open .dot. spotify .dot playlist/7qqGhOGNMgKoeCegWgU4nx?si=4FdypK09R_uDJmsai5j36Q&dl_branch=1
The following days, Jerry gave Anne a steady company that was reassuring in a way only her brother could provide. They took advantage of the time together whenever he wasn't working. Anne showed him the first drafts of the new stories she was writing, loosely based on her childhood fairytales, and Jerry gave, as always, his honest and blunt feedback from the perspective of a dad to a little girl. She had video calls with Cole to talk about the illustrations, and he brought ideas on what used to catch the attention of small kids for a longer time and keep them interested in the story.
There wasn't much to plan for a tiny, civil wedding, not when all the paperwork had already been done before the scare at the hospital, and Cole had assured her he would leave her a change of clothes that day for her to get ready with Jerry. Gilbert would change at the hospital, and they would meet at the City Hall's Gardens, where the ceremony would take place.
Her brother went with her whenever Gilbert couldn't move an appointment to the tests dr. Oak had prescribed just to be on the safe side. As those and follow-up visits kept giving more and more positive news, he also gave her many insights on pregnancy and what had worked for Diana, and what kind of baby apparel really was just a marketing ploy. She was still anxious, but slowly starting to relax.
It was the day before the wedding when Anne almost jumped from her chair as she opened an email. Jerry was, as usual, on a conference call, but still looked up questioning at her, her jolt having shaked the table where they both were working.
"The editorial replied," she said, her voice barely audible. He frowned.
"Wha…" he started asking, but realization dawned on him as he looked back at the screen. "Please, guys, give me just a minute, I'll be right back and we can go over the strategy again," he said as clicked a couple of things on his keyboard before standing up and walking over her side. "What do they say?"
"I haven't read," she replied anxiously as her phone started ringing. It was Kak'wet. She looked at Jerry, who urged her to answer. She put the phone on speaker. "Hi! You're on speaker, I'm with my brother."
"Have you seen your email?! Hi, Jerry!" Kak'wet asked excitedly. By the tone of her voice, there could only be good news.
"I haven't, I was about to… let me just open it?" She said, opening the email in her inbox. Jerry read it with her, his reassuring hand on her shoulder. It wasn't long, but the news were so good they didn't need long. She read it again, just to be sure. "Oh my god! Kak'wet! They actually want it!"
"I know!" Her friend replied as giddy as she was. "We're going to be published authors!"
"We are! And they actually have a program for social causes and they're going to give a portion of the sales as well! Kak'wet, we're really going to make a difference!"
"Congratulations, both of you," Jerry said, smiling fondly. She looked at him and hugged him excitedly. "So, are you going to reply back to the editorial? They are asking for your confirmation to move on to the next step," he said.
"I'll write a draft and send it to you?" Anne proposed.
"I trust you, just send it. I just want to talk to the elders! And dad! Oh, Anne, they're going to be so grateful and happy!" Kak'wet said. "I can't believe it's actually happening, you know? We poured ourselves onto this project, and that it will become a reality is something so…" she seemed at a loss of words
"Momentous?" Anne proposed, almost laughing, "Colossal? Grandiose?"
"Yes! Well, I have to leave you so I can actually go to the bus station… you know the signal is spotty around here," she explained, apologetic but still giddy.
"Go ahead! Oh, and let me know everything they say!" Anne replied. Kak'wet and Jerry both said their goodbyes, and Anne looked at her brother. "We're getting published!"
"You are! Now, I have to get back to that call… But we have to properly celebrate later," he said, winking. She smiled at him and as he put his headphones back on, she took out her phone.
**Anne S-C (14:58): Gil! Can you talk? :D
She didn't have to wait long before her phone rang and she went to the bedroom so as to not interrupt Jerry's conference.
"Hi!" she said.
"A patient had just walked out. I'm assuming everything is good because you sent a very smiley emoji, but… everything is good?" she heard his voice was slightly cautious.
"We're getting published!" she exclaimed, not able to keep it to herself.
