Typhoid & Gossip Ch 17: Anne - Traveling Home, an anne of green gables series fanfic

Author's Note:

DrinkThemIn - Glad you're enjoying!

TLWtlw - yes... Marilla and the Blythes don't know yet. And the uproar :D

oz Diva - I haven't read the book, so it may not have how to trap a bear, but it's a real book that was published in the 1800s and extremely popular with everything a boy should know. Yes, Davy will be hearing for it a while, and the news and Gilbert having Typhoid won't help. And that catalogue yes it might be easier but would be less fun. Let's just say that as Davy learns the truth he's going to be determined the ladies who told him about their theories about where babies come from such as Mrs. Berry he's going to think aren't quite right in the head.

— Anne —

Monday June 21st, 8:00am

Bright River Station, Brookfield, Nova Scotia

I had two choices that day. Expose the ring that would not come off, or wear the kid gloves that needed to be carefully cleaned to remove the stains that I'd been unable to wash out of them in the room. I'd worn the gloves, stains and all. Gilbert had joined me, standing waiting for the train. Anyone could see he was exhausted. He'd come straight to me. Our two bags were at my feet, and he'd wrapped his arm around me. Were he not nearly ready to topple over clearly I'd have not allowed such liberties. Instead I'd sighed, and wrapped my own arm around him steadying him and helping him to stay upright as the train thankfully on time came around the bend to the station. I'd already exchanged our tickets for the current train and we boarded. It would be nearly two hours to Hopetown, then a quick connection to Pictau where we'd catch the ferry.

We boarded and took the first row of seats facing forward I could find. I placed our bags on the rack above, maneuvered him to the window seat where he could sleep leaning against the window and sat beside him. There was little to note of that ride. I removed the gloves, while he slept and we moved further east. I kept fiddling with the ring but nothing would loosen it. Perhaps oil. Or not eating until my finger was thinner. Though it was stuck on the knuckle. I imagined it, arriving at Summerside and all assuming I was engaged when I was not. When the realization of what they'd think in Avonlea! What Mrs. Lynde would say as soon as I walked through the door tonight. Green Gables, and each day I'd go and help tend Gilbert. Visit and cheer him up. That would do for the promise. It would be a scandal to be more often there. But then…

I worked harder then to try to remove it.

It was useless. So I'd slipped the gloves back on as we came into the Hopetown station, and with one arm around Gilbert, helping to guide him down the steps to our next train thankfully only two platforms over, and the other carrying our bags. He chatted then and talked the whole time of one of our adventures we'd had during our school teaching days. And then of a scrape he and Fred had gotten into when Mr. Philips was our school teacher and had gotten caught for. I'd never heard him talk about it, but then. It wasn't one for polite company.

The train to the ferry was short, only sixteen minutes. So while we rode, I helped him to sip some water from a flask I'd purchased that morning for him. And discretely asked if he'd need to relieve himself before we boarded the ferry. He didn't. Thankfully.

We'd arrived at the ferry station, the sea air welcoming but even more the view of the Island barely in sight on the horizon. I'd helped him to lie down on a bench with one of our bags as a pillow and the other beside him while I went to purchase our tickets. That was when he began to go downhill.

His fever had risen I was certain in the five minutes I'd gone to purchase our tickets. Not only that, I couldn't rouse him. I tried to shake him, but it was clear even just walking to the ferry was out of the question. I'd managed to get him awake enough to at least sit up. I could just barely afford the help to carry him on and off the ferry, even with forgoing the telegram, something I'd already given up on choosing instead to purchase the flask, to keep his water separate from others and not contaminate the water along the way. Hopefully four hours sleeping below would be enough.

So I'd had to pay two pursers to carry him on a chair down below. It had cost me 50 cents. We'd laid him down on a bench again below near the wash rooms. I'd given them no explanation only that he was ill and I was taking him home. I did though warn them to wash throughly just in case. But I didn't dare spread fear about the Typhoid.

I lifted his head, and sat beside him, moving his head to rest on my lap. For four hours he continued to deteriorate, and I prayed hard. He threw up three times, mostly just bile all three times until there was absolutely nothing left. Thankfully with everything coming up above, there was nothing to come out below. For though I did my best to discretely check, I saw no sign of the diaper being dirty.

I've always craved standing on the deck when coming home, or leaving. That I'd have that first full glimpse of the island or the last one. This time instead I never moved. He'd sweated through his suit it was clear and had I the space and time I would have changed him.

