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Anne was released from the hospital as planned and, other than a lot of follow up visits and some additional tests they would be doing over the coming weeks, everything seemed to be controlled and with a good prognosis. She was still anxious about any test coming back with a negative result, but both Jerry and Gilbert tried to focus her on what was important in the moment and what she could control: she was not in danger, the pregnancy was stable and she was following all the doctor's recommendations to the dot. They couldn't do anything they weren't already doing.
Gilbert decided to give Bash and Mary a call after Anne's discharge to tell them about what had happened. As much as he had felt supported by their close friends in Toronto and Hamilton, and even more with Jerry travelling all the way from PEI, he still needed the reassurance only the LaCroix family could give him.
Other than Anne, they had been the closest to him when his dad had died years ago, and they knew him at his most vulnerable. By extension, they could understand how deeply the prospect of losing the baby (as Anne had never been in any real danger) had cut into him. He had an understanding with Fred that had come from years of being close friends to the point he could in all confidence call him family, but Bash had seen him grow up and face loss for the first time, and then again for the second, if that fight with Anne could be counted as one. Fred had just received the broken pieces and had done his best, with Ella, to help him piece them together.
So he stayed in the office that afternoon for a little while longer, knowing Jerry was with Anne and as much as he would be appreciated there they would understand if he took half an hour more to get there. He called the LaCroix, Delly appearing suddenly, cheerfully on the screen and way too close to the camera.
"Uncle Gilby!" she said happily.
"Hey, Delly-beans!" he greeted back, trying his best to be as cheerful as he usually was with her. "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing fine. I'm skating!"
"You're skating? Now? In the house?" Gilbert teased. "And your mom doesn't mind?"
"Of course not in the house, you silly," she replied. "Outside. But dad took me to a park and I saw other kids and there were older ones and they all skated so well and there was a super nice dog, but anyway, I was skating, and did you know you can do tricks with the skates?"
"Tricks with the skates?" Gilbert asked, confused.
"There was an older boy that was going just in one and then another and around these little toy cones and…" she talked quickly, clearly excited. Gilbert nodded, understanding what she was referring to and surprised she seemed so much into that. He knew the inline skates had been a hit, but that much? For her to drag Bash to a park and skate there, and then watch everyone else? "So can you do that uncle Gilby? Can you? Can you teach me? Please? I can stop now!"
"I'm afraid I don't know how to do that, Delly-beans. Why don't you learn and then you teach me?" he proposed.
"I will, uncle Gilby!"
"Then it's a plan. Delly. Are your parents around? I need to speak with them…" he said. Delly nodded enthusiastically and walked around the house, looking for his parents as she talked about school and her teacher and what her friend had said about skating not being for girls and she countered, saying it very much was, and… Gilbert chuckled, watching parts of the ceiling, of the walls and of Delly's face on the screen until the ipad was propped in a table and Mary appeared on screen.
"Hey, Gilbert, how are you?" she said.
"I… kind of need to speak with you and Bash," he said.
"Let me go fetch him, is everything ok?" she asked, concerned at his direct approach. He tried not to make a face but still something was reflected on his face, as Delly's expression changed.
"Uncle Gilby, where is fairy Anne?" she asked.
"She's at home, Delly," he replied.
"Why don't you go and play with Foxie for a bit, sweetie?" Mary proposed.
"But I want to know if everything is ok!" Delly said. "I want to see fairy Anne!"
"I'll tell her to give you a call once I see her, Delly-beans," Gilbert replied calmly.
"But you look sad, uncle Gilby!" she insisted.
"I am fine, Delly. I promise. Nothing for you to worry about. Go and do as your mom said, ok?" he tried. It took a few more minutes, and a bit of pouting from Delly and then reassurances about the wedding and everything else was definitely happening, but eventually she left the room, holding Foxie by the ear. Bash was sitting next to Mary by then, and they looked at him, expectantly. "Ok, so there's something I need to tell you," he said once he was fairly sure Delly was out of listening range.
Bash didn't even try teasing as he noticed the serious turn of the conversation once Delly was out the door, and he could see in Mary's eyes the hug and prayers she would give him in person as well. Sighing in resignation, he told them about the call he had received from Anne and how they had been virtually in the blind for hours, just a taste of reassurance. He told them about Jerry deciding to go to Hamilton, about the night alone at the apartment, so weird after everything he had gone through in the year.
