Chapter 11
Rhett stood to attention as his black orbs met green orbs for a brief second. His mouth was parted slightly as he tried to grasp the drastic change of events.
"What a lovely story, baby." Scarlett said weakly as her eyes fluttered open and shut due to the bright light in the room.
"Get that child off the bed now." Doctor Meade said to Rhett as he picked up his black satchel and made headway to the patient's side. The old man moved at record speed.
Rhett lifted a shocked Bonnie off the bed and stood at the foot of the bed watching. Her eyes were open, her chest was moving, and she spoke. Scarlett was alive! After all the self torment, the tears, and fairytale kisses, she was alive.
"Captain Butler, you should be mighty thankful that the Lord has decided to spare Scarlett. From my quick assessment, she seems to have recovered. She is weak and will need to regain her strength. Her fever has miraculously disappeared as did the rash. Only time will tell how much damage the fever caused in the end. But all in all, Scarlett is set on the road to recovery. This sort of thing cannot be explained. Her vitals were low, too low to even come back from." Doctor Meade rambled on in astonishment. Never in his life as a doctor had he seen anything quite like this. Scarlett had to be a miracle sent from the heavens.
"Scarlett…She's going to be alright?" Rhett stammered as his eyes watered with fresh tears of relief. "Bonnie, did you hear that! Mommy is going to be alright!" He hugged his daughter tightly against his chest planting a kiss in her hair.
Bonnie lunged forward to break out of her father's arms towards the bed.
"Do you need to examine Scarlett further, just in case?"
"Not really, but a thorough examination would not help, in fact it may be best. Could you remover yourself and Bonnie from the room. You may want to inform the family downstairs of this miracle. Also have the kitchen get some chicken broth prepared; Scarlett is going to have to get food in her body to gain her strength back."
Rhett held onto Bonnie as he strode next to an awake Scarlett. He gave her a kiss on the lips before speaking. "I love you Scarlett! Don't ever give us a scare like that again; I may not be able to handle it."
"Mommy." Bonnie cried the tears cascading down her cheeks as a sob racked her body. The child leaned over to her mother giving her a hug and placing small kisses on her cheek. "I missed you Mommy. I love you."
Scarlett weakly raised her hand and cupped the side Bonnie's face. A smile appeared on her try lips. "I love you too, baby." Her voice cracked as tears welled in her eyes.
"We will return as soon as Doctor Meade has finished his examination." Rhett stated in a soft tone. Joyful tears watered his eyes and his throat tightened. Before he completely lost his bearings Rhett left the room holding Bonnie in his arms.
The two made their way down the stairs and entered the parlor where the family had been gathered for days. All eyes were on Rhett as he entered. The women let out a sound of anguish, covering their mouths with their hands trying to hold back the tears. Rhett's mother came towards them, sorrow placed on her features.
"I am so sorry, Rhett. Come here Bonnie." Eleanor held her hands out for her granddaughter.
"She's awake. Scarlett's alive. The doctor is looking over her now." He informed the group.
Melanie rose from her seat and walked up the stairs to Scarlett's room. Scarlett's illness had frightened Melanie greatly, causing the woman to stay away from the house. There was nothing for her to do but get in the way. Melanie had wanted to be there for Scarlett, but she did not think she would be able to face the death of her sister-in-law and best friend. When it was declared Scarlett was infected with typhus, Doctor Meade had banished Melanie from the house due to her immature immune system.
"That is marvelous news son, just wonderful!" Eleanor's eyes gleamed with pride as she took her granddaughter in her arms and held her tight. "What did the doctor say?"
Rhett walked over to the sidebar and poured himself a tall stiff drink. "Not much, just that she should be fine."
A scuffed sound came from the other side of the room causing everyone to look in the direction. "See Will, I told you we didn't have to come. Scarlett only wanted attention and tried to fake her death."
"Keep your mouth shut Suellen; this is not the time or the place for your cad remarks." Will had been the one to hear all the snide remarks about how Scarlett was pretending to be deathly ill. He knew it was no game, and tried to convince his wife but to no avail. She kept trying to twist everything around to be against Scarlett instead of trying to sympathize.
"Mr. Benteen, I think it would be best if you and your wife gathered your belongings and stay at the hotel for the night before catching your train back to Jonesboro tomorrow." Eleanor stated knowing Rhett's nerves were strained with the last month's events. Anything could cause Rhett to lash out and that was the last thing the family needed.
"I couldn't agree more," Will responded pulling Suellen up from her seat. "Go make sure all of our items are accounted for, and be quiet about it." Will waited to continue until Suellen was out of the room. "Captain Butler, Mrs. Butler, on behalf of my wife I would like to sincerely apologize for her curt behavior. She has not gotten over the way her life has turned out. At times I wonder if she would have turned out so cold and critical if the war had not come. Please give my regards to Scarlett for not staying longer. If it is not too much trouble, please keep us informed of her recovery. Tara would be more than happy to have ya'll for a visit in the future. Scarlett has always gained her strength from that land; that is how she survived after the war."
