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CHAPTER SEVEN

Anne and Marilla took as much food as they could carry up to Matthew's room, where everyone was. No one could bear to leave Matthew's side. So even though eating upstairs was usually frowned upon by Marilla, she allowed it without question, not being able to bear the thought of her dear younger brother upstairs, alone on Christmas Eve.

The doctor left them shortly after Bash arrived. Not doing much except giving Matthew a diagnosis and warning everyone that he likely wouldn't survive the night. It was a miracle he had even survived this long. Gilbert was astonished by this doctor's heartless and dispassionate delivery, and was glad that he left. Matthew didn't need such negative energy, and on Christmas Eve, no less!

Soon, when Miss Stacey and the Lyndes arrived at the house, everyone started to converse. Things were no longer so gloomy in that room and it began to feel like Christmas. They started to converse with Matthew all the memories they want to hold on to forever.

" I will never forget your performance at the Christmas showcase, Matthew." Mrs. Lynde recalled, " What a marvelous display indeed."

" I, for one, adored dancing with you at the county fair." Miss Stacey told him, " You will forever go down as the best dancer in Avonlea in my book."

" Speaking of the county fair," Gilbert said, remembering, " That radish you grew truly was spectacular. As I recall, I believe it won 'most unusual' at the county fair? The prize was well earned."

Matthew was growing weaker and weaker, all he had the strength to do was smile and nod slightly at all the memories they were bringing up. Anne was overcome by the Christmas spirit, and when all was quiet, she began to sing one of her favorite Christmas carols quietly, holding Matthews hand "hark the herald, angels sing," she began. "Glory to the newborn king."

"Peace on Earth and mercy mild." Diana joined in, laying her hands on Anne's shoulders. "God and sinners reconciled."

"Joyful all ye nations rise," Gilbert and Jerry sang In unison, "join the triumph of the skies."

Everyone held hands and joined in "Hark! The herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king!"

Mathew smiled, eyes closed, letting a single tear fall from his eyes as he drifted off into sleep.

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After Matthew fell asleep, people began to disperse into their own homes, but not before leaving Anne and Marilla a tight hug before they left. Gilbert let Bash go on without him so that he could stay with Anne during these hard times.

After Marilla left to her room, Gilbert held Anne as they stayed in Matthew's room, staring as he slept. "You can go sleep in my room." Anne whispered. "I want to sleep here on the ground so I can stay with Matthew."

Gilbert laid a soft kiss on her forehead. "I'm not going to leave you Anne." He told her. " I want to be here for you, please let me be here for you."

Anne thought for a moment that it would be very improper for Gilbert to stay here like this. In fact, him holding her the way he is would probably be deemed improper by a lot of people. But looking into Gilbert's eyes…. she felt…. safe. She knew he really did want to be there for her, And Anne truly needed someone to be there for her right now. And he couldn't do that if he was somewhere else. So Anne gave in.

Gilbert laid some pillows and blankets at an appropriate distance on the floor (although Rachael would say no amount of distance would be appropriate as long as they are in the same room), trying to see to it that her bed is as comfortable as it possibly could be. Although Anne appreciated this, she knew she would have trouble sleeping that night no matter how comfortable the bedding was. She gave Gilbert a good night kiss, before climbing into the bed he made for her. Gilbert dimmed the light and laid on his bed, two arms width apart from hers.

Both of them laid in their beds, staring at the ceiling.Anne thought about what the doctor had said. That Matthew probably wouldn't survive the night. It was hard to believe, Because Matthew had always been such a strong figure in her mind. She knew that life wasn't a fairytale, and she couldn't just imagine the bad things away, But not being able to see Matthew ever again just seemed so unreal. In fact, Anne refused to believe that today would be the last day they would spend any time together. It was much too fast.

Finally, Anne let out a sigh. "Thank you," she said, turning to Gilbert, " For being here for me. I really appreciate it."

"You don't have to thank me for that, Anne" He whispered back.

Anne hadn't really had a moment to think about how great Gilbert has been since he came here. He was exactly what she needed right now. She couldn't even begin to imagine how much harder it would have been for her if he wasn't here. If he ended up marrying Winniefred and was a thousand miles away in a Paris flat. He has truly been her knight in shining armor.

Anne could feel Gilbert's loving eyes still on her in the darkness. He reached his hand out, closing half of the distance between them, and Anne closed the rest of the distance with hers. He tightened his grip around her hand, saying "I'll always be here for you."

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Anne found Matthew in bed the next morning, without breathing. She felt as if her heart had literally shattered. She had to work to be able to breath and couldn't stand on her own. She was thankful to have Gilbert there, keeping her from completely collapsing on the ground. The world was still moving all around her. People were discussing exactly what would happen next, But to her it was like she still couldn't wrap her mind around it.