Finally, he shared the plans they had been sketching about the wedding, doing something small, shared by video call just with the closest of friends, and then a big party the following year. He hadn't talked about it with Anne since she had called him to go to the apartment, and he honestly didn't know how he felt about the prospect of getting married the following Friday, considering everything that had happened. Anne hadn't mentioned anything on the subject either, but he knew they would talk about it now that she was back home. He was sure together they would come to a decision, but he had no inclination either way. He wanted to marry her, yes, but mainly he wanted her to feel well and calm and he wasn't sure if this was the right time, all things considered.
When he hung up and put on his coat, he felt much more unburdened than before, the same as had happened the previous day when he had lunch with Cole and Fred. Turns out talking actually helped, he thought as he chuckled, thinking about Fred's insistence all those years ago about him stopping to bottle everything inside. Oh well. He looked around and grabbed a couple of files and the laptop, in case he had time later in the evening. He had fallen behind, his mind in everything that was going on with Anne, and he really needed to focus.
Jerry being in the apartment with Anne turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It provided him and Gilbert an opportunity to bond that they wouldn't have sought consciously otherwise, and even if by the end of the visit they weren't going to be close friends, by any means, they did acknowledge they had interests in common and could comfortably spend time together and support each other in difficult situations. For brothers-in-law, it seemed pretty good.
"Hey, Blythe," Jerry greeted, already dressed.
Gilbert was having coffee in silence on the island. It was Saturday, Anne was deep asleep and he was doing some reading. Jerry usually woke early, from what he had seen, and worked nonstop during the day- something that shouldn't really come as a surprise given how he had turned his life upside down compared to when he was a teen. From working in the Cuthbert's farm to being a renowned businessman in Charlottetown, even Diana's parents had had to swallow their words. But he would probably give it a rest on Saturday, right? After all, they were going to see the advances on the house and he knew Anne was over the moon about the possibility of showing their new home to her brother.
"Hey, Jerry. Slept well?"
"Yes. Your sofa bed really is comfortable. But you should know that by now," he said, sitting next to him with a cup and grabbing the pot. Gilbert laughed. Jerry tried the coffee, frowned and put on some sugar. Anne had mentioned how it didn't seem to bother her as much as before going to the hospital and they didn't know what to make of that, if it would be permanent or if she would be back to the coffee-induced nausea in a few days. But, as Jerry declared, they could enjoy those days all the same. "I still don't understand how you both managed to co-exist for months without doing anything. And then just sleeping. Holy frig, you were stupide."
"I just worked a lot," Gilbert chuckled, reminiscing of those early weeks and months. "And exercised a lot more."
"Oh boy. The amount of denial that went between the both of you drove me mental. Di as well. She half wanted to come here to make something about it, but well, it wasn't really possible."
"Thank you for coming now, though," Gilbert said. "I know it's not easy."
"No worries. She's my sis. Even if you're around… I can work from home and be with her. And I missed her, to be honest. She's still asleep?"
"Yes. Thankfully. She tossed the whole night and had a nightmare, but thankfully managed to finally fall into a deep sleep a couple of hours ago. Chances are she'll be out until later," Gilbert explained, hopeful. She could use the rest.
"I was just thinking the coffee was a tad weak," Jerry mumbled and Gilbert laughed. Anne did make the coffee stronger, the same way Marilla had always done it. Apparently Jerry did the same. They stayed in silence, each focused on his own thing. They were on much better terms now, yes, but they didn't talk much anyway. There just was a different quality to their silence. Jerry got up and grabbed a cinnamon roll of the ones Anne had prepared the day before and offered one to Gilbert, who nodded, and then continued to read the news on his phone. He appeared to find what he was looking for, because he gave a slight nod and blocked the phone, leaving it to the side.
"How are Diana and Marie?" he asked, closing his book as well.
"Good. Diana's finally calmer about not being here, which has done wonders for Marie's mood… I think they're going to her parent's house today, but I'm not really sure. I'll call them later when they're done with breakfast and stuff. No need to add more stress," he said. "Marie's a dear now. Most mignone girl ever, takes after her mother. She's hilarious as well."
"I haven't seen her in so long she'll probably not remember me by now."
