Typhoid & Gossip Ch 51: Anne - Glen St Mary, an anne of green gables series fanfic

Author's Note:

I apologize for the lack of updates between a very busy week with my business and writers block I had no time for writing, to solve how to get Anne & Gilbert to their conversation about what actually happened. Finally solved have detailed outlines for the next several chapters and hope to be back on schedule. I'll individually respond to reviews tomorrow :).

— Anne —

Saturday, July 31st, 4:00pm

Shore between Four Winds and Glen St Mary, PEI

Gilbert froze, "Anne..."

I flinched slightly wondering at his response, only his gaze was caught by a young man running towards us, his coat flapping as his shirt was drenched in sweat. "You the Doctor's nephew, the one in medical school?" He called out.

"Yes." Gilbert grinned. "Well, just about to start this fall..."

"Come quick. Doctor Dave sent me to find you, my brother Will's got a burst in his belly and Doctor Dave says they've got to operate right away. Wants you to assist." He paused clutching his side as he panted. "You'll have to run no time to delay. Give me a moment to catch my breath and we'll run back other side of Glen St Mary's in the harbor village. Ma's in a conniption about Doctor Dave turning her parlor into a surgery room to cut open Will. Don't know what she's scared of more, getting blood on her best carpet or Will dying."

"Anne..." Gilbert turned to me. "You were saying something, sorry... but I likely should hurry."

I shrugged. Our loss could wait. "No doubt it'll be much of our future. Go, I can make my way back on my own and will have a jolly evening with your Aunt."

And so he was off, and I had a slow peaceful walk back from the shore to the home of his aunt and uncle, wandering through the village, that we had skirted around on our walk earlier towards the shore. I was lost in a daydream of our future, a handful of years down the road when Gilbert was a full fledged Doctor, rushing off to do the surgery himself and I'd be Mrs. Doctor Blythe. Used to the sudden emergencies, no doubt.

"Hello, you must be one of Doctor Dave's guests." A kind looking woman came bustling forward towards me. "When Mrs. Doctor Dave couldn't make the sewing circle yesterday I knew the young couple had finally come to visit. Told me your young husband, or was it fiancé, wasn't certain, is studying to be a doctor himself, Doctor Dave is one of the few decent men in these parts, so a relative of his must be alright. Why bless me, I haven't yet introduced myself, Miss Cornelia Elliot. I live over towards the four winds. What do you think of our part of the Island? You're from the north eastern shore are you not?"

I felt my eyes sparkle smiling at her. Yet my mind raced, to introduce myself as Anne Shirley or Anne Blythe? "Oh do call me Anne right off. For I know we are to be kindred spirits, for such a name. Cornelia! Why my girlhood secret dream was to be known as Cordelia." That was better, just avoid the muddle of a last name. "Yes, Gilbert and I are visiting his great aunt and uncle before we return to Kingsport where he's to take up his medical studies..."

"He'll be another Dr. Blythe then? Be sure he doesn't lord it over you Mrs. Blythe. I'm for the general store for the elastic on my hat band broke. Never saw the sense in hat pins, if elastic was good enough for my mother it is good enough for me. Oh will you look, there's the reverend come return. He says it's to tend his dying mother he's rushing off every few weeks. Truth though it's to see a girl. Like all men he's a weakness, and from what my cousin writes me who lives near the village where his mother is there's a comely young thing living just down the road from her. And if you ask me, he'll meet an accident with all his travels when he should be tending his flock, before his dying mother dies. But that's a man for you. Mrs. Doctor Dave told us your man nearly died on you. Should have known, for the only decent man I know is Doctor Dave, and if your young man is anything of the sort he'd try to die rather then live up to the glory of being a Blythe as Doctor Dave says. Of course he's always laughing when he says that after hearing one of my lectures on the failures of men. I don't intend to marry and as my brother rest his soul was one of the few decent men, and Doctor Dave is alright like medicine in small doses. I'm quite content. Come along. Now tell me about yourself dear, for I've a conniption we're to be friends for years, even if you have gone and married a man."

"Will you never marry?" I had to ask.

"Perhaps. If a man should prove worthy. But my lot is good enough for me." She purchased her roll of elastic before herding me out of the general store, onto the street as we spoke of our histories. She certainly was a kindred soul, though peculiar. She'd insisted on walking with me part of the way, "For I've promised to visit a friend, she's been mighty poorly lately, and she's just down the road from Doctor Dave. No doubt Doctor Dave's been to see her."

We'd just left the store, preparing to take the road back east from the village when the station master who doubled as the mail man and telegraph operator called out. "You there, you're one of the guests at Doctor Dave's no doubt? Saw you and the young man arrive a few days before and asked for directions. He's Gilbert Blythe isn't he?"

"Yes."

"Saw him rush off after Doctor Dave towards the Harbor Village."

"Doctor Dave needed him as a nurse for a surgery..."

"Well, soon as he's done tell him to swing by, telegram came for him."