"Anne, that's great news! I'm so proud of you both! I knew you would get a positive answer," he said, and she could tell by his tone he was visibly excited. "Have you told anyone else? Spoke with Kak'wet? Jerry?"
"She actually called me just when I was about to read the email… Jerry was there as well. I'm so excited!"
"I am too! See? If you want a career in writing, you can definitely have one, Anne-girl. Anything you set yourself to do, you can do," he said, and she felt herself get ridden with emotion as the news started to actually sink in. She could maybe do this. For real. Like she had spoken with Gilbert… But with actual, real results and not just because he was giving her the opportunity. And the website gaining more momentum than she thought possible, and then the children's stories coming together… "Anne-girl? You're okay?"
"It's just… Yes, I am fine, just… I don't know, Gil. Just… I'm going to get published. With Kak'wet, yes, but… Our names will be printed. In a real book that people will see in a bookstore or a library. Like, for real."
"I know. I always have faith in you. I know you'll grow to be a renowned author," he said, just as his office phone started ringing. He sighed, probably as he watched the call ID. "Look, I have to go… Next patient is coming. But I have only two more after this one and then we could go out? All three of us? Maybe go for a walk or something, get some nice take out to have a special dinner?"
"Jerry was saying something about those lines."
"Great, then I'll give you a call as soon as I'm free, Carrots. I'm so glad about your news. You both really deserve it. I love you," he said.
Gilbert arrived not two hours later and immediately engulfed Anne in a tight, happy hug. Jerry looked from his laptop, smiling softly. Anne beamed, she hadn't been able to stop smiling since she had received the news.
"So, published author, huh?" he said.
"Yes! For real," she agreed.
"And how are we going to celebrate? Any thoughts?" he asked. "I thought maybe we could go to a trail… I managed to get out fairly early, so we still have a bit before nightfall. And then we can pick up some take out or something for a special dinner."
"Sounds good. Jerry told me he would be finished after this call, and it has been going for a while so I don't think it will be much longer," she explained. Gilbert nodded, hanging his coat in the closet and looking again at her. "I can't believe any of this is happening."
"Any of what?" Gilbert asked gently. She shrugged. Where to start? Healthy baby? Them getting married the next day? Getting published? Jerry being there? "Just enjoy it, Anne-girl. You deserve all of this."
"You do, as well," she replied. It was very clear for her how much everything meant to him as well. And if maybe the book wasn't something he particularly deserved, he certainly had professional achievements of his own to flaunt about this semester. He chuckled, as if he was thinking the same thing. "So, do you want anything to drink before we go?"
"No, I'm fine," he replied. "Come sit with me while he finishes?" he proposed. Anne followed him to the living room and they were just settling down as Jerry finally said his goodbyes and lifted his sight, looking at them.
"Hey, Blythe," he greeted. "How was work?"
"Same as usual," he said. "I was proposing to Anne we all went for a walk and then for dinner?"
"What a bachelor party you're both having," Jerry chuckled. "Let's go, so you both get to enjoy your last day of singlehood together."
"Jerry, seriously…" Anne said, rolling her eyes.
She didn't even miss having some sort of crazy party, and she knew full well Gilbert didn't feel bad either. He could imagine how that would have gone in a more normal time. Gilbert going out with Fred, the gang boys, maybe Jerry awkwardly joining them. They would go for dinner at some place selected by Fred, and that would be it. He wasn't one for crazy partying and, even if he was, getting married would hardly make a difference in her part, she would have a night out with all the girls, including Ella. Doing what, she didn't have the slightest idea. Ella had mentioned something about a spa when they had gotten married some years back. That sounded nice.
"You both have to know I'm joking," he said. Gilbert looked at Anne, and she shrugged. This was Jerry. Anything was possible. "Let's go, where are we going?"
Gilbert drove them to a nearby trail Anne still hadn't visited and they walked in calm for a while, Anne explaining Jerry again how the website Diana was helping her with worked and how it was meant to become something on the side to support her writing. Even if right now it seemed to be taking much more time than she was willing to admit.
