Romance/Drama - Reviews: 43 - Published: 08-05-14 - Updated: 04-30-15id:10594530

Disclaimer : I do not own Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe, or any of L.M. Montgomery's characters and creations.

Chapter 4

Life went on in Avonlea after the little disruption Gilbert Blythe's arrival made. Anne once again immersed herself in her studies and gave up dreaming of Gilbert. The days drifted by slowly and then all at once, like the autumn leaves falling off the trees.

It was December in Avonlea and Christmas break was only a day away from starting. Anne had of course given up her sundresses and floral shoes and on this particular icy morning she was pulling on a long skirt with tights and Doc Martin boots when someone knocked very urgently at her bedroom door.

"Who is it?" Anne called, perplexed.

"It's Diana! Anne open up!" Anne flew to the door and opened it right away at Diana's panicked tone.

"What's wrong? Did Marilla let you up here?" Anne asked.

"I let myself in the house and ran right up. Gilbert Blythe is on the road in front of our house and it looks like he's hurt his leg something awful. My parents are out of town so I ran down here to get help."

"Why didn't you drive him to the doctor right away, Diana?" Anne asked, pulling a shirt and cardigan over her bra clad torso.

"My car's in the shop. I figured Matthew could drive him in his truck but Marilla said he's out of town."

"Yeah, he's visiting some distant relatives of his. We'll have to help Gilbert down here and call an ambulance after we get him in the house." Anne said rushing down the stairs with Diana at her heels. "How bad is it?"

"It seems pretty bad." Diana fretted, her face flushed. "He's sitting up and he hasn't been able to stand. I was fixin' to help him but he was too heavy so I ran down here."

"Why the heck is Gilbert Blythe down this way on a school morning? And without his car?" Anne inquired, rushing over the frosty land of Green Gables towards Orchard Slope. Diana was huffing and puffing behind her.

"Anne, that's just the crazy part. He was walking up here to see you!"

Anne paused. "What? Why? And why didn't he drive?" She asked, somewhat horrified.

Diana pushed her along. "Anne, I don't know! He didn't explain!"

It wasn't long before Anne and Diana had approached Gilbert on the road. Despite his pain all Gilbert could think of was how pretty Anne's flushed skin looked and how bright her eyes were. "Good morning Anne." He said, grimacing as a fresh wave of pain hit him.

"Hey Gilbert." Anne said, bending down to grip the man under his arm. Diana rushed to do the same on his other side. "We're gonna pick you up now, okay?"

Gilbert gritted his teeth and nodded. Anne and Diana gently pulled him to his feet. He didn't put his right foot on the ground but only held it up awkwardly and with a very strained expression. His heavy breaths made icy clouds in the air.

"We're gonna take you down to Green Gables and then call an ambulance okay?" Anne informed. Gilbert grunted in agreement and they began a very awkward trip down the hill to Green Gables. Marilla was waiting on the veranda with a concerned expression on her face when they arrived.

"Hello ma'am. I'm Gilbert Blythe." Gilbert said with a strained smile.

"I know who you are, young man. Marilla Cuthbert." Marilla said, opening the door for the trio to squeeze through. Anne and Diana laid Gilbert out on the couch in the old fashioned parlor.

"We'll have to call 9-1-1." Diana said plainly.

"Yeah, it looks broken." Anne replied. Gilbert groaned as Anne lifted his leg up slowly to place a cushion underneath it. There was a sheen of sweat on Gilbert's brow and upper lip. His eyes were very bright and his cheeks were bright red. Anne felt a pang of sympathy imagining how much pain he was choking on for their sakes.

"Diana, come help me in the kitchen. I'll finish cooking breakfast and you can put on some hot tea." Marilla instructed. Diana nodded vigorously, eager to help. "Anne, you go ahead and call EMS."

Anne kneeled in front of Gilbert and pulled her phone out of her cardigan pocket. "Don't worry, we'll get you some help soon Gil."

'Gil?' The nickname echoed in Gilbert's ears like music. A lot of people called him that but he had never heard his shortened name come out of Anne's mouth. It sounded intimate. Almost like they were friends. Gilbert smiled slightly through his pain.

Anne dialed 9-1-1. "9-1-1, what is your emergency?"

"My name is Anne Shirley. I have a young man with me named Gilbert Blythe and I think he has broken his leg. We need an ambulance." Anne said calmly.

"What is your location?"

Anne gave the address.

"How old is Mr. Blythe?"

Anne knew he was 19 but since Gilbert had never told her this himself she decided it'd be weird not to ask.

"How old are you?" She asked Gilbert.

He smirked. He knew she knew. "19."

Anne relayed the number.

"We have a unit on it's way."

"Thank you."

Anne clicked the end button and put her phone back in her pocket. "Are you alright? Do you need anything?" Anne asked Gilbert.

"Water would be nice. And a blanket." Gilbert replied, eyes clenched shut with pain.

Anne noticed it was kind of chilly I'm the room. "Okay, I'll be right back."

Anne rushed to get Gilbert a bottled water and a blanket from the upstairs closet. She was quite flustered, for it was very strange to have an injured Gilbert Blythe in her parlor and she didn't even know what had brought him out to remote Green Gables on foot in the first place.

Upon entering the room again, Anne couldn't help but noticed how handsome and boyish Gilbert looked with his long eyelashes resting on his flushed cheeks and his rosy red mouth parted slightly. "Here you are." Anne announced. Gilbert opened his eyes and they were very bright and hazel. The vivid color was kind of scary, for it was the kind of brightness that only pain brought to the eyes.

Anne helped Gilbert sit up and offered him the bottle of water and placed the blanket on the lower half of his body. Gilbert downed the whole bottle in less than a minute and by the time he was done, Marilla and Diana arrived with breakfast and tea. Gilbert slowly repositioned himself so that his breakfast tray could rest on his lap.

"Thank you Miss Cuthbert. You didn't have to do all this for me." Gilbert said, taking a careful sip of his hot tea followed by a bite of toast.

"Nonsense . It'd breakfast time and you're a guest." Marilla replied in a matter of fact tone. "Anne, is the ambulance on his way? The sooner the doctor takes a look at his leg and gets to work setting it, the better."

"It should be here any minute now." Anne replied.

Gilbert had just finished his meal when the doorbell sounded.

"Emergency Medical Services." A man's voice at the door announced.

Marilla hurried to the door and a team of EMTs came hurrying in with a stretcher. They gently hauled Gilbert up and started carrying him out and Anne found herself following. Diana and Marilla watched from the veranda. "What about your class?" Marilla called after Anne.

"Someone has to go with him!" Anne called back, climbing into the back with Gilbert and eventually pulling away from the farm.

Next chapter will hold an interesting conversation between Anne and Gilbert and an overdue realization at the hospital. Review if you want it soon! ;) Thanks as always for reading and reviewing guys. I hope you're all having as much fun reading this story as I'm having writing it!

- irunwithshapeshifters