Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Forty-Three

After a week, Scarlett got Rhett to find a doctor. Dr. Ben Casey came to the house the next afternoon. Gerald was diagnosed with pneumonia. Dr. Casey said, "At his age, it is highly unlikely he will pull through."

For the next week, Gerald just got sicker and sicker. Rhett forced Scarlett with Gerry out of the house every day to go to work. He said, "Everything that can be done for him is being done. Pork, Dilcey, and I are taking care of him. You can come home for dinner and check on him, but he doesn't even know that anyone is there."

That is what Scarlett did for the next two weeks. She went to work in the morning, she sat with her father in the afternoon, she took a break for supper for the sake of Wade and to nurse Gerry, she then sat with Gerald after Wade had gone to bed, until it was time to nurse Gerry again. Rhett would not let her go back to Gerald's room in order to sit with her father. Rhett made her go to bed. Pork sat with him throughout the night and Dilcey sat with him in the morning. When Rhett was forcing Scarlett to go to bed he would say, "You have to keep your strength up for me and the boys. As you know Gerry is going to need you in the middle of the night."

"Yes, you are right."

"Besides, I couldn't go on if something happened to you."

"You would have to go on for the boys' sake."

"Alright come along let me put you to bed."

"Stay with me until I am asleep."

When Rhett would get into the bed with Scarlett, she would always initiate something. He thought it was her way of not thinking about her father for a little while.

In the early morning of February twenty-second, Gerald Patrick O'Hara had joined his wife on the other side. Scarlett cried a few tears while Mr. Pennyworth was arranging to get a funeral director to the house.

In truth, Scarlett didn't cry that much. She was sad that the shell of the man that was her father was dead, but the real Gerald O'Hara had died at the same time as her mother. Scarlett sent a note to Coco telling her of her father's death and that Scarlett would be out of the shop for the next couple of days. The funeral would be the day after tomorrow. The funeral would be a private affair, just family and his servants. It was alright with Scarlett for Coco to tell all their employees. Scarlett hoped to be back to work the day after that.

Scarlett asked Mammy, Pork and Dilcey if they would like to attend the funeral. They had all said yes. The service was very brief and nobody, but only the funeral director, Rhett, and Scarlett went to the graveside.

The next day Pork had asked Scarlett, "Do I need to find another job?"

"No, I will have you work with Mr. Pennyworth as the Head Footman. We don't have any footman now but if we get another one then you will be over him. Mammy, you will continue being the children's nursemaid and Dilcey, you will continue helping in the kitchen, if that is acceptable with everyone."

It was acceptable to everyone. The servants were paid a fair wage, and everyone treated them with respect. Even people on the street treated them better than people in the South had treated them. They weren't treated like first-class citizens, but they were at least treated like citizens.

Although Ashley had known Mr. O'Hara from his time in Clayton County, he had no strong desire to attend the funeral. After Scarlett asked Melly to watch Wade and Gerry so Mammy could attend the funeral, Ashley felt he did not need to attend.

Gerald's death surprised Ashley once again. It also frightened him. He had thought with Mr. O'Hara moving up here, he would not die. Last time he had died because Suellen had tried to get him to sign the unionist papers then he had a moment of clarity. He had stolen a horse and had tried to jump a fence. The horse he had stolen had not been a jumper, therefore the horse had stopped at the fence and Mr. O'Hara had gone flying in the air. He had landed on his head and broke his neck. All of this frightened him. How could he stop Melly from dying if changing the circumstances didn't make any difference? Was the death of someone something that wasn't going to change?

Ashley shut those thoughts down. He couldn't let those thoughts in, and he certainly couldn't dwell on those thoughts. He just had to try to prevent what had killed Melly in the first timeline.

In April Melanie got a letter from PittyPat telling about Tony Fontaine's killing of Jonas Wilkerson for encouraging free men to do inappropriate things. Also, about Tony's escape to Texas. He had landed on the Merriwether's doorstep. Although the Merriwethers would not take him in they gave him some money to take a train out of Atlanta.

In another letter from PittyPat rumor had it that Alex had gotten a postcard from Galveston, Texas. Although nothing was written on the card, Alex knew it was from Tony. Tony had a funny way of making his r's. Everyone said the same thing, at least he made it safely to Texas. Everyone mourned the loss of Tony. He would never be able to come home again. The Confederacy had lost another of her sons.

After Melly told Scarlett and Rhett about what had happened and the postcard from Galveston. Rhett said, "The Southern states should never have left the union, and they should never have fought that war."

Ashley said, "The sad thing is that the war destroyed what everyone was fighting to save."