"Oh, she knows you exist, Blythe. Don't worry about it. And at the rate this is going, you probably won't see her until next year. Ma fri, I can't believe she's almost five already," Jerry said, looking out the window. "You just wait, Blythe. Time goes way faster than you can imagine. Everyone will tell you this, you won't believe anyone, and then… you'll realize it's true. You'll be so busy taking care of stuff and trying to remember everything and not mess up that you won't even see the weeks rolling by."
"That's… just what everyone says," Gilbert chuckled. Jerry looked at him, as if he was thinking.
"I know. And they're right. But don't be fooled. It's hard as héch. Yes, we were younger than you both are now, but… J'hé, it was thought. I don't even think we were that young or anything. We had her at 25, not 15, gadelle. It was just hard. The whole thing. We fought when we were in school and it led us to break up for years… But looking back? That's nothing compared to the first two years after Marie was born. It was simultaneously hell and the best thing that ever happened to us. We just tried to focus on the good parts, otherwise we wouldn't be together now."
"Seriously?" Gilbert asked, because in his mind Jerry and Diana belonged together. Or they did after they got back together in their twenties.
"Blythe, hardly anyone talks about how hard it is. Everyone will tell you the nice things. It's fucking hard. Harder than you think it can be, and I know we had it comparatively easy," Jerry said.
"What do you even mean?"
"I mean we were in a comfortable position, surrounded by a whole lot of family and friends, mentally and emotionally stable…" Jerry explained. Gilbert furrowed his eyebrows. "It was picture perfect, Blythe. And it was still so hard. Anne lived with us for a couple of months before she moved to BC… She doesn't know how much she helped. Or she knows but won't accept it because that's who she is, but that's beside the point. You both… I'm just concerned, you know? She might have all this hands-on experience with babies, but that's something else."
"I understand," Gilbert said. Because Jerry did have a point.
Other than Fred and Ella (and Fred's parents, if it really came to that), they didn't have really close people around. Roy and Cole were in Toronto, and while that wasn't too far compared to Bash and Mary in Montreal, it was still about an hour away. Not that Fred's parents were around the corner, that was also about half an hour, forty minutes. Anyway, with the Wrights having a baby of their own, other than comparing dirty diapers, it would probably be hard to get much support. Both ways, because he knew they would need it sorely as well, Ella still not wanting to even contact her family. He wondered briefly, again, about what had happened that she hadn't shared. He knew Fred was still pondering about that, because it wasn't normal behaviour for Ella.
Hopefully Anne and Ella would become even closer over motherhood. It looked more and more like the winter would bring a second wave of the pandemic, and who knew if that was going to be the last one (he was betting it wouldn't). And that only added a layer more of solitude on top of everything else.
"I'm pretty sure you don't, Blythe. And I say that without any ill," Jerry said. Gilbert sighed. What could he say? "Look, I don't mean to intrude… But I'm just concerned about Anne. Do you have any idea of what this pregnancy means to her?"
"I do, yes," Gilbert said. Because he knew that one of Anne's wishes for life was to have her own family, and this was solidifying everything. Which had added to the terror they both had felt at the prospect of maybe losing the baby.
"Really?" Jerry asked back, skeptical, and Gilbert considered if there was something he was missing. "Have you considered how this will be the first time Anne will see a blood relative- and actually remember it? It will be the first time that she looks at someone and can say there are some common traits in between them. The first time she will share DNA with anyone living in almost all her life," Jerry said, looking seriously at him. Gilbert swallowed, not knowing what to reply. He hadn't considered that particular side of things. "You grew up with everyone telling you how much you looked like your dad. People still tell you that. Whereas Anne…"
"Has never had that," he said in realization.
"Exactly. And it may seem like a silly thing. It probably is, if you've had it all your life. Maybe even annoying. But if you've been through what she's been through… If you've been all alone in the world for years on end, being teased about how you look… It changes things. Very few times I'd seen her as excited as when she found out she was pregnant, Blythe. The fear she's had the past few days… She's learnt how to deal with it before it overcomes her, yes, but she's terrified about losing this baby. I'm pretty sure she hasn't even considered what happens after the baby comes, you know?"
"She's been knitting like crazy and buying books and stuff, Jerry. It's not like she's ignoring the subject."
"Of course she isn't ignoring the subject. But I mean she hasn't considered what her relationship with you will look like once that baby arrives. And I'm pretty sure you haven't considered that either, Blythe. And I'm telling you. This thing will either make you or break you. And I won't have my sister broken again because of you," Jerry said, looking seriously at him.
