Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.
This story is dedicated to Tutu3791. It was her suggestion.
To make this work I must go with the movie timeline. Ella and Wade will still be in the story. Bonnie must be dead before the twins are born.
Scarlett will not have fallen down the stairs and lost the baby. Rhett will also not have tricked Scarlett into selling her mills.
It took me a while to work out how the twins got separated. I don't think Rhett would have knowingly left his child behind. I also don't think Scarlett would have ever let anyone run away with her child permanently.
Please allow me some artistic license with the medical aspects of this chapter.
Chapter One
Scarlett was in labor once again. It was January first or maybe by now it was January second. The baby would be a wonderful way to start the new year off. They were finally going to put seventy-three behind them. In between contractions she thought of seventy-three. At this time last year, if someone had told her how much her world would be turned upside down, she would not have believed them. She would never have believed that she had been so wrong about Ashley's character.
Scarlett's problem with Ashley was that she had always seen him as perfect. Just like a fourteen-year-old girl does. She hadn't believed anyone when they had tried to tell her the truth about Ashley. She hadn't even listened. She had to see the truth for herself. She had to witness the total collapse of Ashley to accept the truth. The truth that the world she had lived in before the war was gone and there was nothing left of that world. She understood everything Ashley had said that day in the orchard. Their world had been destroyed and they had ended up in a topsy turvy state. She didn't remember what Ashley had called it. She just recalled him babbling on about nonsense when she had a real problem on her hands.
Scarlett would inwardly cringe when she thought about her defending Ashley to himself last April. She refused to think about what had happened between her and Rhett later that night. Of course, it was pretty hard to forget about what had happened when the result of their intimate time was coming out of her body at that moment.
Scarlett still could not believe that Rhett had caught her in time to keep her from falling down the stairs when she had recklessly attacked him. They had fallen down a couple of stairs, but he had managed to stop them from sliding all the way down. She would rip out that staircase when she had the energy to face it.
One month later, Bonnie was dead. Rhett had not been able to stop their daughter from dying. In fact, he had allowed her to do something he would always regret. He should have said 'no.' But Rhett had never been able to tell his daughter 'no.' Cynically Scarlett thought, 'I guess he learned his lesson about healthy discipline.'
For the last six months, she had been grieving Bonnie then Melanie. She had forced herself to eat for her baby's sake. She had stayed sober despite all the pain.
It was over the week after Melanie had died that everything had become clear to Scarlett. Everything she had thought was true was false. The man she had valued above all others, was not worthy of the honor she had bestowed on him. The people she had held in contempt were the ones that had deserved her admiration.
When Scarlett thought of Ashley it infuriated her. The man that she had put above everyone else was nothing more than a charlatan. He had been all make-believe. She held herself in disdain because she was the one that had put him on that pedestal. And she was the one that would not let him get down from the pedestal. She would admit that Ashley had tried to tell her he wasn't the man she thought he was, but she hadn't listened to him any more than she had when Pa or Old Miss had tried to get her to see the truth.
Scarlett was painfully aware that Melly was no longer living. How could Melly be dead? How could Melly have done something so stupid as to try to have another child. Melly had been with her when she had delivered Ella and Bonnie.
Oh my gosh! Bonnie! Her little girl, who was now dead. It had been six-months since Bonnie's death, and it still hurt so bad.
Rhett had fallen into the bottle after Bonnie's death. Scarlett didn't blame him. She wished she could have fallen into the bottle, but she hadn't been able to because of the baby growing inside her. She regretted drinking so much while carrying Ella and she wouldn't make that mistake again.
After Melly's death she had finally seen the truth. The truth that Ashley had never been the man she thought he was. She had run home to tell Rhett that she loved him.
Instead of Rhett saying he loved her also, he had told her how he had loved her since the barbecue, but he no longer did. He had told her everything she had done wrong. Primarily it was her continual love of Ashley that had ruined any chance they might have had. The failure of their marriage had been all her fault. He had also said, "Our marriage has been over since Bonnie died."
Rhett had conveniently left out everything he had done to destroy their marriage.
With that Rhett had gotten up and had gone to his room.
A week after Melly's funeral while Scarlett and Rhett had been alone in the parlor, she had said, "What about our other baby?"
"You can have that baby. All I want is my Bonnie Blue. I will be leaving you as soon as the baby is born. I am only staying because I don't want anyone to think the child that bears my last name is a bastard, even if she is."
"Rhett, you know this is your baby and you will love her, too."
"No, I will not allow myself to ever love again."
"Rhett…"
Rhett had gotten up and walked out of the room then out of the house. Scarlett never mentioned the baby to him again.
Rhett did remain in Atlanta. He had continued to drink heavily. He went out at night. He, of course, didn't inform her of his movements. Scarlett and Rhett rarely had a conversation after that. He hadn't talked to anyone in the household really in the last six months.
Scarlett had heard that Rhett was rude and sarcastic to the matrons. He, in fact, went out of his way to be offensive to the gentry.
It was the middle of the night and Scarlett was in labor. She didn't even know if someone had informed Rhett of what was happening. She didn't' even know if Rhett was in the house or still at The Painted Lady. She couldn't worry about Rhett. She had a baby to deliver. For the first time ever, she wanted the child.
Scarlett had pushed and pushed. She felt the baby come out. After a minute, she heard Dr. Meade say, "Oh no."
Scarlett said, "What happened? What is the matter?"