"So true Ashley."

All spring long Scarlett was in good spirits despite the death of her father. She knew Pa was dead, but she didn't dwell on it or even want to talk about it. In truth, her father, actually her entire family had been out of her life from the moment she stepped on the train with Charlie heading towards New York.

Scarlett would laugh at Rhett's jokes, but they weren't hearty laughs. Rhett took her out to supper and dancing at least once a month. He took her to Boston for her birthday. They, of course, had to take the boys with them, therefore they had to take Mammy with them. They took the train to Boston and got a hotel there. It took them a day to get there and a day to get back. They spent four days and Rhett showed her all the sights of the city which, of course, included a trip to the harbor. While in the city Rhett took the opportunity to check on his investments.

The family had a wonderful time. Rhett knew some businessmen there and they had supper out with the men and their wives a couple of times. Mammy even had a good time. She had decided that being a nursemaid to a wealthy man was a lot better than being a slave to a wealthy planter.

Scarlett had written Suellen and Careen upon the death of their father. They had both expressed sorrow but then went on to tell Scarlett about their lives since she had left them in November. Careen had talked about all her training to become a teacher and Suellen had excitedly told her that Benjamin's business was beginning to take off. Not just in Savannah but in some of the neighboring counties. After Scarlett read their letters, she thought, 'And everyone always said I was shallow.'

With the warmer weather, Rhett had started bringing Gerry down to the dress shop once again in the morning. Once in the morning then in the afternoon after dinner. Gerry would nurse then take a long nap in the afternoon much like Wade. Gerry would happily play with his toys after he woke up from his nap. More afternoons than not Rhett would come and get his baby before the afternoon was over.

In the first week of April, Scarlett received another letter from Suellen. Her sister was with child with the baby due in October. Scarlett knew the real reason Sue had written was to inform her how great Moore Paint Company was doing. Suellen had taken over the position of salesman. Sue wrote, 'It seems I have a real knack for getting men to buy paint from us.'

Scarlett was happy her sister was happy although she would not want to go and sell paint. Suellen's happiness oozed out of every word she had written. She had even included some information about her mother and sister-in-law. Suellen had called them wonderful and kind people.

Scarlett smiled as she sat in her parlor. The Suellen that Scarlett had lived with had been a whining, complaining, jealous person but this Suellen was happy and optimistic about the future. Scarlett started laughing. She knew why Suellen was happy and optimistic, Benjamin must know how to treat a woman in bed. Good! Good! Suellen would be happy the rest of her life. Yes, Suellen Moore was being sexually satisfied but it was more than that. Benjamin idolized her. He thought she was wonderful. For a girl who had lived in the shadow of her much more attractive and charismatic sister that was a real conceit booster. What's more Benjamin had hardly looked at Scarlett when he was around her. Her husband had eyes only for her.

Suellen had gotten into selling Moore paint in a serendipitous way. One February day she had brought Benjamin's dinner down to him. When he saw her, he said, "What time is it?"

"Eleven-thirty."

"Damn. I have a sales call in thirty minutes. I don't have time to get cleaned up."

"I will go and meet the man and explain that you got delayed and you will be right there."

"Alright. That's what we have to do. I can't blow this sale. The man travels all over South Georgia selling paint out of his wagon. He is quite good at selling. He has bought from me before, but I was hoping he would buy a lot this time."

"Where were you going to meet him and what is his name?"

"I was going to meet him at the Sunflower Café and his name is Will Ferrell."

"What does he look like?"

Benjamin shook his head and said, "Average height, average weight, brown hair and brown eyes."

"I will find him if he is there. Even if I have to ask every man in the café if he is Will Ferrell. We can't lose this sale."

"Go. I will get cleaned up and be right there."

In comparison to Scarlett, Suellen was no great beauty but by herself she was quite attractive. She had also filled out in the last four years. Before the war, she had a girl's body. Now she had a woman's body. She was a lady and she had style and grace especially compared to working-class girls but because she was no longer thinking of herself as a lady, she no longer had the haughtiness that unknowingly had been the bane of her existence. When she walked into the Sunflower Café, every man in the room noticed her. She saw a man who was average looking sitting at one of the tables. She walked up to him and said, "Mr. Ferrell?"

Will stood up and said, "Yes."

"I'm Suellen Moore. My husband has gotten delayed, and he sent me over here to keep you company until he could get here."

"Would you like to sit down?"

Suellen and Will sat down, and she said, "My husband makes the finest paint in Georgia if not the entire South. It is only two dollars a can which is a steal."