"Jerry…"
"I understand what happened with Winifred. She's a lunatic biath, scarjé. But how can I trust you with her? With her baby? Because at the end of day, it comes to that," Jerry said, still looking at him.
"I don't know," Gilbert finally said. "I have no idea. I wish I could tell you I'll never hurt her again… But I can't promise that. I can promise to do my best. Listen to her, see what she needs, communicate better with her… Don't be so stupid again…"
"That's a start, I guess. Both of you need to learn how to talk, Blythe. Misunderstandings and your stupidity kept you apart for ten years. You almost lost each other again this year… It can't come to that. I can't know if you think getting married will solve anything, but again, it will not. Moving to the big house won't either."
"I never thought it would," Gilbert conceded. He knew those external things weren't going to solve any problem they might have and instead could create new ones. But they were talking more and being more open about their needs and fears. It had to count for something. "But we've been working on communicating better after the whole thing with Winifred. I can't say it has been easy or that we have everything figured out, because we don't, but we're much more aware of how communicating or not will be the thing that makes the most difference in our relationship. And we're working so it's constant and fluid."
Gilbert wasn't sure why he was telling Jerry all this. But part of him wanted Anne's brother to feel more at ease with the whole situation, to understand that they had learnt something from past mistakes and were working to prevent them from happening again. His words seemed to accomplish their goal as Jerry nodded.
"So when's the wedding? She mentioned last week it would be something tiny and then a party next year, but didn't tell me anything about a date."
"Anne hadn't told you?" he asked, surprised. Jerry arched an eyebrow, clearly meaning that he wouldn't be asking otherwise. "Nevermind. Before this whole… situation happened, we had thought about next Friday. The 20th."
"And?" Jerry asked, like he didn't understand the past tense.
"Well, she was in the hospital for half this week. Clearly there have been other priorities."
"She's out now," Jerry said. "And with reasonably good news about the baby. Why delay it more? I mean, from what she told me, the whole point was not delaying it."
"I just hadn't thought about it the past few days."
"Is there anything to prepare? I mean, if it's just the ceremony and some takeout, as she put it, it's not that hard. You don't have Diana's mother behind you talking about flower arrangements and color schemes."
"That happened?"
"Don't get me started," Jerry said, clearly not wanting to go into the subject. "So?"
"Well, now that you mention it… You're here," Gilbert stated. If they got married as they had first thought, on the 20th, maybe Jerry would be able to be at their wedding, thus fulfilling one of the wishes Anne had been more sad to let go.
"So it would seem, and?" Jerry replied, clearly not following.
"You could be here for Anne. If you just delay your flight for a couple of days," Gilbert said. "You had it booked for Wednesday, right?"
"It doesn't matter when it is. If Anne wants me at her wedding and I'm already here, I can make the most of this trip. I have to do that hellish quarantine going back home anyway, better to make it worth it."
"Well, let me just talk with her and see if she's up to keeping the wedding next Friday," Gilbert said, smiling. "Thank you for this."
The ride in the car had been short, especially with all the anticipation and build up Anne was making about the house. Gilbert had joked that once they were there, Jerry would be severely disappointed because the real, old house in the middle of a renovation couldn't ever compete with Anne's descriptions and tales. As they had entered the driveway, Jerry reassured him: if the inside of the house was as good as the exterior, it could never disappoint.
There was already a car parked there, probably from the architect or the contractor. They entered the house talking animatedly and, effectively, met the contractor Ella had sworn by. She had been as involved as she could, considering all the covid regulations and that the project wasn't actually part of the area she worked in. After a general greeting and introduction of Jerry, he told them the architect would be there shortly, and Anne grabbed Jerry and went to give him a tour of the different rooms and her plans for each one.
The advances around the place were exactly on par with the updates they had been receiving, which Anne found both surprising and comforting. She had had the ugly feeling, before going that morning, that once they arrived it would be very much in construction. Instead, it seemed they really were going to choose the final finishes today so that the crew could start working on them the following days so it was ready on schedule, in December. How smoothly everything had gone so far she didn't know if she should attribute to Ella or to the fact that they had bought the house with most of the major repairs already done and no way for surprises to arise because of that.
