As Anne stomped her way along the sand, her conversation…or lecture…from Rachel Lynde, was still flaming its way through her mind. It wasn't as if she herself hadn't wondered about such things herself, but to have to sit there and have such words circling around her, from Rachel of all people, was enough to make her want to run headlong into the waves, just so that she wouldn't have to think about this morning ever again.
The only thought that cooled her fury was the knowledge that she would soon be married to Gil. She had denied it for ages, but now she knew in her soul that only he could ever be her kindred spirit. When she thought of him, every indignation brought by Rachel became distant and unfocused. She was counting the hours until he was her husband.
"I should probably be crawling back home," she conceded aloud. "The house is a beehive right now, thanks to Diana and Rachel, and my absence will only make things harder for them." Giving one last appreciative smile at the ocean, she turned towards home and nearly crashed into Gil.
"Deciding to hurl yourself into the briny deep to save yourself from an unhappy fate, my darling?" Gil smirked with his hands on his hips. No one could tease her more cleverly than Gil. No one's teasing was more enjoyable than his.
"Well, I had thought of several ways to save myself. Hanging myself from the rafters was too dramatic, even for me, but the idea of being washed away by the tides to my watery death was quite appealing just now. Of course, Diana would be furious. She never would forgive me for interfering with her wedding organizing."
Anne didn't think that Gilbert's smile had ever been so bright and warm. He wasn't saying much, just savoring another moment of banter with his Anne as he faced her and extended his hand. "Sit with me a bit, will you? It's been a long time since we've had much time alone without someone flinging lace and ribbons and invitations at us."
To Anne, this sounded like the best idea she had heard in months. She plopped her slender self down where she stood, and Gil did the same next to her. Gil held her small hands in both of his and Anne leaned her head silently on his shoulder. They sat like this for ten minutes, both of them appreciating the quiet and the peace and the sound of the waves.
Gilbert was the first to speak. "Anne, I'm glad I found you. I know that the last few weeks of wedding planning has been hard on you. It's been hard on ME! I've been trying to keep an eye on you, making sure you are getting rest, and it seems like you haven't been getting much at all. I don't know how you could. Diana's house starts quaking at six am and they don't stop until midnight, and you, my lovely one, are at the center of all of it. I at least get to go home. I know it's wearing you. I haven't seen you eating much, either. So, I'm concerned a bit."
The tears were already rolling down Anne's face, and Gilbert reached into his pocket for a handkerchief. Anne took it in her hands and started folding it and unfolding it, over and over. "I have so many things to think about. All I want, all I truly want, is to be your wife and have the wedding be over. I know that this is Diana's joy in life, to plan parties, and she is my dearest sister, but all day long, people are chasing me, Gil. I tried to take a walk down the lane just to escape the constant scurrying of Diana and her mother, and before I'd been gone for five minutes, Fred was chasing me, saying that Diana was near hysterics looking for me."
Gilbert was silent. He took one of his hands off of Anne and wrapped it around her waist and pulled her closer. "I was so afraid it would be like this for you. I feel guilty. I should have just taken you away and married you and returned you to Avonlea as a married woman."
Anne tried to chuckle, but it sounded more melancholy than she wanted it to. "Gilbert, I know that this will all be fine. I'm just tired, and Diana is an angel, so is everyone else, I just…I'm tired."
Gil inhaled deeply and kissed her hair, "Anne, I promise that we just have mere hours to wait, and then this will be a memory. After the vows, I'll take you away in a flowery carriage and I'll save you from these hordes of people and we can start our life. Just you. Just me. The way it should be."
That sounded so good. Anne leaned in closer into him. She could hear his heartbeat. To her, he smelled like sunshine and soap and rubbing alcohol and hospital, but the deeper she breathed him in, the more she found her Gil. Then she thought of Rachel, and the reason she had fled to the shore. She lowered her head and rested it on Gil's shoulder again and clung to him, without talking. Gilbert allowed her to find comfort there, and let her rest for a while.
He finally whispered, "Anne, is there something I need to know? I know you are anxious for this to be over, and I know it has been hard, but am I getting this right? Is it just the wedding? Are you feeling well? When I found you here, you looked so pale. Please tell me if you're not well." He continued with a smirky smile in his voice, "Really, Carrots. You know, I am unusually qualified to make you feel better. Medical school was pretty thorough, and I scored very high marks." He tried to joke, but he was serious. She looked too tired and too lifeless for Anne Shirley.