Always the practical guy, he asked her the hard questions about the costs she was having, how she expected to scale and maintain what she was doing, what was paying for what and how, and when she expected a return on the investment she had made so far. Which wasn't totally negligible, if she was honest, but she was certain that she would work it out with time. Something that clearly wasn't good enough for Jerry, who insisted they work on that before he flew back to PEI, so he could at least have peace of mind with the financial side of her venture.
"I truly believe this will be a success, sis," he explained before they changed the topic, "But exactly because of that, it's better for you to have this all organized before you're way too ahead and it becomes harder. This way you'll have one worry out of your mind, everything will be organized for when an accountant does your taxes, and you will know exactly when you start taking out more than you're putting in."
"Makes sense," Gilbert said. He wasn't really one for numbers, either, which was why he hadn't sat down with Anne to see that when she had shown him an excel spread he hadn't understood (and he wasn't sure she did either, as it was something she had downloaded somewhere and she was filling in the blanks).
"Ok," she finally agreed. "But not tomorrow! I'll not have my wedding day tarnished with excel sheets."
"Of course you won't. We can go over that on Saturday. You're just not the best with numbers and math, chère," Jerry said, smiling.
"It was only geometry that I screwed up! If you'll remember well, I did help Marilla organize all the books after Matthew was sick…"
"That's true," Jerry agreed, reminiscing. "Why aren't you doing this with your project then?"
"I don't know. I didn't think about it at first, and then when I did I realized managing a farm and a mortgage is quite different from managing something I don't fully understand like this… project."
"I'm sure you'll see the parallels," Jerry reassured her.
They settled with the different take out boxes on the table as they talked about the different choices they had for the new house. As they were driving back to the apartment, Gilbert had received a call from the main contractor saying they were still on schedule, and the house should be ready in two weeks if everything kept going well. They were welcomed to go anytime, of course, but he was just calling to check in and give an update.
That had prompted an interesting and really belated conversation on how they would furnish the place, since the scarce furniture in Gilbert's bachelor flat clearly wouldn't be good for the comparatively huge house.
Anne, having always rented furnished places in BC since she had known from the start that she wouldn't stay there indefinitely, had not much idea other than incorporating everything she had in storage from Green Gables, and that Cole and Roy had brought when they had moved to Ontario a couple of months back.
Gilbert was even more lost: Ella had been in charge after she had gone and saw that the only thing Gilbert had done was move his bed to the bedroom, a month or so after he had gotten the place. Mary had provided the cooking things, fuelled by the updates she did at her own place and giving Gilbert the hand-me-downs of sorts. Little by little, he had taken out things from storage- the sames Anne had found when she had first moved in and that had shown her that, while she was all about ignoring the past, Gilbert was quite the opposite.
Under Jerry's exasperated gaze, they had opened some furniture stores' websites since much was closed due to the increasing restrictions, and Gilbert didn't really want Anne to be wandering in crowded places if possible. It was clear Jerry didn't even want to pressure them into buying anything- he didn't even say what kind of stuff he liked, when Gilbert asked him curiously. But it was evident, according to him, that they needed a nudge (or a shove) and he was all for giving it.
"Gilbert, Jerry is right," Anne said, scooping more of one of the dishes on her plate. "We've been so engrossed with choosing paint colours we didn't even think about what will go inside. And it's kind of a big deal, I won't be redecorating every season like Diana's mom," she decided, not noticing Jerry's wince at that comment. Gilbert nodded. "It'll be our first house, Gil. Like, for real. Not this apartment… which for all I like, and filled with plants, won't be the place where we have our family."
"So how do we want home to look?" Gilbert replied, smiling at her.
"Why don't we start with what we have?" she proposed. She proceeded to tell him which of the furniture pieces she had, other than the rocking chair Gilbert already knew about. He had a good memory, and could easily place the pieces from Anne's descriptions or where they'd been located in the farm, and readily agreed that they didn't need something overly modern or extravagant. Green Gables, with its sturdy, old and simple furniture had always felt most like home to them, and they could easily go from that style and see where it took them.
