Chapter 12: Rhett

~One Month Prior~

Laura glanced over at the small cot where Baby Rhett lay. His father, Mr. Butler, had booked two cabins with the train they traveled on. Throughout the short trip, Baby Rhett had stayed with her primarily, but Rhett checked on them frequently. Earlier in the evening, Rhett had stopped by their cabin to inform her that he would be in the gentleman's car with his business partner for several hours.

He didn't seem excited about it but told her he would have a tray sent to her cabin. She'd thanked him, reflecting that Mr. Butler, while solemn- rightfully so, was the nicest of all her recent employers.

Now, though, her stomach growled, and she wondered if perhaps he had forgotten to order that food tray. Laura hadn't eaten since boarding, and her stomach was in pain. She couldn't risk waking the baby- he was fussy and didn't settle quickly. If Laura woke him now, he wouldn't go back to sleep, and she'd be up all night. She stood up, grabbed her overcoat, and looked back at the cot where he slept peacefully, then she slipped out on the door in search of the dining car.

~Present~

Rhett sat in the downstairs lobby of his hotel the morning following his brief meeting with Scarlett. He'd wanted to drink the night before but refrained. Rhett was both irritated and ashamed at the entire encounter. He hadn't expected Scarlett to ask about Anne, nor could he have predicted the rise of guilt that came with his answer. Anne had been dead for less than three months. His son, just a month. He was ashamed that he had not only sought Scarlett out but also was happy to see her- glad that she even agreed to meet with him.

"Mr. Rhett Butler?" A quiet, male voice came from behind him and drew his attention.

Rhett nodded. "Yes?"

"I have a telegraph for you. It's just arrived. From Savannah."

Rhett reached out for the offered missive and nodded his thanks to the man.

He opened up the paper, his eyes widening as he read. "Urgent news Stop Best in Person Stop Concerns your son Stop Travel to Savannah with Haste."

Rhett shot up, not noticing that he dumped the water pitcher on his table, and rushed to his room. He'd sent his lawyer to Savannah to speak on his behalf with the railroad company responsible for the accident. Still, he hadn't expected anything that would require his attention, especially related to his son, or would cause his lawyer to urgently summon him. He threw a shirt and pair of trousers in a small bag, deciding to order his room packed by the hotel staff and send them to follow him to Savannah.

"Don't be ridiculous, George."

"Truly, Rhett, there's a chance your son is alive."

"Impossible. I saw his body myself. I buried him. You were in attendance."

George shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Rhett, the child- the boy you buried- he was quite-injured."

Rhett's heart clenched at the still recent memory. What George was too delicate to say was that his son was mangled. If he considered it with any hope in his heart, he could acknowledge that the fact they found the child in the vicinity of the child's nurse, who had also died, had helped to convince him of his son's demise.

"They found Laura with him, George. Why would she have the wrong baby? And- if he wasn't the baby I buried, where is my son?"

"I don't know the answers to your questions, Rhett, but know that I wouldn't have called you here- upset you- without having a severe belief that he may be alive.

"How did you come to this belief, George? You must have spoken to someone?"

~One Month Prior~

Laura sat, not patiently, at a table while she waited to speak to someone about having food sent to the cabin. She'd found her way not the fancy dining car for first-class passengers but a jumbled, messy version for the remaining passengers. It was overcrowded, and she feared she would never be noticed.

Behind her, a cry from a baby grabbed her attention. Briefly, her mind went to baby Rhett as she tried to estimate how long she'd been gone. A young couple was passing a baby between them while also trying to eat their meals.

"Ma'am, can I help you?" Laura turned, smiling as she realized that someone had finally taken notice of her.

"Yes, I would like a meal delivered to my cabin, please?

"Of course, ma'am; which cabin are you in?"

Laura jumped as a loud train horn sounded. A bright light showed through the window behind the couple with the baby, and then the whole world tilted and went black with a scream of twisted metal and cries.

~Present~

Rhett sat in stunned silence as he listened to George. Laura's family, whom he was ashamed to admit he hadn't even considered in the wake of the train accident, had made a statement in their own meeting with the railroad; in it, they asked why their daughter was in the center of the train, stating that she was supposed to be traveling in the first class section. George believed they, too, didn't want to believe that their daughter was dead and would prefer to think it was a case of mistaken identity.

Rhett, who'd had to identify Laura the same day he identified his son, had no doubt in his mind that it was indeed her who had died. It was why, he thought now, he had had no doubt when he identified the child as his son.

"I still don't see how this means that my son might be alive."

"The railroad completed a small investigation, mainly to assure Laura's parents that her identification had been correct. By the time her body was transported back to her hometown in Pennsylvania, the casket could not be open, of course, so they only had your identification to believe." Rhett nodded, and George continued on. "Two passengers, traveling on their own, with no staff, and their baby, were found within the wreckage of the car directly beside where Laura's body was found. There was no recorded baby found other than yours. No second baby was located. "

Rhett let out a sigh. "So, there's a chance- that the child I buried was theirs."

"At least, yes. The railroad company believes the chance to be higher- the train car they had seats in was mostly undamaged, and they spoke to witnesses that said they saw the couple take their baby when they left to go eat."

If Rhett hadn't been sitting, those words would definitely have made him find a seat, and quickly. "How can we find out, for sure?"

George took a drink of water, wetting his throat after his lengthy explanation, and took a deep breath before continuing. "All the unclaimed children and orphans were taken to a local shelter here."

Rhett stood and began pacing, "I'm assuming they've checked there?" "Yes. When the railroad visited, they didn't have a child matching either baby's age or description."

Rhett sat again. "So we're back to square one."

"Not exactly. Yesterday, the head matron contacted the railroad. She was not present the day they had come to the orphanage. She reports that a very young baby was brought in the day after the accident, along with a wealthy woman. Upon seeing the overcrowing issues, the woman chose to take the child with her until such time as when the child's next-of-kin was located."

"Who is this woman?"

"The missive didn't supply a name but stated that the matron would be available to speak to the railroad company today."

"We've got to go."

"Of course, Mr. Butler, that is why I've called you here. I think it best you hear this in person- whatever the results.