"I'm just tired. When I get into bed, I try to sleep, but then I remember all of the things I promised to get done, and then I feel guilty for sleeping. Last night wasn't so bad, but this morning, when Rachel said….." She stopped talking and was angry at herself for bringing up Rachel.
"What did Rachel say to you this morning?" Gilbert pressed.
Anne did not want to share those stupid words with him. She knew he would be upset at such stupidity. She worried he would be upset that Anne gave them any heed at all.
Anne sat up on her knees and faced Gilbert. She wrapped both arms around him and kissed his neck. Gilbert took in a quick breath and enjoyed her closeness, but he murmured again, "what did Rachel say to you this morning?"
In between little kisses on his neck, Anne responded, "Rachel Lynde is someone that speaks without knowing her subject. She means well, but I don't think she is someone that I want to think about right now. Kiss me, Dr. Blythe."
Gilbert rose up to his knees and kissed Anne's cheek, her nose and her cheek again. He pressed himself closer to her and kissed her lips. She responded immediately and he couldn't help but deepen the kiss. He wanted to kiss her like this for hours. If they had already been married and if he had known for sure that no one was within five miles of them, he would have pulled her onto the sand and kissed her until the next day.
Anne started to feel weak and broke off the kiss, grabbed his strong, warm hand and laid herself down on the sand, like a piece of seaweed, closed her eyes and rested. Gil put his other hand over her eyes when he saw her squinting out the strong sun.
Gil sat down on the sand and said, "My darling Anne. I cannot wait until tomorrow, when we are official." He pulled one hand free and casually placed it on her wrist."
"What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to find out what has put my almost wife into a state of I-don't-know-what. So, I'm doing what I learned in medical school and residency."
Anne managed a small laugh and said, "Fine, Dr. Blythe, just please let me rest while I can."
Her pulse was fairly normal, maybe a bit fast. but still acceptable. He counted her respirations and they were becoming slower and deeper. Her color was still paler than he thought it should be, and he announced, "Anne. I'm not marrying you until you share your heart with me about this morning. Clearly, Rachel has said something ignorant, and it has affected you. That means it has affected me. Please just tell me, Anne-girl." While he spoke, he pressed gently on several areas of her abdomen and watched for any signs of discomfort.
"Any pain or tenderness, Anne?" he asked.
"No, Gil. As I've said, I'm just overtired and a flustered soul right now. I just need some peace, not an operation, although it would be an honor to have Canada's finest surgeon give me one."
He pulled her wrist up to his lips to give it a tiny kiss, and then used both of his hands to feel the sides of her neck. "Your lymph glands aren't enlarged."
"Gilbert Blythe, stop!"
"I'd love to, Beloved, but since you won't tell me what's on your heart, I have to keep looking for clinical signs of disease. I believe I may have to get a blood sample and see if your lymphocytes or erythrocytes will tell me what Rachel did to distress you so, since you refuse. "
Anne pulled herself out of her recline in the sand and placed a hand on his cheek and whispered, "Gil, it is so outrageous and so discomforting that I would like to keep it where it belongs, crumbled up and discarded and soon to be forgotten. But thank you, though, for being the most attentive and Gilliest of Gils."
"My Anne, I am certainly going to have quite a life with you, aren't I? May I ask you a favor?"
"Gil, I would do anything for you. Anything, at anytime, anywhere."
"Then show me that you trust me with anything. I want…I need to know that you trust me."
Anne sat back down and drew designs in the sand and Gil sat down again next to her. "Gil, it's not that I didn't trust you with it. It's that it is so stupid, and I didn't want you to think that something THAT stupid could upset me. Do you understand?"
Gil nodded with such earnestness that Anne knew that she was going to have to prove that she trusted him. It was that important to him.
Anne looked out onto the water and said, "Rachel came over early this morning. I thought she was going to argue again with Diana about which teaspoons and fish forks should be used at the wedding breakfast, but she got that look in her eyes, the look that reminds me of a rampaging bull, and she said, 'Anne. It's my duty, in honor of Marilla, rest her soul, that I speak to you at once, while there is still time.'"
Next thing I knew, she had my hand in hers and she was marching me up to the guest room. She sat me down on my bed and sat across from me and said, 'I know you are excited about your blessed day tomorrow. No one can ever say that I don't speak my mind, and I think you are marrying a fine man…a fine, fine man. But I have to let you know, that men are men, and that Gilbert is a man like any other.'"
