Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Fifty

After the clothes were moved, Beau walked out of the house talking about his interest. Ashley responded in the appropriate places but both mother and child knew he wasn't really listening. After they had driven away, Melly sighed. She was going to have to ask Scarlett for a favor. Scarlett who was still mad at her about her surgery. She had to do it. Scarlett was the only person she trusted to take care of her son. Hopefully, Scarlett would say yes. The ladies never talked about the surgery although Scarlett knew Melly was proceeding with it. Rhett and Scarlett never talked about the surgery either. Both Rhett and Melly hoped things would return to normal as soon as the surgery was over.

Melly didn't procrastinate. She picked up her phone and called Scarlett. After Scarlett answered, Melly said, "Can I come over?"

"Have you eaten? We were about to go to Rosie's for dinner. Can you meet us there?"

"Yes. Now?"

"Yes, now."

Marvin had helped Melly find a used car. It was ten years old and couldn't go over forty-five miles an hour. The radio and the AC worked though. Most importantly, she was able to pay cash for it and drive it back to her home. She didn't need a car most days because she still carpooled with Hodgins. They still didn't have any conversations. Melly crocheted and Jack yelled at the radio and the other drivers.

Melly got in her car and drove over to Rosie's. She was so nervous. What would she do if Scarlett turned her down? She would have to cancel her surgery. She knew Scarlett really didn't want her to have the surgery. Would Scarlett use this as an excuse to stop Melly from going under the knife? Melly joined Rhett and Scarlett at their booth. As soon as she was seated, Rosie came up to the booth.

Rosie looked at the trio and said, "Rhett, Scarlett, you can order what you want. Melly, I will bring you what you need."

After Rhett and Scarlett had ordered and Rosie had left, Scarlett said, "She will bring you what you need. She does it for Rhett and me all the time."

Scarlett looked at her best friend. She saw the tightness of her mouth. She saw how pale Melly was. She saw the tightly clasped hands. She saw the beseeching look in her eyes. Scarlett said, "Whatever you are going to ask me, the answer is yes. We may disagree on an issue but first and foremost you are my best friend. I would never let you down in your time of need."

Melly sighed a sigh of relief. Scarlett was once again going to pull her bacon out of the fire. Melly said, "Ashley told me he can't keep Beau for the next two weeks." She paused to get her emotions under control. She was hurting because Ashley had hurt Beau, and she was frustrated because Ashley had just dumped the whole problem in her lap like she didn't have a life of her own. She continued, "You are the only person I trust to take care of Beau while I recover from my surgery."

"Of course, we will keep him. Rhett?"

"Of course, we can."

"You will have to come stay with us so I can take care of you."

Things were not back to normal, but Melly knew that Scarlett had been right. They were best friends, and they would stick together no matter what. Rhett said, "So Monday night, you and Beau can spend the night with Scarlett and me. It will make it easier to get you to the hospital by six."

Scarlett said, "I will take the day off. I will take you to the hospital and sit in the waiting room."

Rhett said, "I guess I can take Beau to work with me."

"No gross stuff, Rhett."

"Of course not."

Scarlett patted Rhett's arm and said, "I will make you a list of what not to let Beau see."

"I may station him with Dr. Hodgins or Ms. Gibson. That would be safer."

"Thank you both."

Rosie came out with their dinner. Rhett got stew, Scarlett got grilled chicken, and Melly got chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes with cream gravy and corn. She got a roll too. Melly said, "This is perfect. I have not had chicken fried steak in years. This is absolutely perfect."

Scarlett was relaxed for the rest of the meal. Both Rhett and Melly knew she had come to accept that Melly was going to have the surgery and there wasn't anything Scarlett could do about it. Secretly Scarlett was proud of both Rhett and Melly for standing up to her. They may have had to do it together, but they had done it. Scarlett would be the first to admit she wanted what she wanted when she wanted it, and she was not above bullying someone to get her way. She would also admit that she could go with the flow once someone had stood up to her. Well, after a while. Once she had accepted, they weren't going to give in to her demands. Nonetheless, Scarlett didn't pay Rhett back for Melly's surgery.

Melly's surgery went off without a hitch and she was at Rhett and Scarlett's condo that evening. Rhett actually picked up a couple of pizzas for dinner on his way home. Pizza wasn't taboo in Rhett's world, but it certainly wasn't his first choice in meals. He decided to get pizza because Beau wanted it and because it was one of the few foods he could eat cold or at least not hot.

Melly was in some pain, but she was happy that it was over. Scarlett was no longer tense or worried because Melly had made it through the surgery. Beau talked non-stop about all the things that Hodgins and Karen had shown him that day. In the middle of his talking, Beau said, "Dr. Hodgins said that bugs can pinpoint how long someone has been dead. Isn't that neat?"

Rhett ignored Scarlett and Melly's frowns and said, "Yes, it is. What else did you learn about bugs?"

For the next few minutes Beau told his mother and aunt all about bugs and how fascinating they were. At the end of the meal, Scarlett said, "Would you like to have a career studying bugs like Dr. Hodgins?"

"Could I?! Could I, Mom? That would be amazing. I could be a bug studier."

Rhett said, "They are called Etymologist." Beau tried to pronounce the word, and he came close. Rhett said, "I will write it down for you."