I had to pay again two porters to carry Gilbert up off the ferry again, this time on a plan lying down, they brought him to a bench on the street facing side of the station where he rested while I purchased our tickets for the boat train, then returning, I moved his head to rest on my lap that I might sit with him while we waited. I had only a quarter left, and prayed it would be enough to help carry him onto the train. As is usual for island trains, the boat train was an hour late.

I'd removed my gloves now sticky with his sweat and beyond ruined from his ailments on the boat to wipe his brow with a handkerchief when I suddenly noticed a woman spot us from the street marching towards us. She was familiar though I could not place her. "Gilbert Blythe what is the meaning of lying down. And what are you doing here on the train? Who is that strumpet? The red haired girl no doubt you always talked about."

He tried to sit up beside me, and I helped him to sit up, clearly he had little energy. "Hello Aunt Mary Maria." He struggled. "What are you doing here?"

"Here? I live here. There's a new minister coming and the parsonage was quite ill prepared. So I have my hands full in making sure it's right. My house keeper is doing her best, but really it's quite inept. Who is this girl?"

"Anne." He managed, and before he could say my last name. Which knowing him could come out as Blythe when it wasn't I leapt in.

"Gilbert got very ill on the way home and he made me promise that I'd help him get home to Apple Bough. Davy, my adopted brother will be picking us up when we arrive, though as usual the train is late."

She humphed, then grabbed my left hand. "What sort of man chooses pearls for a ring. In my day a simple gold band was sufficient as a wedding band, or an engagement ring, which is just frivolous the new fashion of such rings. Though engagement ring I assume as I wasn't invited to a wedding." She glared at us. "And your behavior was quite indecent for an engaged couple. Sleeping in his lap, arms about each other. And sitting far too close. Even a married couple, one would think you'd known each other biblically. By the way you're arranged. She's that girl your father said went to college with you? Never did approve of co education. Loose morals is what comes of it."

She glanced over me again. "Well, I'm expected at home, and I have house guests or I'd insist you come with me. I don't like the look of you Gilbert. You have the look of death warmed over, and that I wasn't even told! Tell your parents I'll be coming as soon as I can. Were I not expecting the new minister. I'd demand you come where I can chaperone the two of you. I don't think she's good enough Gilbert Blythe. I don't approve of red heads. They've nasty tempers and it'll be bad blood for your children. Who are your people Miss Anne..."

"The Shirley's were school teachers, they died when I was a baby. I was adopted by the Cuthberts when I was eleven in Avonlea..." Just then we heard the sound of the train coming into the station, we couldn't miss it, I looked back at her briefly distracted. "That's our train! Gilbert's really very ill. If you could help me to..."

She'd refused. But thankfully paid a porter to rush over and help me carry Gilbert to the train. "Now you tell your father, Gilbert I'll be coming as soon as I can be spared. Clearly you need sense talked into you. A red head!"

And so I found us on the boat train, one step closer to home. I'd remembered once Gilbert mentioning Aunt Mary Maria with a groan. Bitter Bitter he'd said when he'd braved to come over the Christmas, the last one we'd... He'd been too lover like to make me comfortable. I hadn't remembered much about what he'd said. Why couldn't we just had remained good chums? But at least we had that back. Oh I dreamed of the cheery letters we'd write this next year, me from Summerside and him from the medical school in Kingsport. He had to survive. Of course, it wasn't good that his Aunt, well, Gilbert could just correct her later.

I think I would have run then and there if he were not so ill. Determined I spent the whole hour train ride from Charlottetown to Bright River trying to pry the ring off. Pulling up to Bright River where in the last hour a heavy rain storm had spilled in. And there, as I glanced out the window my finger aching from the ring I saw Davy, good old Davy standing under the eaves grinning at me.

I'd jumped up, grabbed our bags and turned to Gilbert. "Gil, you can do it. Come on!" I helped him to rise, and with him leaning on me, while the Porter carried the bags for us, the two of us maneuvered to the steps of the train. Davy rushed towards us, and wrapping his arms on Gilbert's other side, while we each took a bag from the Porter, the two of us maneuvered Gilbert to the waiting room of the station.

—*—*—*—*—

Author's Note:

In my research of the towns, LM Montgomery for a lot of the towns in the books mentioned would change the name. So I placed Hopetown from my research from mentions in the book as likely New Glasgow. To me that makes sense that Anne would come from there. St Mary's there's actually a river by the way on the south eastern part of Nova Scotia with that name, and Bolingbrook is either likely west or north of Kingsport / Halifax. Where I needed a town that isn't from the books, I used real names.