A look of indigestion started to wash over Gilbert, but he erased it from his face quickly. He wanted Anne to know that she truly could tell him anything. "Go, on."
Anne lowered her eyes and made smaller movements in the sand, transferring one pile of sand to the pile next to it. "She said that Marilla should be the one sitting with me, but even if she was still with us, she hadn't been married, so that it was obvious that she must be the one."
"Alright. I see. Keep on."
"It was so mortifying. The embarrassment of it all." Anne gasped, "She said that the wedding will be the best part of the day because what comes after will be anything but pleasant. She said that, as your wife, I must do the right thing and submit to you and your…God given rights and husbandly activities, but that it will be an opportunity to offer up the bodily pain in reparation for my past sins and that if I….lay there and remain still and repeat Psalm 23 in a prayerful way, I will emerge with only a small amount of bleeding and pain and I might be spared becoming with child for a few months. She said that 'it's them that struggles so hard the first time that the Lord increases right away.'"
Practicing the calm questioning that medical school had taught him, Gilbert asked, "Did she say anything else?"
"She said that she was sure, after living on a farm, that I had seen the goats and the other beasts during mating, and that it wasn't much different with men. She said to bite my lips together if I need to, that I mustn't move, and that I must know that there is a price to pay for being married. At that point, Gil, I ran out before my heart stopped beating from humiliation. Can you understand why I wanted to just not talk about this?"
"Anne. Anne-girl, I am so sorry that this happened to you. I don't know quite where to start. First of all, of course, I can understand that you were upset. I'm upset just listening to what was told to you. Rachel is unlike any other woman I have ever met. I…I…want the wedding to be over so that we can start our lives together, just like you do. And I can understand how, as tired as you are, this must have felt like the straw that broke the camel's back."
Anne leaned into him and started to get up. Gil carefully placed her back on the sand next to her. "Anne, just one more moment?"
"Of course, Gil. I just thought the bloodhounds might be released on me soon if I don't return to the generals at army wedding headquarters."
Quietly, Gilbert whispered, "I can't let you leave this beautiful beach without saying this. You must know that I would never, ever want you to think of our marriage bed as a place of pain and terror, as Rachel told you. It might have been like that for Thomas and her, and…the… knowledge… that I have of this is derived from clinical lectures and actual cases, but I do love you and I admit that I have thought of this part of our life. I admit that I have thought of it more as the wedding draws closer. Every hair on your head, every freckle, every crazy thought you have, is loved by me. Anything that happens after the ceremony, and I will leave whatever that is up to you, is going to be done with me making sure everything is fine for you. I am not an animal on a farm. I am going to be your husband and your doctor and the father of your children, and there is nothing I wouldn't do for you. That's how much I love you. Remember how hard I fought for you? Remember what I put up with for so many years? That was because I can't live without you next to me, and I'm not going to do anything unless it is good for you."
There was nothing Anne could do that would be more appropriate than kissing him deeply and running her hands through his curls. She wanted, just then, to do that, and to do that all afternoon.
"Should we talk more about this now, or should we get you back?" Gil queried when he finally broke the kiss.
"I don't know, Dr. Gilbert Blythe, but I wish that you had come to speak with me this morning, instead of Dr. Rachel Lynde," Anne laughed.
"Well, I'll say that Dr. Blythe is thrilled that you have some more color in your cheeks. That's for sure, Anne. And I want to say this before we head back. Yes, many ladies do have pain, and some do bleed at the beginning, but I also know that there are things that can be done to prevent this, and I know this may embarrass you, so I'll stop, but I do know what those things are. As far as children are concerned, that is a big question. And we can take this slowly. And we can talk more. Mostly, thank you for telling me what you were afraid to tell me. I had to know. I'm glad you did."
They walked together to the house, arm and arm. Gil poured Anne a glass of milk and cut her some cheese and an apple, while Diana and Rachel went over the serving schedule, and he talked to her while she ate. If it had been appropriate, he would have sat her on his lap while she snacked. Anne is strong, Gilbert knew, probably the strongest woman he had ever known, but everyone had their limits and he didn't want her to become ill with worry of any kind.