"Dr. Hodgins said I could come back tomorrow if it was alright with you, Mom."

Melly smiled. Her little boy wasn't a little boy anymore. All the stuff she thought was icky, he was fascinated by. She said, "If it is alright with Dr. Hodgins it is alright by me, but don't make a nuisance of yourself."

Rhett said, "Don't worry, Melly. Dr. Hodgins loves teaching anyone about bugs and slime. You should see him when he is escorting the kids that are on a field trip to the Jeffersonian."

"We will have to get Hodgins a thank you gift for his kindness."

Beau said, "We could get him a model to put together. When I told him I like to put models together, he said he did too."

Rhett looked at Scarlett and smiled. He then said, "That sounds like a fine gift."

Scarlett said, "Now it is time for you to go to bed, Melly. You still have a lot of healing to do."

After a week, Melly and Beau returned to their home. She was able to get around by herself. On the way back to their home, Beau said, "Dr. Hodgins showed me so many wonderful things this week. He told me what kind of classes I need to take to get a degree in Etymology. This was so much better than spending the week with Dad."

With a catch in her throat, Melly said, "Why is that Dear?"

"If I had spent the week with Dad, I would have to sit in his office while he did work."

Melly looked at her son strangely and said, "Why do you say that, Beau?"

Innocently Beau said, "That is what we did last year when I spent two weeks with him. And what we do every Saturday when it is my weekend with him."

"What do you do while he is working?"

"Usually read a book. If I had a tablet or an iPad, I could play games or watch shows on YouTube, but I don't. Do you know he doesn't even have a TV?"

"He doesn't have a TV?"

"Not since he got a place of his own."

"He doesn't live with Amy anymore?"

"No, a couple of months ago he got his own place. It isn't as nice as Amy's place, though. Dad and Amy are no longer dating."

"Really?"

"He is dating another woman, Joyce. She works with him. She is stupid."

"Beau, that isn't nice."

"Nice or not, she is."

Melly chuckled. Her heart spilled over with love for her wonderful son. He wasn't complaining about not having an I-pad or a tablet. He was just sharing information. She knew he wanted an iPad or a tablet but he also knew she couldn't afford one so he wouldn't ask for one. She would have to start saving now to be able to buy him one for Christmas.

A month later, Melly bought herself a form fitting T-shirt. She was a C-cup. She had not wanted to go too big. She had just wanted to have breasts. Her surgeon had said 'C' was average and that was what she wanted to be average. She was both proud and embarrassed about her new figure at the same time. She was meeting Scarlett at Ted's Bulletin for brunch. They had mimosas and lunch. After lunch they both had another mimosa. And a third. They had talked. Melly had told Scarlett all about her shame and embarrassment for not having a woman's body. Scarlett had apologized for not realizing that Melly was hurting. They talked about Beau, Ashley, Marvin, and Rhett. Melly said, "John, asked me to let Beau spend some time with them during the summer. I said yes. After all he is the only grandchild, they are going to have unless Ashley remarries and has more children."

"I don't think he will do that. A wife and children would just get in the way of saving the downtrodden."

Melly laughed and said, "Ashley's parents are good people. Martha told me when I was there last summer that she still considers me her daughter-in-law."

"How nice. Mrs. Wilkes was always such a nice lady. India certainly isn't going to give them a grandchild. Not that I would wish India on any child."

"No, she is not going to get married, much less have a child. She is too selfish for that. John and Martha are going to fly up to get him. They will spend the night in a hotel because Ashley doesn't have room for them, and they don't want to be disloyal to Ashley by staying with me."

"Thank God for that."

Melly giggled and said, "They will fly back to Atlanta the next day."

"Why don't you let him fly by himself?"

"I couldn't take the chance of anything happening to him."

"True. Are the Wilkeses going to let Beau see your parents?"

"Yes, a couple of afternoon visits, but they aren't going to let him spend the night with them. Mom and Dad are alright with it. They haven't been around small children in a while."

"Small children take some getting used to.

"Why don't you and Rhett have a child? It isn't too late."

"Rhett would never agree to have a child."

"Have you asked him?"

"No. I don't need to ask him. I know what his answer would be. I don't want it to come between us."

"Oh Baby."

"He just won't or can't take the chance of something happening to another one of his children. I'm kind of scared too. There is no way to prevent a child from dying from SIDS."

"You aren't going to lose another child to SIDS."

"Siblings are more likely to get SIDS than the rest of the population."

"But your baby would only be a half-sibling to Wade."

"It doesn't matter. The baby could die from SIDS all on its own."

"Isn't there a monitor or something you could put on the baby?"

"Not one that is one hundred percent effective. I have done a little bit of research on the subject. Come on, I think it is time for us to go."

Melly knew that was Scarlett's way of ending a conversation. So, Melly dropped the subject. As the women got up to leave, they realized they weren't steady on their feet, so they sat back down and ordered dessert. By the time they finished dessert and a cup of coffee an hour later they were both sober enough to drive.

Driving home Melly felt like she for once was the luckier one between her and Scarlett. She had been a little worried that Beau would die when he was a baby because of Wade, but not really. She knew that she never thought her son was going to die. Admittedly she was protective of Beau, but she really didn't think he was going to die. She thanked her lucky stars for her life.