"I can take it..." I felt a tightening of my gut, who was sending us a telegram. What had happened back home?

"Sorry, got to hand it over to the recipient."

My mind whirled, it wasn't truly quite a lie, and the minister was here now, just a few more days and the rest would be legal. I wasn't quite his fiancé or his wife but stuck in between. "I'm his wife." I smiled at the man and Miss Cornelia nodded beside me.

"Oh give her the telegram Ambrose, I'd think you could give it to a man's wife couldn't you?"

He handed it over me. I glanced down at it, 'Gilbert Blythe, letter Monday truth out Philips Threatening. Fred Wright."

"Truth out?" Miss Cornelia asked.

I gulped, stuffing it into my pocket. "Nothing much just things happening at home."

We were ambling along when I heard a buggy coming up behind us, glancing back I smiled to see a tired but cheery looking Gilbert driving up the lane. "Anne!"

He reigned in the horse who looked very youthful and his eyes glittering.

"You must be Doctor Dave's nephew. One of the few decent specimens of men folk, so I hope you take after him for Mrs. Blythe's sake." Miss Cornelia glared up at him. "Now show that start and give us a hand up. We should all fit, though it'll be a squeeze and you can drop me off at Mirabell Smith's home. That's just up the lane, for I've promised to see her and I'll be there mighty more quick with you driving."

I saw a series to glances towards me from Gilbert, ranging from glaring to sparkling as though he could not make up his mind to be upset at more lies, or humor in Miss Cornelia.

I hoped for the humor. "Gilbert, this is Miss Cornelia. Did I ever tell you about my girlhood dream that Marilla squashed of changing my name to Cordelia? To meet one with nearly that name. Why it gives a thrill to my heart."

Miss Cornelia peppered Gilbert with questions on the ride to her friend's home, only to declare as he helped her down in the yard of a little yellow house that he might be a decent specimen of a man, but only time would tell for there were so few out there.

We were back into the buggy when Gilbert took a deep breath. "I thought we weren't going to lie anymore."

"I... Oh a telegram came, I didn't know what to say I am. I'm not quite your wife yet more then just your fiancé. Gil, I'm worried... Fred..." I handed it to him.

He glanced down glaring then swore. I've never heard such language out of Gilbert before. "We'll head back Monday, they all know so might as well marry properly at home."

"No," I said, "We should at least wait for news. The mail should get here mid day on Monday. We can wait that long. The trains are shut until Monday morning anyways. Better to know what we're facing."

"At least we're done with the lies." He huffed. "I promised Uncle Dave to fetch some medicine he needs. Was a burst appendix, but the surgery went well. The boy's going to live. Thank Providence."

"Good." I sighed. "The sooner we are married in full..."

He groaned. "They'll all know our child is a bastard. I'm sick of the lying but Anne. Why didn't you stop me? I was sick with a fever... Why'd you get into bed with me? Didn't you know you'd be playing with fire?"

"Gilbert Blythe." I glared grabbing the reigns for him and flicking the horse, the sooner we were home the better. "I found myself stranded with a delusional man whose reality kept changing, was too ill to be left alone and would randomly spout off poetry, challenging every notion I'd had of you having an ounce of romance in your bones. Something I'm questioning got lost with the Typhoid since, or was just the Typhoid. I was constantly worried my old chum whom I'd just reconciled with would die, that I wouldn't get you home, that..."

"Anne..."

"Let me finish." I glared. "You spout poetry at me, and shocked me so much with the romance of your words that I fell into the hip bath, and nothing much else dry between loosing your stomach over me when you ran into me on the train. That is a reunion I'll never forget. So I was stuck in my under most things, my unmentionables and yes I did a very foolish thing. You were grieving. A patient who had died that you'd been attached to... You were getting louder and louder, and I... I came to you to calm you, rock you like Davy with a nightmare. I'd little sleep the nights before between Phil's kicking and all the work Mrs. Gordon sent us on in preparation for Phil's wedding, I'm afraid the comfort of the bed I fell asleep."

"Anne..."

I hurried the horse up again, noticing a bend up ahead, but not carrying or paying close attention. The sooner we were there so I could have some space the better. "I woke to us quite indecent, you were on top of me, and all the strength you'd lost being sick suddenly back with one aim. Take your marital rights for you were convinced we were married, but even if we were, if you were a gentleman when I begged you to stop you would have. What people see in such an act I don't know. It was painful. I had bruising for..."

My monologue was cut short as Gilbert rushed to grab the reigns from me as we rounded the bend to find another wagon on the road, and ran us into the ditch to avoid. Only in the momentum of avoiding the other wagon we tumbled out, into the grass of the ditch his knee kicking me in the gut.

"Anne!" He cried in alarm. "I'm sorry, I... The babe!" He didn't even give me a chance, but gathered me into his arms, as he stumbled up the bank, and just beyond the cheery rose colored house of Doctor Dave beyond the trees sparkling caught my eye as I fainted.

—*—*—*—*—

Would love your thoughts... on what is coming next...