He stayed later than usual, and when he decided it was time for her to sleep, he kissed her sweetly on the stairs and then ordered her to bed. "Tomorrow, you are my wife," he whispered, "and we won't have to leave each other at the end of the day, and we are going to be happy and rear a good family, and we will laugh and imagine and be together. And I expect you to sleep a full eight hours. Doctor's orders! Actually, what if I go home and get you something to make sure you do what I say? I'll bring something very mild that won't overly sedate you. It will take me five minutes." He kissed her check and turned to go.
Anne saw him giving this thought fertile ground and she grabbed him by both shoulders. "You will not come back to this house and drug me so that I sleep, Dr, Blythe! I am going to crawl into my bed and sleep like a rock. And you, my beloved, will see me tomorrow, under a bower of beautiful blooms, and we will get married. Good night."
Anne did sleep, and it was Gilbert who didn't find rest. He was furious at Rachel for upsetting Anne and assuming that he would brutalize her on their first night together. He knew she didn't mean it that way, but Anne was physically much smaller than him, and while she was fiery and spirited, she also deserved the most glorious and careful wedding night possible. He would hate himself for hurting or tearing her. His mind flashed back to the patient in Halifax who had been attacked by her drunken husband on their wedding night, and was injured so badly that she had required surgery to stop the bleeding.
When it was three am, and sleep remained elusive, he found a textbook on female health. He had long since passed the course, but if he had insomnia, he might as well read something that suddenly was of personal interest.
They both woke early on their wedding day, and while they were a mile away from each other, they both spent some time thinking about memories that were common to them. They were congratulated by both of their families and fed huge breakfasts that were nibbled instead of devoured. At 9:30, Anne was helped into her gown and Diana re-arranged her veil five times so that the lace and the ivy and the white baby roses all were bunched the way Diana had envisioned.
Gilbert's father shook his hand with pride as his voice quivered and said, "You will be an excellent husband and father. I could never imagine the amount of pride that you have brought me. Anne is so fortunate to have you. We all are. I wish Marilla could be here, but I honestly feel that she and Matthew will both be watching this wedding and will be happy that you are going to take care of their Anne."
"Anything that I have done that is good or honorable, I learned from you, Dad. Thank you for everything you did to help me get through my education. I hope that I am as good a father as you are."
Mr. Blythe's eyes got a little misty and he rubbed them dry with his sleeve. He suggested that they both get over to Diana's house as she was liable to send out the constable if they didn't get there soon.
No matter how many guests floated into their chairs, no matter how many flowers were strung and how many ribbons were tied, Anne could only look at Gilbert when she walked down the aisle, and Gilbert had to breathe deeply to keep steady on his feet as he watched her. When the minister pronounced them man and wife, he was living his dream, finally. They were married.
When they ran through a shower of rice hurled at them by their guests, they hugged and kissed their people, and they slid next to each other across the buggy seat and squeezed each other's hands. Family and friends were shouting congratulations to them, but neither of them heard. It was finally done, and they knew it was right.
There would be no wedding tour right away. They really didn't have time for one. Gilbert needed to take over the practice in Glen Saint Mary as soon as possible, and there was still equipment that needed to be ordered and boxes to be put away. The office was fairly well-stocked, but Gil was used to new and high quality equipment at the hospital and he wanted the best for his patients.
The ride to Glen Saint Mary seemed to fly by, and when Gil carried her over their threshold of their new home, Anne was amazed that the morning was already over. Neighbors that Gil had met while working at the house had brought over a warm chicken dinner and a loaf of bread that was still toasty, along with fresh butter, a huge chocolate layer cake and an earthenware pitcher of lemonade. The fire was already set and there was a lovely quilt wrapped in a tidy green bow resting on the hearth. Gil opened the small card and it read, "Welcome home to Dr. and Mrs. Blythe, with warm regards from your new neighbors." They were both touched.
"Shall I show you around, Mrs. Blythe?"
"That would be lovely, Dr. Blythe."
Each room was sweet and clean and several wedding gifts had already been moved in during the past week. Gil had been careful to leave the windows open after he had painted each room. There was only a small hint of fresh paint smell.
This was Anne's home. Gil had told her a lot about it, but as they toured together, she asked God to burn these memories into her heart of their first moments in their new home.
