Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Eighteen

In the middle of the night, Scarlett heard Rhett calling her name. He wasn't speaking very loudly. She said, "Yes, Rhett?"

"Can I at least have a pillow?"

With a smile in her voice, she said, "Yes, let me bring it to you."

"That would be nice because I can't come get it."

Scarlett lit the lamp. She got a pillow and brought it over to Rhett. She lifted up his head and put the pillow under his head.

Rhett said, "Thank you. Can I have a blanket?"

"No, we only have one blanket, and I am using it, but I will get another blanket tomorrow."

"Will you take my boots off?"

"No, I'm afraid the struggle will hurt you."

"Do you have any laudanum?"

"Yes, let me get it out of my trunk."

After Scarlett found the bottle, she said, "I only have half a bottle. I will have to get you some more, but not tomorrow. I can't leave you for the next couple of days."

"Did you get my money that I won at the poker table?"

"Yes, but I spent all of it, but one dollar rewarding people for helping me. I couldn't have got you in or out of the cab without a lot of help."

"That is alright. I have money in my wallet." After a pause, Rhett said, "Why did you come get me?"

Rhett wanted her to say because she loved him. What Scarlett said was, "Because you are my husband, and my husband is never sleeping in a whorehouse. Besides, I don't want to have to go into mourning for the next year. Now go back to sleep, you need your rest."

Not the words, Rhett had wanted to hear, but at least she was laying claim to him, and she had entered a whorehouse to bring him home.

The next morning Scarlett went to the front desk and asked them to get her a doctor. As it turned out it was the same doctor from the saloon. The man said, "My name is Edward Jenner. I live in the neighborhood. It is an easy walk to the saloon and back. I am glad you sent for me. I have been worried whether he made it through the night."

"I'm Scarlett Butler and the fool on the ground is my husband, Rhett."

"It really wasn't his fault, Mrs. Butler."

"Wait. Just answer me one question."

"Yes ma'am."

"Did he make a mocking comment at someone else's expense?"

Ed cracked a smile. He said, "Yes, he did."

"Then it was his fault."

Rhett said, "Instead of worrying about whose fault this is, can I get some attention?"

Ed said, "Of course, Mr. Butler. Let me look at your wound."

After a few minutes, Ed stood up and said to Scarlett, "His wound stayed closed despite all the jostling he went through last night. That is a good thing. Force liquids on him. No solid food for at least a week. Don't let him get constipated. Give him a little bit of castor oil when he starts eating solid food again. If pus comes out of his wound that is not a good thing. Send for me. Try to keep him in bed for two weeks."

Rhett said, "I would like to be in bed now."

Ed said, "Let me see if the desk clerk will help me get him in the bed."

Scarlett got Rhett's boots off before the men returned.

The day desk clerk was a much bigger man and between him and Ed they were able to get Rhett in the bed. He was also able to help in the process. Scarlett said to the desk clerk, "Do you have another blanket?"

"Yes, let me get it for you."

"I will go with you. I will be right back, Dr. Jenner."

As soon as Scarlett was out the door, Rhett said, "When can I have relations again?"

Ed stared at Rhett. He was thinking, 'The man almost died yesterday and is still touch and go. Yet, he already wants to know when he can have relations again.'

Rhett said, "Well?"

"When you feel up to it?"

"Great."

Scarlett walked back into the room and said, "How much do we owe you Dr. Jenner?"

"One dollar."

Ed took a bottle out of his bag. He handed it to Scarlett and said, "Here is a bottle of laudanum."

"How much for the laudanum?"

"I will throw it in for free."

Scarlett walked over to the dresser and picked up the dollar bill she had laid there the night before. She said, "Here you go. Thank you."

"Send me a note if you need me."

"Yes, Dr. Jenner."

After the doctor left, Scarlett said to Rhett, "Let me go get me something to eat and some soup for you."

"Alright."

"Try to sleep while I am gone."

The next couple of days were just about keeping Rhett alive. There was no pus and by the third day he was able to sit up for a while. At the end of his first week of recovery, Scarlett said, "You are never going to that type of establishment again."

"I am twenty-four years old and get to make the decisions in my life. You don't get to tell me what to do. I get to tell you what to do."

"Rhett, it isn't safe. You could get killed. You almost got killed."

"I'm not going to get killed."

"Do you have a will?"

"No, but I will get one drawn up when we get back to Charleston."

"I'm not happy about this."

"Scarlett, I will start being more careful. I just never thought I could make someone mad enough to want to kill me."

"You obviously underestimate your power to annoy your fellow human beings."

"I guess so. All I will promise you is that I will be more careful in the future."

"And draw up a will. You might not be so lucky next time."

"I will draw up a will, but there won't be a next time."

"Today you get to have solid food. What do you want?"

"I don't care. Whatever you can bring back here."