Jerry, never one to refrain on what he was thinking, confessed the place was actually beyond what he had expected, used to tone down in his mind Anne's descriptions to try to make them match his more practical perspective. Gilbert asked for his opinion on practical matters, making Anne smile at the two of them because she had never actually imagined them having this kind of conversation or Gilbert looking for advice in Jerry. And, considering Jerry and Diana had gone through a similar process a couple of years before, her brother actually had a ton of useful advice to give and they soaked it all in.
Being the middle of November, the cherry tree was almost barren of leaves, but Jerry had insisted on seeing in person the tree Anne had flaunted so much in pictures some weeks back. They stood there, side by side as Gilbert finished some paperwork inside, admiring the imposing height of the tree.
"I'm sure you'll be happy here, sis," Jerry determined.
"Of course I will. Why wouldn't I?" she asked, confused.
"I always thought you would come back to PEI. Back home. But now that I've seen you here, that I see how you are with Gilbert and how he treats you, that you've shown me this house… I feel more at ease knowing you'll do well. It's been a hard year, you know?"
"Don't even tell me," she mumbled. "Come, I'll show you the orchard," she added. Jerry nodded and walked alongside her, calm, looking at the greying sky. It was getting steadily colder with each day and she half expected the first snow to come soon.
"I hated when Diana first told me she had sent you to live with Blythe. I was sure there had to be another option, but for all I wanted I wasn't able to find anyone who would take you on. I didn't mention anything at the time… no need to add to your anxiety," he said, zipping up his jacket. "It's been hard being so far away. I feel impotent and I don't like feeling that way."
"I know you don't. But you don't have to save the world every time, you know?" she countered, looking at him.
"I don't try to save the world, ma chère," he mumbled, his arm going around her. "I just take care of my family."
"You do it well, Jerry Baynard," Anne replied. As usual, Jerry dismissed it. She knew he only saw it like the most basic thing he could do.
"By the way. You still have to call Diana. There's only so much I can do to appease her," Jerry said, changing the conversation as they approached the apple trees. He looked appreciatively around him, and she looked at him, her eyes warm with expression. For all he was into business now, she knew he would always be a farm boy at heart.
"But I already called her!" Anne said, looking at him. He raised an eyebrow, which she knew meant he was not believing her. "I called her this morning before I left the bedroom," she clarified. Jerry nodded.
"Good. I talked with her last night, when you were already in bed. And she's been having to deal with those friends of yours who want to know why I came so suddenly and I don't know what else. I feel they're just a bunch of gossip sometimes."
"They're our friends, Jerry," Anne said. "And you know how close we all are. It must seem weird..."
"And you've been ignoring that chat of yours to make it less weird?" Jerry asked as she trailed off, the sarcasm evident. "Or just to worry them more? Because if your way to appease them is to ignore them, you're doing splendidly."
"I'm not ignoring them…" Anne replied, blushing, because she hadn't had the mind to reply or even read the threads of comments that had kept her phone vibrating for days.
"Anne, I know you haven't had the mind to reply to a petty chat. If they knew how your week has been, they wouldn't expect you to say anything, and you really don't owe them anything," Jerry said. "I don't even understand why you all have that chat. But the fact is that neither you or Blythe are giving them any peace or mind by just ignoring it and, from what Diana tells me, they're getting more concerned by the hour. Just… send them a general "all is well" message and be done with it? You don't even have to explain anything. That's between you and Blythe. You're not to give any explanations you don't want to give."
"Can't Di say something? I really don't want to deal with them now," Anne whined. She really didn't want to.
"From what she's told me, she has reassured them that you both are well, but they're not believing her anymore. Cole neither, and he also has been trying to calm them. And they know I'm with you, because Diana let it slip when she talked with Tillie on Thursday, so the business travel idea we had set didn't work as we expected. That only adds to their worry. How many messages do you have in there? That you haven't read?" he asked. She grimaced as she opened the app. 231 unread messages. "See my point?"
"I did feel it vibrate, but this is…" she said, impressed. She had never had so many notifications. What surprised her was the lack of an impromptu call. Diana must really be working on keeping them under reign, then.
"I'm pretty sure you don't even have to read the whole thing, I imagine it has to get repetitive. Diana didn't mention it in the morning?" Jerry asked, surprised.
"We talked about other things," Anne replied quietly as they wandered in between the rows of trees, the crunch of the leaves beneath their feet.