The last room he escorted her into was their bedroom. It was upstairs with a fireplace and burning embers shedding light on the dark walnut furniture. The large window had a view of a massive tree and one could sit on the bed and see the flowers that Gil had asked a gardener to plant blooming in their beds. Gil looked at Anne's face for signs of tension connected to yesterday's talk as they surveyed their bedroom together, and he didn't see any. He suggested that they go downstairs and have a cool drink of lemonade and some of that warm, crusty bread with fresh butter. They had already missed lunch and it was approaching suppertime.
After their snack, Gil suggested a walk outside. The air was so extra fresh that Anne and he both inhaled deeply. They could smell the ocean and they saw nearby trees that were so large that they both craned their neck to see the tops. Gil had one more surprise for his Anne-Girl. He grinned and said, "Come on. I have another surprise for you."
She walked slowly on his arm and he made his way to the backyard. There was a lovely, grand tree in the corner of the yard that shaded the whole back of their house, and hanging from it were new marine ropes and a piece of teakwood that was fashioned into a garden swing. "Hop on, Mrs. Blythe. I hoped that you would like this part of your new home." Anne scampered to the swing and started to trip on an ancient tree root, but caught herself and sat down.
"Push me, Gil." He grabbed the teak seat and gave a healthy push. The arc cut by the swing was grand and low and she beamed. She began to slow herself down after a moment because, as much as she loved the swing, she wanted to hold his hands much more. They were warm and strong and capable.
They found their way back into their little house and Gil excused himself to the restroom. Anne looked around the kitchen and moved some canisters into locations of which Marilla would have approved. She was surprised that the icebox had fresh ice in it and a supply of thick cut bacon and a basket of eggs, and someone had already stocked onions and potatoes in the root pantry. There was even a set of red glass spice jars filled to their tops with cinnamon and cloves and ginger. Gil must have many people wanting him to feel welcome in his new town, she thought. When she turned and noticed the bouquet of irises and lilies on the buffet server, she felt overwhelmed with good fortune.
She heard Gil clearing his throat and she turned around. "Surveying the ramparts of your hard-won castle, dearest?"
"Everything is just so…so…beyond what I even imagined, Gilbert. This is our home, now. Not Diana's, not Marilla's, not your father's. It's ours. And it's perfect."
"I'm so happy you like it, Anne. Are you hungry? Someone must have snuck in here this morning and stocked the icebox."
"Not only that, Gil, but they filled the canisters, these spice jars, brought flowers, and just now I saw these embroidered kitchen towels sitting here. I feel like I've lived here for years, and it's been two hours."
"It's a good home, Anne. And you didn't answer me when I asked if you were hungry," Gil responded.
"Are you hungry, my Gilliest of Gils?"
"Not really. More thirsty than anything. I'll have a large glass of lemonade and maybe some more bread."
"I'm not hungry, but I am thirsty. That fresh bread smell is intoxicating. I plan on making you good bread, with Marilla's special recipe, everyday if I can."
Gilbert brought her a glass of lemonade and a huge slice of bread for himself and said, "Mrs. Blythe, I simply can't wait."
Anne involuntarily yawned and Gilbert didn't miss it. "You, Mrs. Blythe, are exhausted. Come here, please. Gilbert put down the bread and wiped his hands on his napkin. He pulled her into his lap and held her closely.
"Anne," he whispered as he kissed the back of her neck, "I think we should prepare for bed. I know you are tired, and I am comfortable with simply falling asleep, and we can…we could…do…more at another time…tomorrow if you want. Does that sound fine?"
Anne let Gilbert kiss her neck for another moment and said, "Gil. I love you and I am very anxious to prepare for…to… prepare for bed. She pulled away so she could kiss him on his lips and they were so incredibly soft and ready for her. The more she kissed him, the more he kissed back. She stood up and reached for his hand and together they made their way up the staircase in their house of dreams. She would never walk up that staircase again as the same person. The next time, she thought, she would know what it was like to have been with a man. Her husband.
Gilbert had already put out their toothbrushes and the dentifrice powder and he quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face. He told Anne that he needed to check the fire downstairs, but Anne knew that he had already checked it. He was a dear man and he purposely was giving her time to prepare for their wedding bed.
Anne used the time to brush her teeth and wash her face as well, and then she brushed her hair in the mirror until she was happy with its shine. "Orange," she sighed. "Why not nut brown or dark sable or honey blonde?"