"There is a deli around the corner a couple of blocks away. I have been getting soups and sandwiches from it all week."

"Good idea. I want a corned beef sandwich if they have it. Roast beef if they don't."

"Alright, I will be back as soon as I can."

"And a pickle. Help me sit up before you leave."

"Alright."

After that had been accomplished, Rhett said, "And hand me my book."

Scarlett handed Rhett his book. She set a water glass on the side table. She said, "Drink your water."

"I would rather have whiskey."

"We don't have any whiskey."

"You could buy some."

"You don't have that much money."

"Yes, I do."

"No, we must be incredibly careful. We don't know when you will be able to travel again."

"You need to go to the train station and cash our tickets in before Wednesday. They won't give you my money back if it is past the date of departure."

"I will do it tomorrow. Where is the soup bucket? There it is. Let me go. I'm hungry and I get cranky when I am hungry. We don't need two cranky people."

"Go."

When Scarlett returned Rhett said, "Tomorrow while you are out returning our train tickets, I have a telegram I want you to send to my father. Just send what I have written down. He doesn't need to know what almost happened to me. I just want him to know we are spending longer in New Orleans than we had planned.

"Alright, Sweetheart."

Rhett was able to sit up more and more. He would not be spending two weeks in bed.

The next day, Scarlett returned the train tickets and got cash for them. She was feeling comfortable leaving Rhett alone for longer periods of time. She needed the break. He was cranky all the time. He wanted to have relations the night before and Scarlett had said, "You can barely sit up. No!"

"I could lie on the bed, and you could get on top."

"I'm not doing all the work."

"When you get on top you usually do?"

"True, but usually by then I am so aroused it doesn't seem like work."

After three nights of Rhett nagging Scarlett about relations, she decided to do it just to shut him up. If it caused him pain so much the better. It wasn't their greatest sexual experience, but it certainly wasn't their worst. Of course, they had never had a bad sexual experience, so maybe it was their worst, but it was still wonderful. Rhett's hand and mouth had worked just fine. He had given her two orgasms and by the time she had gotten on top she was as eager as he was. She had multiple orgasms when she was sitting on him. It always amazed Scarlett that relations could be so much fun for a woman.

The next day, Rhett was in a happy mood. He had even gotten up and walked across the room. He had walked to the privy with Scarlett's help. He had asked for some privacy, and she had left him there. She had returned to the privy after thirty minutes. She knocked on the privy door and said, "Are you finished?"

"Yes, I have just been waiting for you to return to stand up. I will be right out.

As Scarlett was helping Rhett back to their room. He said, "Castor Oil is horrible while one is going through it, but such a relief to be normal again."

After Rhett and Scarlett had gotten him back in the bed, she said, "Are you ready to go back to Charleston?"

"Yes, I think I can endure that train trip. We can't stay here forever. As you said we are running out of money. I may stay in bed for two weeks after we get home, though."

"I will go buy the tickets tomorrow for us to leave New Orleans the day after tomorrow."

"I will go with you."

"Rhett, that will be too much for you."

"No, we will take a cab. If I need to rest while we are at the train station, there are seats everywhere."

"Alright. Let's see if you can do it."

"We also need to buy a lot of food for the train trip. You will not be able to get us food at the stops."

"True. We will do that tomorrow night so the food will stay fresher longer."

The next day Rhett was determined to stay out of the bed until it was time to retire. In the end, he took a nap after dinner because he was just so exhausted. Scarlett had talked him into it by saying, "You will need all your strength tomorrow. You need to rest today while you can."

"Alright."

Rhett had napped, but he had been woken up by the sound of Scarlett weeping. He had never seen her cry. She had always been so strong and determined. When her world had been free falling because of Mr. Wilkes' betrayal, she had been so strong. He knew then that she had been strong because she had him to lean on. She had been strong because she had her parents' love to support her. She had been strong because she was the person who had done the right thing, not Mr. Wilkes.

Scarlett had been strong through all of this. She was right. Rhett had been a damn fool for making an already mad man even madder. He smiled. He could just picture her striding into that saloon without an ounce of shame demanding to know where her husband was. He could see her getting everyone to help her get him back to the inn where she could take care of him. He was surprised she just didn't move into the madame's room with him. No, she would never do that. She might enter a saloon and a brothel, but she would never spend the night there. She would never willingly let him spend the night there.

Rhett knew Scarlett would be ashamed if she knew he had seen her crying. She would think he saw her in a weak position, but she had not been weak she had just finally released all the stress and strain of the last few days. The burden he by his foolish actions had placed on her shoulders. Maybe she was crying with gratitude that he was still alive, also. He rolled over and made a lot of noise. He heard Scarlett say, "Rhett, are you awake?"

Rhett opened his eyes and looked into his wife's face. He could tell she had been crying, but only because he had known what to look for.