Matthew was gone. Really gone.

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The weather around them was matching her mood perfectly. Snow was falling and blanketing everything around them as far as the eye could see. The Sun was hidden far away behind clouds, making the world around them dimmer, and somewhat greyer. Anne would usually think it was quite tragically romantical if she wasn't so devastated. The priest was speaking a few words to the group, but Anne barely paid any attention. She stared blankly at the casket that was carrying Matthew's lifeless body inside. Her mind was racing so fast, that she couldn't figure out what exactly she was thinking. It was all just a blur.

Anne was finally pulled out of her mind when Gilbert left her side to approach the priest.

"And now we will hear a few words from Gilbert Blythe, a pertinent family friend." The priest said, stepping down and making room for Gilbert.

Anne watched attentively at Gilbert as he nervously stood in front of everyone. He took a deep breath before looking up from the ground he had been staring up.

"Matthew was many things." He began, "he was a brother, a friend, and most importantly," Gilbert said looking at Anne, "He was a father."

Gilbert took out a piece of paper from his pocket and said, "I wanted to read something he gave me, before he…" Gilbert stopped, not quite believing it either, "It was a letter, he wrote for his daughter, Anne."

Gilbert gave Anne a look, as if asking for consent. Anne just stared back at him, and Gilbert took it as permission to continue. He took a deep breath Before he Began

"My Dearest Anne,

I want to start this letter by telling you that I love you. From the moment I saw you waiting for me at the train station and you told me how you should always use big words to express big ideas. Although I will never be able to describe it the way you can, I want to tell you that you have changed me in a way no one ever thought was possible. You have made me into the person I have always wanted to be, and I would never be that person without you. Spending time with you was always the best part of my day. You, My Anne, are the true love of my life.

Your determination inspires me. It makes you the person you are today, free to dream what is possible and make them better than what they are. You impress me each and every day. I promise you, I will never stop loving you. I don't want you to stop living your life, if anything I want you to live it to the fullest. Please. Do it for me.

I want to remind you of the things I know you already know, But I don't want you to ever forget. I want you to do what makes you happy, You should always stand out from the crowd and do what you know is right. Your thoughts matter, and never let anyone tell you any different.I'm here for you, no matter what.

Love,

Matthew

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It was hard for Marilla when she lost her brother. She always thought she would be the one to go first, seeing that she was the oldest. But just like when Anne had first come into her life, Life had a way of completely ignoring your expectations and making it something completely unexpected. She missed her brother dearly. Even though she's always known he hadn't had the best health, she wished he didn't have to go so soon.

And now with Anne in Queens, she'd be in Green Gables all alone.

As she walked on, deep in thought in the cold, snowy weather, She saw Jerry and his family walking just ahead of her. "Baynards!" She called, catching up to them.

"I wanted to thank you for coming." She told them. "It really means a lot."

"Of course," Mr Baynard said, laying on a thick french accent, "It is the least we could do, after all you and your family has done for us."

"We want to offer our deepest condolences to you Miss Cuthbert." Mrs Baynard added.

"Thank you." Marrilla said. "I wanted to have a chance to speak to you now that I have the chance. With Matthew gone I'm afraid I won't have the means to pay Jerry for work in the barnyard…"

"Miss Cuthbert, we completely understand." Mr Baynard spoke up, "Truthfully, this job has been an answer to our prayers, and you have been more than generous in your payments. You need not feel any guilt for laying Jerry off."

"Well I would still like to keep Jerry on." Marrilla explained, "I just fear I can't pay him like I used to."

"Oh, bless your soul, Miss Marilla Cuthbert." Mrs Baynard said, tears in her eyes, "We don't know what we would do without Jerry's job. With our children growing up, the cottage is so much smaller than used to be. Merci, Miss Cuthbert."

It was then Miss Cuthbert noticed all of the children standing there by their parents' side. They all looked so cold. It made Marilla think, It wouldn't be fair to keep Jerry on, since he'll be doing twice the work since Matthew won't be around. But Jerry did have quite a few Brothers, and she was sure that they would be able to help him if…

"May I speak with you for a while?"

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"Gracious, Heavenly Father," Anne prayed, kneeling over her bed that night, "I wanted to let you know that I don't at all resent you for taking my dear Matthew away from me. Even though it is difficult, I am very grateful for the years I had with him. And I am grateful to you for letting me be destined to him." Anne stopped, finally letting the tears that had been trapped in her eyes this whole time fall like waterfalls.

"Please tell him I love him. And that I will live everyday for him for the rest of my life for him." She prayed.

She finally, after a while, found the strength to pick herself up from the floor and into her bed, with tears still streaming down her face. But then, she felt a sudden calmness take over her. Something was there. Or rather, someone.

"Matthew." she whispered.

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