Soon they were filtering and thinking about the organization of the spaces. Jerry brought the plans of the house (Gilbert told him they were somewhere in the bookcase), and Anne started cutting paper pieces at scale to symbolize the furniture, as they played to fill out their house of dreams with the photos of things on the internet. They weren't on a tight budget, not really, which inevitably allowed for something nicer than the Ikea furniture Gilbert had used so far. He wrote a text to Ella, trying to figure out where they could find some of the most sturdy, vintage furniture Anne was set on having now that she had stopped two minutes to think about.
And so Anne and Gilbert were deep in vintage stores recommended by Ella, deep into Kijiji pages looking for postings that had something they liked or imagined working for their house. Jerry had gotten up, leaving them to their own devices as he called Marie and Diana from the other room. They weren't done by the end of the night, but they had a clear image of how they wanted their place to feel and look like, and that seemed to be the biggest win of all. If they didn't have it ready in two weeks, who cared? There was no rush to have anything done by any arbitrary deadline, and after seeing so much online had decided they really preferred to look for (or wait) for the exact thing they had in mind rather than just buying something for the sake of it. And it was way more fun than they had anticipated, especially for Gilbert who had never been very involved with Ella's process.
They went to sleep with the knowledge that the following day it would be their wedding. A very non-conventional one, if they were honest, with Gilbert going to work for most of his usual workday and then meeting with him in the City Hall. With no one else present in person save for their closest friends (save Diana). It was going to be perfect.
The morning of the wedding Gilbert left early, barely giving Anne a kiss before going out. He took some clothes to change, just in case whatever Cole had planned didn't fit. He didn't exactly trust sending his sizes and measurements would work, and he knew their friend had had all of two weeks to do whatever he had in mind. He would try to make it work, anyway, because he knew how much it meant for Anne. But just in case, he was bringing a back up.
He arrived at the hospital early and went to the cafeteria to have some breakfast, a book on one hand as he walked greeting the nurses and some doctors he crossed paths with. It was still very early, but if they couldn't spend the night apart or do anything to have some kind of surprise element, at the very least he would spend the day as far from the apartment as he could. And he had ordered a special breakfast for Anne and Jerry that would arrive… At some point. He hoped she had a bit of a lie in and took it easy that day.
**Cole (07:31): Hey hey hey! Who's getting married today?
**Gilbert Blythe (07:32): How come you're up already?
**Cole (07:32): Never went to bed. I was busy. You know, confidential stuff. Anyway, what time is good to drop your stuff at the hospital?
**Gilbert Blythe (07:33): Anytime after you sleep some. I have a light schedule today, nothing in the afternoon but paperwork.
**Gilbert Blythe (07:33): Please don't drive.
**Cole (07:33): Red bull. And Roy will drive. He's better at that, anyway. So I'll drop by around three-ish. I'll text you. I'm off for a nap now.
**Gilbert Blythe (07:33): Sounds good :) Thanks for everything, Cole.
**Cole (07:33): As if I would miss the opportunity. It's like a dream come true. So nothing to thank ;) See you!
"One would think that on your wedding day of all days, you wouldn't be reading this boring stuff," Fred said, sitting next to him with a cup of coffee. He had resumed his reading, his bagel forgotten on the side.
"It's not boring. Rather interesting, actually," Gilbert said, looking up, watching as Fred ate his breakfast. "I was actually planning to eat that."
"Of course you weren't. You would have, by now. So? Boring reading to calm the nerves?"
"No. No nerves to speak of, unlike some others," Gilbert replied.
"My only nerves were about seeing all of Ella's family. You've seen the lot. Mental," Fred explained.
"So you said," Gilbert teased, taking the bagel from him.
"So I do," Fred replied. "So, what's the plan?"
"Getting married this afternoon. Cole's dropping whatever I'm supposed to wear around three, and we should leave here around four, just so we're not hurrying," Gilbert explained. "Ella is coming here or meeting us there?"
"Meeting there. She has a meeting at three and doesn't want to have us waiting," Fred explained. "And I have something to change into in the car, before you ask. Chosen by Cole from all the stuff I own, so you're not the only one he's playing dress up with."