She had been on the phone with Diana for more than half an hour, talking about everything that had happened during the week. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Jerry's support. Or Fred's. Or even Cole's, who had called her with Roy every day to see how everything was evolving. The only person in her group of friends in Ontario she was positive would understand her was Ella, and she had avoided calling her because she just knew how stressful it would be to her, being pregnant herself. But she felt the understanding that came from being a mother (or even a prospective one) wasn't something the guys in her life could match, for all they wanted to be there for her.
So she had waited a couple of days before calling Diana, trying to be a bit calmer and better understand her feelings… but when she had realized that wouldn't happen anytime soon, even with the extra session with Patel she had had on Friday, she decided just to give it a go. She had called her just after Diana was finishing breakfast with Marie. When the girl had run to play with her toys, Diana had poured herself a second cup of coffee, while Anne spoke still deep in the blankets.
They had talked about everything. About the petrifying fear that had crept in her, not only because of how near she had been to lose this baby, but just by how big was the love she already had for this tiny, tiny baby she hadn't even met. She knew Gilbert loved the baby. She knew Fred loved Alicia. But she was sure the way wasn't really comparable to the way Diana had loved Marie from the beginning, or she loved this baby. Maybe it had something to do with carrying it. Knowing it was growing inside her. That she was giving everything they needed- nourishment. A safe space. Warmth. Until she had almost failed… It still scared her, how close it had been.
She was so grateful Gilbert worked there and could arrange everything so seamlessly. She still thought about her arriving at the ER, she remembered how very slow it had been with Matthew. She was in a different year, a different province, but with Covid, going to the ER? Had she had so much delay in an exam… Would she still have the baby? Could they be in a different situation, if she had done something different? A better situation? A worse one? She discussed it with Diana, same as she had with Patel, with Jerry, with everyone else, and felt more reassured that her worry wasn't out of proportion or irrational, but just in line with the situation.
"Are you sure you don't want to be on the call, Jerry?" Anne asked him. It was later that day and, after speaking with Gilbert (who had also been ignoring the group chat), they had sent a message about making a video call later in the night. The response had been immediate and eager, highlighting the fact that Jerry hadn't understated the worry of the group of friends.
"I just have to send some emails and review a budget," Jerry replied once they were about to call and Anne asked him if he wasn't going to be with them. He had just set up his computer in a corner of the dining table.
"So no, you don't want to. It's not like you couldn't push all that for tomorrow."
"Anne, I know what the call is about. You'll tell them about Friday, something I have gone over with both of you. You'll manage to convince Ruby you're fine, you'll shut Josie or Jane about something, Charlie will make an inappropriate comment…" he enumerated, as Anne laughed. "Maybe I'll join you later on, if I'm in the mood."
"Ok, suit yourself," she said, passing him a cup of tea and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing the remaining ones and meeting Gilbert on the island. Jerry went to the dining table and put on his headphones, effectively ignoring them and immersing himself in whatever he was doing. "All ready?"
"Just a couple of minutes, Carrots," he confirmed. "How are you feeling?"
"Good. Going to the house really lifted my mood," she smiled at him. "And it makes sense not postponing our plans… Whatever happens, I just want to be with you."
"I know. I want to be with you as well," he said, smiling softly at her. She stayed quiet, her head on his shoulder. They had agreed to call at 6:00 pm and they were just waiting. "Ready?"
"Let's do this," Anne confirmed, straightening again, and Gilbert touched the screen of the phone they had propped up. Most of their friends connected almost immediately. "Hey, guys!" Anne greeted, grinning widely. Everyone seemed to be talking at once, greeting, asking questions. Once they finally calmed down some, she spoke again, "We're sorry for the absence this week…"
"Anne, you're ok?" Ruby interrupted her, her eyes shiny as if she had unshed tears threatening to go down. "We know Jerry went very last minute, and Diana hasn't said anything, and then you're not replying to any message and neither is Gilbert and..."
"Ruby, Anne is fine," Gilbert interrupted as it was evident Ruby was working herself up. "Jerry had work to do, we offered our place for him to stay. He's actually working right now," he explained, following the general line they had agreed to keep.
They were not going to share everything that had happened over the week. There was no need for the whole gang to know, and they had decided this was one limit where they would not bulge. Anne being in the hospital was, quite frankly, none of the gang's business- Diana and Cole's, yes. They were their closest friends and they already knew. There was no need for everyone else (Charlie, to name just one) to know every detail. Neither Anne nor him needed the added stress of having to explain over and over and then update a whole group of people, even if that group was composed of dear friends.
