Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Fifty-Three.

Rhett and Rosemary were back in Galveston by the last of September and Scarlett was still with child. Rhett thought she looked thoroughly miserable. He wished the baby would hurry up and arrive so she would stop suffering.

With the arrival of October, the temperature did cool down a little bit. Soon all the remodeling had been finished. Scarlett was pleased with the overall look of her home. She was still waiting for a few more pieces of furniture but for the most part the house was done. Rhett was pleased with the overall look of their home also. He had really been surprised with how Mr. Hobbs had been able to blend the Queen Anne style with the Greek revival style. Rhett knew Scarlett really liked her turret room.

Rosemary had no idea how to find an educated woman to hire as her assistant until Scarlett suggested that Rosemary start looking through the paper looking for events that a blue stocking would attend like a lecture. Scarlett said, "You could just start talking to women until you find one you want to hire who wants a job."

That was what Rosemary did. She got Daphne to go with her. Daphne was quite happy to go with Rosemary because she wanted to get out of the house. Daphne and Robert had been invited to a few social events and they had enjoyed them. Although very few people were entertaining these days. Most people were still trying to get back on their feet. Marshall and Elizabeth had also been invited to social events. Marshall didn't tell anyone he owned and ran a saloon but if anyone asked him if he did, he didn't lie either. That was another thing Marshall was going to stop doing, being a hypocrite.

The first lecture Rosemary and Daphne attended was on Charles Darwin's Theories of Evolution. There was not a large turnout which worked well for Rosemary. Because there were so few people it made it easier to engage the other women there in conversation. Rosemary and Daphne chatted with most of the women there. Rosemary said, "I wish my father would have let me go to college. I find all this stuff interesting."

One woman said, "I was lucky. My father allowed me to go to Baylor Female Department."

"We are from South Carolina. Where is that?"

"Independence."

"Where?"

The woman smiled and said, "Central Texas. At the time I was living with my father in Brenham."

"Why did you move here?"

"My father died. We sold the farm. My brother and I moved to Houston. Then we moved here. My brother became a shipping clerk. He died in the war. Luckily for me the company my brother was working for let me take over his duties while most of the men were gone fighting the war."

"My name is Rosemary Bradberry, and this is my sister-in-law, Daphne Butler."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Gertrude Stein."

"Are you a shipping clerk for trains or ships?"

"For ships."

"Miss Stein, would you like a job?"

"I like where I am working now. They have been so good to me."

"If you change your mind let me know. I am managing a new shipping line and I need an assistant that can travel with me. You having been a shipping clerk would be a great asset to me."

"As I said I could not leave Mr. Simmons because he has been so good to me."

"If you change your mind, let me know. We live at 210 Ave O. It is a white house with turquoise trim. Let's talk some more about the lecture."

"Of course."

As Rosemary and Daphne were riding home, Rosemary said, "Miss Stein would have been perfect."

"Probably but you can admire her loyalty."

"Yes, I can. It would be something I would want in my employee."

Rosemary managed to get the items shipped that she and Rhett had contracted to do. She even managed to find some goods that needed to be shipped up North. They certainly weren't making a profit, in fact, their first month in business they had lost money. When Rosemary told Rhett, "We lost money on the shipping business this month."

"Of course, most businesses don't start making money until after the first year."

"Phew, I was worried."

"Rosemary, I am not going to fire you out of the blue. I will continue to work with you to train you, so our business is successful."

"Thank you."

On October nineteenth Scarlett went into labor. She sent a footman for the doctor then sent the other footman to tell Melly and her mother. Then she went to tell Mammy that she was going to need her help. She saw the butler and told him to tell Rhett that she was in labor and for him to watch Wade.

Rhett came to their bedroom. Despite Mammy being in the room, he hugged and kissed his wife. He then whispered in her ear, "I love you."

Scarlett whispered back, "I love you, too. I don't want a bunch of women in my room and especially not your mother."

"Why?"

"I don't want her to see…."

Rhett burst out laughing and said, "I will make sure she doesn't come in your room."

"Thank you."

"Bye now."

Four hours later, Scarlett gave birth to another son. She was too woozy from the effects of the nitrous oxide to really be able to focus on the baby's features. Elise was right. She couldn't stop giggling. Elise was also right in the fact that the gas took the edge off the pain. With the gas, she could do this again. Scarlett said amidst her giggles, "Mama, who does he look like?"

"He has your green eyes. That is about all I can really tell right now."

"Melly? Who do you think he looks like?"

"I have to agree with your mother. It is hard to tell right now."

"Scarlett, it will be easier to tell a week from now."

"I remember that with Wade. At first, I didn't know who he looked like but within a week he looked just like Charlie."

"True."

"Miss Scarlett, let me take him down the hall and tell Mr. Rhett the good news."

"Of course."

After Mammy had put the baby in Rhett's arms, she said, "It's a boy."

"Thank you, Mammy.

Wade, come look at your brother. His name is Kenny."

"He is tiny."

"All babies are."