She reached into her smallest traveling bag, and found a small bottle of lavender water. She sprayed some on her hair; she knew that lavender was one of his favorites. She looked at herself in the mirror and wondered if she would look different in the morning. She chastised herself for being such a goose. Giving her hair one more brush and pinching her cheeks, she slipped on the pale peach nightdress that Diana had ordered her from Charlottetown. It was softer than anything she had ever owned, and she suddenly giggled, wondering what Marilla would think of "such frivolity." She shivered when she imagined Marilla watching her…in this gown…with Gilbert.
"STOP," she told herself harshly. "This is Gil. You are scandalously in love with him. This is a wonderful night, and it is supposed to happen. You want Gil. You want Gil to do it."
She closed the door to the small bathroom and walked softly to the bedroom. Gil wasn't in there. Not sure entirely what to do, Anne pulled the quilt down and patted the pillow. It was soft, and smelled like homemade soap. She sat in the bed and pulled the quilt over her.
Gil walked in softly. He must have stopped in the bathroom on his way upstairs; he was wearing his nightshirt now, and he smiled softly as he approached the bed. Leaving the nightstand lamp on, he crawled next to Anne and rolled to his side, facing her. "Come here, Anne" he murmured. He lightly traced her arm and kissed her softly at first and then more deeply. He brushed the tip of his tongue along her lower lip while he traced her arm. She placed her hand on his face and traced his jaw with her fair-skinned hand. He breathed in deeply and said, "Anne, you are my love."
Gilbert sniffed her hair and whispered, "Lavender?" Anne grinned and said, "I thought you might like it. You could imagine yourself with a kidnapped princess locked in a tower and guarded by dozens of angry Spaniards searching for their stores of amethyst lavender blooms."
Laughing out loud, he moved his hand from her arm to her ribs, resting it there lightly. He wanted to go slowly so she had time to tell him if she wanted to stop. He understood the mechanics of what needed to happen, but he knew they had hours if they needed them.
Feeling his arm on her side, she subtly moved closer to him. She continued to be amazed that after all of these years, she was sharing a marriage bed with Gilbert Blythe.
"Anne, darling, may I say something?"
"Well, if you dare say that you are sorry you have married me, I am going to break the nightstand lamp over your head," she breathed. He moved his mouth to hers and kissed her languorously.
"When we were talking on the beach yesterday, and you were talking about…tonight…you mentioned something that I'd like to talk over with you. I wasn't comfortable talking about it yesterday, but I think that now is a better time. May I?"
Anne put her hands on his chest, feeling how warm it was through his nightshirt. It felt so nice. "Gilbert, kindred spirits always find time to share their deepest thoughts."
He kissed her jaw and traveled his lips to her cheek. "Anne, if we continue with this tonight, you know there is a chance a child could come. I know that we both want children, but I wasn't sure if you wanted to start so early in our marriage. I could try to lower the chances of it happening."
"Gil, if a child comes soon, then I will be the happiest wife in the world. Would you be happy, though? Would you hate coming home to a wife as big as a house?"
Gil put both hands tenderly on her cheeks and said, "I would love to come home to a wife as big as a house, as long as you are the wife." His large hand drifted across her abdomen without saying a word. He kissed her again, and wrapped himself around her and placed both of his hands lower on her back then he ever had . Anne didn't say a word, but the love and trust written on her face said it all.
Anne was feeling so many feelings at once that she merely nodded. She was enjoying this with him. She was terrified of this. She wasn't exactly sure which feeling was the strongest at the moment.
Keeping his eyes glued to hers, he shifted his hand and he softly stroked her skin. He hoped his hand wasn't cold.
If Anne was embarrassed, her face didn't show it. Gilbert told her how beautiful she felt and how soft she was and how well she was doing and he continued to touch her where no one ever had. Looking at her again, he took her in both of his arms and kissed her shoulders and then her lips. She kissed him back with determination. He said in his quietest voice ever, "Anne, I'm going to do what I can to make the rest of this comfortable for you. Let me know if anything hurts. Let me know. Promise, Anne-girl?"
Anne nodded her head. Anne's face was a bit red, but she gave him a small smile and a quick, nervous nod. This was so new for her, but she wanted him to continue. She was afraid he would stop if he thought she was ill at ease.
Gil knew that this would feel foreign to her. He took to heart what he had read in the wee hours of last night.
She concealed her discomfort.
She kissed his neck and said, "I want to do this. I want you to do this."
He whispered into her ear, "Anne, I'm going to do this nice and slow. Ready?"
"Alright."
Anne took a breath and pulled him as close as she could with her hands so her tears remained private.
He whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Anne clung to him and told him, "I'm okay, Gil. It's okay. And while she tried to lock his head in place so he couldn't see the tears sliding down her cheeks, he unwrapped himself from her arms. He dearly wanted to see her face.
Seeing her tears, Gil said, "Anne, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. We can stop. I think we need to for now."
"There's no need to stop. I don't want you to."
"How bad is it, Anne. Tell me" Gilbert asked softly when he was finished..
"I'm fine. Feel free to hold me though," she murmured. She loved him. Any amount of pain was worth it for him. She had never loved anyone as much as she loved. Even if it always hurt, every time, for the rest of their lives, she would continue to be with him this way.
"I'm fine, Gil."
She yawned and her eyes drifted closed as she laid her hand on his shoulder. "Fall asleep, my angel, and I'll hold you until it's morning. I love you, Mrs. Blythe. Go ahead and sleep, alright?"
"I love you, too. You need to go to sleep," she answered drowsily.
When the sun was still hours away from making its appearance, Anne woke and needed to visit the restroom. "Stupid lemonade," she thought. As she stood up and felt a pull from the bottom of her thighs up to her chest. The burning feeling wasn't as acute, but there was definitely a sense of something unusual
She had been dozing steadily, when she became aware that Gilbert was awake. He seemed to be trying to kiss her cheek without waking her. She kept her eyes closed but smiled when his lips came close to her cheek again.
"I can see you are awake, oh lovely wife," he grinned.
"Yes, Dr. Blythe. I am happy, and awake and ready for a full day of marriage."
"How are you?" he asked.
"I'm fine. How are you?" she replied.
"I was hoping you were feeling well. I know that I hurt you last night," Gil continued.
"For the time being, I would very much like some breakfast. And then I would like to sit in my swing and look at my flowers and see what they look like in the early morning!"
"I can see that today will be filled with lots of activity. I don't have anything too urgent, except for driving into town to pick up two shipments that Mr. Daed is holding for me. What if we rested for just a bit more, it's still early, and ate some breakfast, and then went into town. There are probably some things that you would like to shop for."
"I would love that! Our first trip to town as an old married couple…I'll have to look extra nice for the townspeople who will be inspecting me!" Anne teased.
Part 2
Anne was buttering the rest of the neighbor's bread when Gilbert came down, dressed for a trip to town. She stood up to kiss his cheek and it was baby soft where he had expertly shaved. She handed him his tea and bread and eggs, and wiped out the pan in the sink while he sat down.
"I'm waiting for you. Why don't you put the pan down and come and eat while it's warm," he suggested.
"I'll be there in a moment. I wanted to take care of this pan while it was still warm," Anne answered. She put the white towel to the side of the sink and sat next to Gil and tasted the eggs. They tasted fine, but she wasn't really hungry. She was more excited about going into town with Gil. She ate about half and stood up to clear the table. Gil noticed that she only ate about three bites, but he didn't say anything. His guess was that she was still getting over the stress of the last week. He helped her towel dry the plates and forks and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "Thanks for a lovely, warm breakfast. Our first married breakfast!" he murmured.
"You are very welcome. Tomorrow, I'll make sure you get some bacon. And, I was thinking of some things we need from the store. Will you have time to help me shop, or do you need to organize your office?"
He handed her her hat while he found his own. "I just have the two parcels at the post office, and then I wanted to put some things away, and then we can shop. After that, I thought we could have a fine meal in town."
Gil helped her into the car, and she answered, "We can go to a restaurant, or we can come back here and pack a picnic and go to the shore. Either sounds wonderful."
The trip into town took ten minutes and the packages from Mr. Daed were bulky. Gil managed to get them in the back seat and asked Mr. Daed how his back was feeling. "Well, Dr. Blythe, it feels fine as long as the weather doesn't change. It seems that it's partial to sun and no showers. I 'prreciate your askin'."
Gil's new office was clean and tidy and full of light and had a small reception room, but two large treatment rooms. Dr. Stewart, even though he was near retirement, had recently replaced the carpets and the furniture and painted; even the treatment tables were new. The first room housed a table for general examinations, but the other room looked to Anne as if it was more for procedures. The light above that table was so bright that Anne squinted when Gil showed it to her. Gil opened the stainless steel cabinet's glass doors with a key from his pocket and arranged the vials of injectables according to type and dosage. The boxes from Mr. Daed contained dozens more vials and several, amber, quart sized bottles. He opened the bottom cabinet drawer, and it had no glass window. He put some of the smallest vials in there and locked it. "Morphine and laudanum," Gil explained.