Dr. Meade had said, "Your son is dead. Let me get the umbilical cord cut."
In a minute, Dr. Meade said, "Prissy, come here and take the body. Put him somewhere safe until Scarlett and Captain Butler decide how to dispose of the body."
What was Dr. Meade saying? She couldn't understand. The baby was dead. No! No! that wasn't possible. Scarlett screamed out, "Let me see my baby."
Dr. Meade nodded his head. Prissy had wrapped the body in a receiving blanket. She just couldn't touch a dead body. She showed Scarlett the baby.
Scarlett said, "He's not dead. He's just asleep. He can't be dead." Scarlett reached out and shook the baby. There was no sound. There was no movement. Scarlett shook him again. Still no reaction. She shook the baby really hard one more time. She said, "Wake up, Baby."
Dr. Meade sharply said, "Prissy, get the body out of here. Scarlett, I'm so sorry for your loss."
Prissy hurriedly left the room, while Scarlett was screaming, "No! Bring my baby back." Prissy was in a hurry. She was focused on one goal – Getting the body away from Miss Scarlett.
Scarlett started crying. She couldn't lose another child. Scarlett was continuing to scream at Prissy not to take her baby and to bring her baby back. Where was Prissy taking her baby?
Dr. Meade said, "Scarlett, calm down. You are screaming loud enough to wake up the entire house."
Scarlett screamed, "I hope I am screaming loud enough to wake the dead."
Dr. Meade looked at Scarlett with extreme disapproval.
Scarlett didn't care. All she could think about was her baby until she realized she was still having quite strong contractions. This was not normal.
Scarlett thought, 'If I am dying, I am alright with it. I can't bear any more heartache. I will be in heaven with Bonnie and the baby.'
After several more contractions, Scarlett knew what was going on. She said, "Dr. Meade, I think there is another one in there wanting to come out. I need to push."
"Wait a minute until I tell you it is all right to bear down. Mammy, help me get the placenta out of the way."
After another five minutes, Dr. Meade said, "Push and let's get him out of there."
Scarlett pushed and pushed. Another baby had come out. A healthy baby boy. He wasn't crying, but his eyes were wide open and alert. It was plain to see he was very much alive.
Dr. Meade laid the baby on Scarlett's stomach. He said, "Don't give into your grief. You have another baby to take care of."
Prissy was hurrying down the hallway to the nursery. She was jostling the baby as she hurriedly walked. Unknowingly she was keeping the baby breathing.
Prissy didn't know what she was going to do with the body. All she knew was she had to get the baby away from Miss Scarlett. Miss Scarlett was getting into a frenzy.
Rhett heard Scarlett screaming. He came out of his bedroom. He said, "What is going on? Why is Scarlett screaming."
Prissy said, "The baby is dead. He is dead."
"The baby is dead. Is that why she is screaming?"
"Yes."
"Let me have the body. I will deal with the body. It will be the last thing I do to help Scarlett."
Prissy scurried away. She had not been listening to Mr. Rhett. She just wanted to get away from the dead baby. Mr. Rhett could deal with it all now.
Rhett could not believe the pain he felt surging through his body. He had thought he didn't care anything about the baby, but he guessed he had been wrong. It was safe to look at the baby now. The little boy could not steal his heart away. Although judging by the pain he was feeling the boy already had stolen his heart.
As Rhett looked at his son's face, he was wondering what he was going to do with the body. He decided he would bury the baby with Bonnie. It seemed fitting to him that his babies would sleep together in the hereafter. He must be cursed. He was never going to have a loving wife and a houseful of children.
Rhett was standing there, and he felt the tears on his cheeks. Not another loss. He would not be able to bear it. He had to stop his thinking, or he would go crazy.
The baby sneezed.
Rhett wondered, 'Did the baby just make a noise? No that was impossible. The baby was dead.'
As Rhett was staring at the baby's face so like his own, the baby opened his eyes. The baby stared into his father's eyes. The boy looked at his father, and Rhett was in love again. The baby had Bonnie's blue eyes. Rhett's heart opened toward the child in his arms. Unbeknownst to anyone, all Scarlett's jostling of the baby had revived the child. He had not screamed or cried. He had just started breathing.
Rhett started to tell everyone that the baby was not dead. He hesitated. He went back into his room with the baby. He had to think. The baby was a reason for him to live. A reason for him to be sober. He would take the baby and move to New York. He couldn't continue living with Scarlett. It was just too painful when he thought of everything she had thrown away with her obsession with Mr. Wilkes. It was too painful to continue living in Atlanta much less the mansion.
Could Rhett take Scarlett's baby away from her permanently? She had probably not wanted the child anyway. She had never wanted any of her children. It was alright. She thought the baby was dead. She would never come looking for the baby. He could get away with this.
Rhett would run away from Scarlett and all the pain she had caused him. Could he stay away from her? If he ran away with the baby, he could never come back. It would be the end of any possibility that he and Scarlett could ever have a happy ending.
Rhett paused. Scarlett had said she loved him, but could he believe her? Or had she just transferred her false feelings from Wilkes to him? It didn't matter he had been hurt by that woman enough. He would not risk his heart again. If he believed her and it wasn't true it would destroy him. He was one thin thread away from being destroyed these last six months.
Rhett went downstairs with the baby. He was going to leave the decision in fate's hands so to speak. If the wet nurse could go with him to New York, he would run away with his son. If not, his son and he would remain in Atlanta and give Scarlett one more chance.