"Thank you for the invitation. When Scarlett is feeling better I will discuss a trip to Tara to see if she is up to it, and of course if the doctor will allow her to travel. Have a safe journey home, and here is some money to pay for the hotel."
"I'm sorry but I cannot accept this, Captain Butler."
"Nonsense, take it, I will not accept no for an answer, or I'll give it to your wife who I know will take it without so much as a 'thank you' in return." Rhett said with a slight smile on his lips.
Melanie entered Scarlett's room with apprehension. It had been weeks since she had been allowed to enter. Over that time she had worried constantly for her sister-in-law. Since being banished from the Butler's home by Doctor Meade, Melanie stayed at home and waited for word of any change in Scarlett's condition. She declined all callers and invitations for tea or sewing circles. The last thing Melanie wanted was to hear the heartless gossip about Scarlett.
The only part of the whole situation that warmed Melanie's heart was the attentiveness and dedication Rhett held for Scarlett. This form of loyalty was also found in Bonnie. When Melanie had heard of Bonnie's constant presence in her mother's sickroom, she had been angry and appalled that a child was allowed in there and not she. After thinking it over while watching Beau play at her feet did she understand Captain Butler's reasoning for allowing Bonnie in the room. Not only would the child cheer up the situation, but having Scarlett hear her child's voice would give her something to fight for.
"Scarlett!" Melanie called walking into the room. She was taken aback by her friend's appearance. Scarlett still held a sickly tone to her skin, but it had been only a few minutes since she woke up. Her eyes held dark crescent moons under her eyes and her cheeks were sunken in giving Scarlett a ghastly rigid look. "My dear, I am so glad you are better." Melly made her way to the bed while Doctor Meade was making his assessments of Scarlett's vitality.
Scarlett opened her mouth to speak but nothing came causing her to clear her throat before attempting to speak again. "Melly. I'm glad you are here. Oh, what a fright I must look, being cooped up in this bed for weeks and so ill for majority of that time."
Melanie stood next to Scarlett, holding her hand, a smile spread across her face. "You look beautiful darling. In no time you will feel like your old self."
"Melanie, Scarlett, I do hate to interrupt but, Melanie you hare preventing me from doing my examination. If you want to help Scarlett, take this down to the kitchen to have tell someone brew it. Tell them to add four tablespoons of honey. And I am sure Captain Butler has been distracted with delivering the good news; also have the kitchen prepare a chicken broth. Go now, Scarlett will be here when you are done. Now Scarlett, we are going to have to build up your immune system and your strength. Your ribs broke again during the typhus and are still very fragile. Your other limbs have heeled except for the fracture in your arm; you will need to let that rest a few weeks more."
"And how much longer in this bed?"
"That is to be determined. If I give you a time frame then you will ignore what I say as you did after Bonnie was born. We will take this recovery one step at a time. First focus on getting better then we will talk about when you can get out of bed."
Scarlett looked down at her hands, her mind pondering something that had not been answered or asked before. "Doctor Meade? After I lost the baby can I…" She stopped speaking. Though this man was a doctor, Scarlett still did not like the idea of talking about certain subjects with people including her mammy.
"One step at a time. To make sure everything is healed properly you should wait a year at least before you even consider trying for a baby. If you would like I can schedule that appointment now to discuss in a year." Scarlett gave the old doctor a nod still not looking at him. "You are to eat at every meal and snacks in between. Since you have had no food in your body for weeks, we will need to start you on broth and mashed foods until you can handle more challenging items. Mammy and the kitchen staff will be aware of what you can and cannot have until I say otherwise. You will also need plenty of rest if you want to get out of this bed sooner than later. Don't force yourself to stay away to entertain Bonnie. The child has well enough to entertain herself. Are you understanding what I am saying Scarlett?"
"Yes, Doctor Meade."
"The tea that is being made is to help with your throat and sooth the burning. The Chinese believe it has healing powers and will also protect those who drink it. It is not the greatest tasting tea in the world but the honey will help with the bitterness. I will leave more with the kitchen for you to have every day."
"Surely the tea can't be worse than parched corn and ground-up yams during the war." Scarlett said jokingly, though deep down she felt her stomach revolt at the thought of that poor excuse for fake coffee.
"No, this tea is like nectar from the Gods compared to that concoction." Doctor Meade looked up after writing in his pocket journal. "I am going to stay here for the night to ensure you are recovering as you should. You gave us all a scare and none of us want to go back down that road. I have to go by the pharmacy to pick up medication for you; I'll send Captain Butler and Bonnie up. Don't be surprised if your girl becomes stuck to your hip."
"Thank you for everything Doctor Meade." Scarlett replied as she rested in her bed taking a look around her very familiar room.
Scarlett did not know what to think of anything. The last thing she remembered was Bonnie driving her mad with the constant talking. She had wanted to talk to Rhett but they never had a second alone since Bonnie had been there. But the way Rhett acted, she doubted he wanted to talk about the subjects at hand. In a way it seemed as though he were avoiding them as she was. "One step at a time" rang in her mind. Yes small steps would be required until she was back to her former self.