Rhett then showed his son to the other children and to his Mammy. His mammy said, "I have my hands full with these three. Tell Mammy she will have to take care of Miss Scarlett's baby."

Rhett quietly said, "Thank you, Mammy."

Rhett then took his son and found his mother and Daphne in the parlor. He said, "Mother, come look at your newest grandson. Kennesaw Rhett."

"I like the name very much. He is a handsome lad with Scarlett's green eyes."

Daphne said, "Yes, he is. Can I hold him?"

"Not just yet I have to show him to the staff."

Soon everyone in the house had seen Kenny. Melly found Rhett in his office and said, "Scarlett is eating her meal but when she finishes, she will take a nap. She asked me to find you and tell you to come see her."

"I'm on my way."

Rhett hurried up the stairs. He left Kenny with Mammy so she could fuss over the baby. When he walked into the room, Scarlett indeed was eating a meal. It looked like she had almost finished it in fact. Rhett said, "Thank you for doing this for me."

"You're welcome. Come kiss me." Rhett complied with her request.

Once Scarlett had been kissed, she said, "After I go to sleep you need to send one of the footmen to tell Alice Baratta that we need her services."

"Alice Baratta?"

"Our wet nurse. She lives at 170 21st street."

"Alright. As soon as you go to sleep."

"Yes, she will have to have a cot in the same room Kenny sleeps in so she can feed him in the night."

"I will arrange it."

Rhett and Scarlett continued talking while she was finishing her meal. After she laid down, she said, "Come lay with me until I fall asleep."

"Sure."

Once Rhett had Scarlett in his arms, he told her stories. Just the way he did every night. In no time at all she was asleep.

Ellen and Melly returned to their homes. The O'Haras would come over in a couple of days to see the baby. Ashley probably wouldn't come over specifically for that reason. He could see the baby when he came for Sunday dinner. Neither the Wilkeses nor the O'Haras missed Sunday dinner. It was the best meal of their week. There never was any extra food at either families' dining room table. Therefore, it was wonderful at Sunday dinner to eat as much as they wanted to eat.

Suellen was talking to Sam White. He had started coming in every day. He still always bought something. She liked him. He was funny and nice. He wasn't handsome but he was attractive. Certainly, much more attractive than Frank Kennedy. He was also at least twenty years younger than Frank. Sam had a good job with a good future. Admittedly, he probably had never been a gentleman, but she had decided that she didn't need a gentleman because in truth she was no longer a lady. That particular day while Scarlett was having her baby, her sisters' lives changed. Sam said, "Would you like to go for a walk with me in the park this Sunday?"

"Yes, but let's go in the late afternoon when it is not so hot."

"Alright. Where do you live?"

"Right here."

"Here?"

"Yes, we have some rooms upstairs."

"How about I come and get you at three?"

"That is fine."

"I will see you then."

"You aren't going to come to the store the rest of the week?"

"Of course, I will be back tomorrow."

Sam and Suellen smiled at each other then, Sam said, "Goodbye for now."

"Goodbye."

As soon as Sam was out the door, Suellen said, "Pa, Mr. White is going to start calling on me."

"Excellent."

Gerald knew all about Sam White for Suellen told him everything every time the man came in the store.

As Suellen and Gerald were standing there talking Clyde Johnson walked through the door. All three people stared at each other. Clyde said, "What are you doing here?"

Gerald said, "We live here now. What are you doing here?"

"I live here now also. How?"

"We abandon the plantation and walked from Jonesboro to New Orleans."

"Wow! That was quite the trek."

Suellen said, "Over five hundred miles. We had to sleep on the ground. We ate badly prepared food."

Gerald said, "How did you get here?"

"I went back home to our plantation, and everyone was gone or dead. I went to my neighbor's the Williams plantation and found old Mr. Williams. He was the only person living there. He had a couple of chickens and was growing vegetables. I asked him what he was going to do, he said, 'Stay here until the food runs out. I haven't got anything to live for. All my family is dead, my wife is dead, all my slaves have run off, and I have lost all my money.' I asked him about my family, and he said, 'They're all dead also. They had been dead since the summer of sixty-four when we had a typhoid fever epidemic run through the county.' I said, I guess I don't have anything to live for either."

"How did you have the money to get here? My son-in-law paid for us to get here."

"I went back to the plantation and dug up a mason jar that my father had told me about. It had twenty dollars in greenbacks. I went back into Jonesboro and bought a ticket West. I spent ten dollars on the ticket and saved the rest for food. I was very lucky I landed a job my first week here."

"What are you doing?"

"I work in a stable. I am a stable boy. I am trying to save my money so I can go out West." At the moment Clyde looked back and forth between Gerald and Suellen. He said, "Wait a minute, if you two are here then Careen is here."

"Yes, but I won't let a stable boy court her, so you better get a better job."

"I will. I will."

With that Clyde turned to walk towards the door. Suellen said, "Don't you want to buy whatever you came in here for?"

Clyde turned around and smiled. He said, "Yes, I do. I need a new comb."

After Clyde had left, Suellen said, "Should we tell Careen?"

"Definitely. We will tell her over supper."