowen was summoned to the Battery house, the fireplaces were lit, and the November air was crisp and fresh. Scarlett had felt pains after breakfast, and Rhett had sent the buggy for the doctor. When he arrived, Scarlett was in her room, and Mammy sat on a chair by her bed, as the Butler's maid arranged the preparations for the birth, hot water, towels and fresh linens. The pains had come swift and hard, just as she had left the dining room to sit out on the terrace, and she was quickly brought up to the room. Now, Scarlett sat up in bed, holding Mammy's hands and bearing down as another pain gripped her back and hips.

The doctor seeing the purple face and sweat breaking out, knew it wouldn't be long for the baby to come.

"How long have you had pains?"

Scarlett was bearing down, and took a breath, "Off and on last night, but this baby moves alot, but the worst pains are now."

The doctor walked out to the hallway where Rhett sat with his mother, and smiled, "I believe we will have a new addition in this house by supper time."

Rhett smiled, "That soon?"

"Yes, it seems everything is moving quickly."

As the four church bells rang late afternoon, Scarlett's screams echoed from her room, indicating that the high pitch cries of a baby may not be far behind. Rhett rolled his glass of brandy in his hand as he downed the third one in an hour, and his mother admonished him to slow down, "You want to be awake to see the baby."

The first squeals of a newborn, and the mumbled voices of Mammy and Dr. Bowen indicated Scarlett's trials were over. It was Mammy who emerged from the room, her face streaming with tears, and a broad smile on her face, and she nodded, "The baby come, beautiful baby girl."

Rhett's mother clutched his arm, and he lowered his head muttering, "Thank god."

Looking up, his eyes wild, "And Scarlett?"

Mammy nodded, "Just fine, but tired, she was working so hard."

Mammy hurried back to the room to help the Doctor, and Rhett let the heavy tears in his eyes roll down his cheeks, and his mother's cool hand clutched his,"Darling, this child is different, please remember that."

Rhett nodded, unable to speak, and wiped his eyes, "I can feel Bonnie here, like she's watching out for her little sister."

Moans from the room indicated that the doctor was finishing his exam preparations to leave Scarlett, and the baby made a few protested yelps as she was bathed and wrapped in her blanket. Dr. Bowen came out, his sleeves still rolled and his hands clean and fresh, but his vest had some splattering of blood. He shook Rhett's hand, "You've got a fine daughter, quite large, and a little of a bother to delivery, but she's here, and her mother is fine, too."

Rhett offered him a drink, but he raised his hand, "Not yet, I'm going to stay another few hours, to see how Scarlett is doing. Like a said, it was a little bit of a tricky, and I want to make sure, she's healing." He looked over at Mrs. Butler and nodded. Mrs. Butler walked down the hall with him, and Rhett stood, "Doctor, I'm a man, but I'm not ignorant of women's bodies, anything you can tell my mother, you can tell me."

Rhett's mother blushed, "Dear, for Scarlett's modesty."

Rhett approached them, "I'm her husband, tell me."

The doctor seeing, he was wasting time to reason with this man, who he knew was most unconventional, sighed, "The baby's head was pointed upward, the ideal is to point down, so we had to turn her a bit, and it was difficult to "deliver". The child was large, with wide shoulders, and so I had to make a few incisions, and there was bleeding. I have prepared the incisions and I need to watch that the bleeding is lessening to stop before I leave."

"And what if it doesn't stop bleeding?" Rhett asked.

The doctor put his hand on Rhett's shoulder, "I've done it before, it does stop."

"What if it doesn't?" Rhett asked again.

"Well, I'll have to exam further and stitch more, but it is all external, not internal, that is the most dangerous."

Rhett asked, "Can I see her?"

"In a moment, they are changing the linens."

Rhett shuddered, and sat down, as Mrs. Butler brought the doctor downstairs for a bite to eat, as he had not stopped to eat since his own breakfast. As the sun set in a scarlet sky, Mammy opened the door,"Mr. Rhett, you can come in now."

Rhett tiptoed towards the bed, seeing Scarlett's head low on the pillow, and the white bundled blanket by her side in the crook of her arm, as he approached the bed, her eyes opened slowly, the green dulled with fatigued, and a slight grimace on her face, "Rhett, your daughter."

Rhett peered through the folds of the blanket and the small pink fists waved over a round cherub face, with a tiny set of red lips sucked together, as his finger brushed the soft cheek, the eyes of sapphire blue opened, searching for the direction of possible food. Scarlett smiled, and offered, "Would you like to hold her?"

Rhett eased his hands under the rounded head and bottom of the child, and lifted her to his chest, the creases of her flesh deepened as her position was changed, and her eyes looked up into his, but it was like his mother said, her soul was different, the feeling of holding her was different, this child could never be a replacement for Bonnie, this child had her own soul, her own life. Scarlett watched as Rhett awed at the beauty of their daughter, and her voice cracked, "Isn't she beautiful? I'm so tired, but I wanted to be awake when you saw her."