Gil put large containers of iodine in the back storage closet, and then returned to open the other box carefully. Inside it was a metal wrapped package that contained six, odd looking canisters. "This is ether, and it's very flammable. It has to be shipped in certain packaging. I don't anticipate using it very often, but I'm glad to have it."
He put four cylinders of ether in a similar metal cabinet in the store room, and locked it up. The remaining two were put back in the mailing container. "Anne," he started, "if it's okay with you, I'd like to take some supplies back to the house. Patients in a panic have been known to show up at a doctor's home needing emergency treatment, and I'd like to have some equipment with me at home. I thought we could keep them in the first floor bedroom, if that's alright with you. Just remember, no matches or candles in that room."
"How can I help you? Do you want me to help you put some things in the car?" she asked.
"Well, I'm thinking that, in addition to some ether, I'd like some sutures, dressings and bandages, and some drugs. Mainly, morphine…maybe some laudanum. In that case, can you get that blue box of syringes off of the shelf? Maybe some cotton ether cones and some surgical masks, while we're at it."
Gil packed another box full of small rectangular trays with lids, instruments that looked like scissors without sharp edges, and scalpels. Lastly, he put in three boxes that had "Guaranteed Gas Sterilized Surgical Gauze."
"Gilbert," Anne hesitated, "do you happen to have a hot water bottle?"
"Hot water bottle? I can check in the storage room. There may be one."
Gil returned with a light red, rubber hot water bottle. He put it on the top of the stack. "Are you going to tell me why you wanted a hot water bottle?" he asked.
"I, er, well, Marilla always kept one around for when, I…my…monthly time came, and I've always had one, and I seem to have lost it while I was at Diana's. Sometimes, they are helpful." Anne blushed. Gil smiled warmly.
They toted the boxes out to the car together and then Gil took two keys off of his key ring. "This, Anne, is a key to the office. This smaller key unlocks all of the locked cabinets. I want you to have them just in case." Anne took the keys and carefully placed them in her handbag.
Gilbert made sure his office was locked and suggested they drive to the small store at the end of the town's main street. It was a small store, but it was nicely supplied and he was sure that Anne would enjoy shopping there. She purchased ten pounds of flour, five of sugar, and strong pine cleaner. To that, she added some kitchen matches, some hand lotion that smelled like roses and some hand soap that smelled like mint, some bottles of cooking sage and thyme and dill and a small bottle of bluing for Gil's shirts. At the last moment, she had the clerk wrap up some fresh cheese. She laughed when she thought of the strange selection of items that would be carried in their car.
Instead of a fine lunch at a restaurant in town, they decided that they would take their carload of items home and then maybe have a picnic in their backyard. It didn't take long to empty the car, but Gil was particular about where he stored his medical supplies. He wanted them quickly accessible in an emergency, but he didn't want them too accessible. He also had to consider the best place for the ether and the morphine. The ether was packed in the special packaging. Half of the morphine went into Gil's bad, and half of it went into the top of a small chest of drawers in the downstairs bedroom. Anne laughingly referred to that spare bedroom as "The Hospital."
When everything was spic and span, she and Gilbert shut the door to "The Hospital" and Anne made some cheese sandwiches and cut up some nice pears. When the last crumbs were brushed away, they looked at each other and Anne suggested that they go upstairs and air the rooms out. It was her way of bringing the beauty outside into their home. She thought that their bedroom had the grandest view she could have imagined. Gil had chosen such a wonderful home.
She sat on the bed and wordlessly studied the magnificent tree framed by the window. Gil sat next to her and kissed her lips and thanked her for helping him with the supplies. "Of course, I would help you. What, did you think that I would watch you and NOT help?" Anne laughed out loud.
Gil held her close and hugged her. He kissed her and pulled her shoulders softly down onto their bed. "How are you feeling? After last night, how are you feeling?" He queried.
"I am absolutely, one hundred percent, without a doubt, perfect," she murmured.
"Oh, I know that. But doctor's wives die young, and I'm not going to bury you when I'm just now won you!" he replied.
"You haven't killed your doctor's wife, yet."
"Happy to hear it, Doctor's wife" and he held her hands tightly in hers.