"But Jerry! Why is he travelling for work? With this pandemic and all! You're sure everything is well? Why have you both been so quiet?" she insisted, the worry clear in her eyes.
"Why would Jerry travel now, of all times? With how hard it is to come back here, with the quarantines and all?" Jane insisted. Diana sent a look of exasperation that said everything. She was tired of their remarks, and if they had been this way the whole week, Anne could clearly understand why. Cole was also shaking his head, unbelieving.
"Jerry travelled because that's what was best for his business, as I've already told you all," Diana said anyway.
"For his business or for his family?" Josie said, disbelieving. "Anne, are you sick?" she asked directly.
"Everyone, I'm fine," she replied. "I'm not sick, I haven't been sick, and it's just an opportunity that arrived and Jerry took advantage of it. Seriously, you're making a whole story out of him traveling. He's actually working now, so please, can we just drop this?"
"So why have you been ignoring us?" Ruby said, her eyes sad, but relieved. "I am glad you aren't sick, but then why are you… Is Gilbert sick? Gilbert, are you?"
"No one is sick, Ruby," Gilbert replied, calmly, rubbing his eyes under the glasses he had on. "We've just been busy, and then with Jerry's visit even more."
"And we were actually calling for something, not to talk about an illness that doesn't exist," Anne said, trying to make the most of the moment of silence. They all kept quiet, and Gilbert hugged Anne from the side. "So we have been thinking about the wedding, considering the different options we have due to covid and all. We really don't want to wait an indefinite amount of time, but we also want a party with all of you guys," she explained. Ruby swooned and Diana and Cole, who already knew what the news were, smiled encouragingly.
"But of course you're having a party, right?" Jane interrupted. "You have to have a party."
"We don't have to do anything, Josie," Gilbert replied, unfazed.
"Right," Anne said, frowning slightly, not having expected that reaction. "Anyway, we want to have a party, but we will have that next year. We're not sure of when… We'll just wait and see what happens with Covid and all the restrictions. But we're going to marry soon, because that's what's truly important for us. We want to be together, and be married, and so we decided to have a tiny ceremony just to do that, and then a big party next year."
"That's so romantic!" Ruby exclaimed. "When will you marry then? I can help you with all the planning for the party when you decide on a date, Anne!"
"Thank you, Ruby," she smiled. "I will take you up on your offer for the party," she said. She looked at Gilbert.
"Yes. So, the ceremony will be next Friday at 4:00. We would love for you all to be there, even if it's just virtual for now, and then of course once we do a party when the situation allows it."
"So you're just getting married… just for a paper? No party?"
"Jane!" Diana exclaimed, clearly surprised. Anne didn't reply, too taken aback, and looked at Gilbert, her eyes wide. "They're getting married because that's what they want! They hardly need to have a party if they don't want to."
"Diana is right, Jane. We're marrying for us. We love you all and we would love for all of you to be with us, but don't be confused. This is something we're doing for us. Not for anyone else," Gilbert said firmly.
"And you just decided this last-minute?" Josie insisted. "So no reason at all, nothing to do with Jerry being there?"
"Look, Jane," Anne said, her voice as firm as Gilbert's. "That's really our call to make, and the reasons we have are ours and no one else's. That Jerry came just fits this, he will extend his stay to be able to be in the wedding, because it's important to me. But it was planned before, not that you need to know, and we're just inviting you all now because it's what makes more sense for us."
"Oh, I'm so happy for you guys!" Ruby exclaimed before anyone else could add something more.
"It's really great news, you both," Charlie, who had been mostly quiet through all the questions and explanations, said. He was smiling, clearly happy for them. As were the others. Even Jane, in her particular way.
"Of course we will be there, just let us know where and how to connect," Moody confirmed, hugging Ruby, who was nodding frantically, close to him. "Lucky Cole, who will be able to attend in person!"
"I'm pretty aware of my luck, don't worry about it," Cole said. "I'll do my best to take some good pictures so they have something to look back to if they decide not to speak for another decade," he added, teasing. It was a very relaxed chat after that. They gave them an update on the house, listened to how everything was going with their friends back in the island, and in general had a good time, once the worries had been dispelled and the good news shared.