Rhett glanced down, and saw the stray tear roll down Scarlett's face, and her lips weakly smiled. He placed the child on his shoulder, and knelt down at the bed, and kissed Scarlett's lips in a flutter, the tenderness and love he felt at that moment, had wiped the slate clean from their past, "I love you." The baby wiggled as she was pressed between her two parents, and let out a squeal. Mammy knocked softly at the door, and brought in a tray of broth, tea and toasted bread that filled the room. Scarlett's eyes were heavy with fatigued, but she reached for a piece of toast slathered with butter and marmalade, and leaned on her side and ate. The baby started to cry out again, and Rhett picked up a sugar cube and held at her mouth, which silenced her.

"Lawdy, Miz Scarlett just fed her before you come in here."

Rhett bounced the child in his arms, "Well, she's a growing girl."

Mammy looked at the bundle and beamed, "Look like she done grown already, you still gwine call her for Mrs. Wilkes?"

Scarlett sipped the tea and replaced it with a clang, "I'm not sure on the exact name yet, I'm starving, Mammy. All you got is broth?"

Mammy pursed her lips, "You can eat something more after the doctor leaves."

Rhett smiled, "Why don't you sleep, darling, and we can have supper when you wake up."

The doctor left just a few minutes after eight o'clock, when he was sure Scarlett was on the mend. Ella and Rosemary brought in Scarlett's supper tray, and Ella went directly to the bassinet to meet her new sister, "Mother, she's so fat!"

Scarlett chuckled, "Yes, I know."

Rosemary joined Ella at the bassinet, "Ella, she is a very healthy baby."

Ella touched her cheek, and Scarlett snapped, "Don't wake her, I just fed her."

Ella pulled her hand back, and observed the button nose, and the pink cheeks, "Does she look like me, when I was little?"

Scarlett took in a breathe, and wanted to say,'No, not at all.', but instead she looked over at her skinny, monkey faced daughter, and smiled, "Ella, all babies look alike at that age, but you were much smaller than her."

"What's her name, mother?" Ella's mind jumped from one thing to another.

"Uncle Rhett and I are thinking about it."

"I told you it could be a girl, and you just had boys names."

Scarlett bit her lip, and glanced at Rosemary, who knew how much Ella irritated her mother sometimes. Rosemary had no children, so the young girl didn't bother her much, but she knew how bittersweet the birth of the baby girl had been for her brother, and was more sensitive to her sister in laws nerves especially after giving birth just a few hours before, so she said, "Ella, why don't you go down, and see if Mammy is ready to ice the cake we made."

Ella nodded, and skipped out the room, making as much noise as she could with her shoes, as the baby began snorting noises which enveloped into whimpering cries. Scarlett rolled her eyes, and glared at the door, just as Rhett walked in, "Whoa, I hope that face isn't because of me!"

Rosemary quickly picked up her niece and cradled her in her arms, "No bother Scarlett, I'll tend to her. You and Rhett eat your supper."

"Thank you, Rosemary." Scarlett sighed, as Rhett pulled the chair closer to the bedside, as the baby settled and fell back to sleep, Rhett said, "Have a seat, we wanted to talk to you about something."

Rosemary smoothed the child's soft dark fuzz, and smiled into the blanket, "Hmm?"

Scarlett began to cut her slice of ham, "We want to call the baby after you, Rosemary."

Rosemary looked up, her mouth opened, "You want to call her Rosemary?"

Rhett smiled, "Well, perhaps Rose or Rosalie? You are going to be her godmother."

"Oh, no. You don't have to call her that, I thought you wanted to call her Melanie?"

Scarlett's swallowed and placed her fork down, "We thought about Rose Melanie or Rosalie Melinda."

Rosemary smiled, "Both are very nice, but I'm sure you have prettier names you could call her, maybe Eliza after Mama, Rhett."

Scarlett concentrated on her potatoes, and said between bites, "No, we decided on those two names, which one do you like?"

Rosemary knew Rhett, and she knew Scarlett and once their minds were made up, there was no changing it, so she smiled, "Rosalie Melinda Butler has a beautiful sound to it."

Rhett pulled the blanket back, and smiled at his daughter, "Rosalie Butler, all the boys are going to fall in love with you, one day."

Rosalie was christened on her two month birthday, January 5, 1876, and Rosemary Butler stood along with her brother, his wife and Rhett's boyhood friend William Dewitt at St. Joseph's church. The Old Guard of Charleston arrived at the Butler house just after ten o'clock in the morning, on the bitter cold rainy day to meet the newest Miss Butler, and partake in a buffet of regal proportions. The balcony and post were decorated with pink satin bows and white roses, and the tables inside were festooned with buntons of pink, red and white. The two tiered cake sat alone on a table surrounded with rose petals, and stood three feet tall, iced in vanilla that gave an ivory glow, and adorned with a cascade of tiny pink sugar roses. It seemed like it was a debutante or bridal celebration instead of a mere christening, but Charleston would soon learn, nothing was too good for Miss Rosalie Melinda Butler.