"As if you were going to complain," Gilbert replied, laughing. "Anyway, thank you for this."
"Why on earth are you thanking me? After everything?" Fred asks, looking seriously at him. Gilbert shrugs. "As if we weren't already family. And as if you hadn't been in this exact situation when Ella and I got married."
"That's a good point," Gilbert conceded.
Anne only got out of bed, tired from late-night furniture browsing, when she heard the intercom. Jerry got it first, of course, and he knocked on her bedroom door as she walked towards it. "You can come in," she said, stretching as she opened the windows. The day was a dull grey, and she could already imagine the cold outside.
"Morning, ma chère," he greeted. "So your soon-to-be-husband apparently treated us to some special breakfast. Are you hungry?" She frowned, not knowing what he was referring to. "That was a delivery. I have no idea what he ordered, but it should be coming in about a minute or two."
"Ok, I could eat," she agreed. She yawned. "I shouldn't have stayed up so late yesterday."
"You both were really invested. It's like a dam broke. I should know better than to get you both started on something at that time of night," Jerry chuckled. "Both of you are obsessive as they make them," he said, just as the bell rang. "Ok, I'll get that. Let's see what he ordered and then we decide if we make something else?"
"Sure," she agreed, walking to the kitchen to look for dishes. She smiled as she pulled some forks, feeling butterflies in her stomach. She was getting married today . With Gilbert! Like she had never allowed herself to dream, but had secretly done since she was a teen. Feeling her heart beating hard in anticipation, she almost didn't listen to Jerry as he talked to her. "Sorry, you said?"
"There's everything here. Coffee and all," Jerry said, taking out two cups. "This I'm pretty sure is yours," he said, handing her one.
"Oh, chai!" she smiled. "What's the other?"
"Coffee. Black. Strong," Jerry read from the cup, making Anne laugh.
They sat on the island, talking easily and trying to guess what Gilbert had chosen. She hadn't expected this, of all things, but she felt warm inside. It already made her day special, starting it with something as caring as this. She couldn't stop smiling. The breakfast was long and lazy, Jerry having decided long ago that he wouldn't work much on that day. They spent the time talking about old anecdotes from the farm, little idiosyncrasies from Marilla and Matthew, and everything they would be saying on this day in particular.
Cole texted her in the late morning, just when she was coming back with Jerry from a long walk. She hadn't even considered how to get herself ready, when she had no idea what her friend had in mind. They agreed for him to come drop the things a little bit before three. He instructed her to wear her hair either down or on a low updo, and she frowned, considering what he meant.
Anne and Cole had considered at length if he should just go up and help her get ready, considering they would see each other (and Roy) on the wedding just a couple of hours after, but in the end decided against it. The apartment was a closed space, Jerry was there for her, and they would meet there. Cole would be in charge of the photos, so they picked a spot to see each other before she was supposed to see Gilbert in the gardens.
And so, with a smile that was visible even with the mask he was wearing, Cole gave her a bag that seemed much smaller than what she had imagined, and a medium box to go with it telling her that it was fragile. She had already done her hair- low, loose braids going to the back and meeting in a knot that Jerry had declared he couldn't understand even if he had seen her do it- and Cole nodded approvingly.
"It's perfect," he declared. "You'll see."
"Will I be able to put on whatever you brought without messing this?" she asked.
"Of course you will. I wouldn't have suggested otherwise. And do your makeup before as well, ok?"
"I'm assuming I'm not pulling that through my head, then," she mumbled. Cole laughed as if it was absurd. "So, what coat am I supposed to wear? Because you can't quite expect I'll be in just this for the whole afternoon."
"Something cheery. I know you can stand the cold for the ceremony, and then you put the coat back on. Just something nice, not one of those fluffy things. Let me see," Cole said, resigning himself to kick his shoes off and walking to the closet where he already knew were Anne's coats. He took out a green one she had had for years and years, with delicate flowers embroidered on the cuffs. "This."
"That? Green? On top of my wedding dress?" she asked, skeptical.
"It will look nice. Anne, it's the fall. It's cold. I think you'll be warm enough with what I brought, but take that just in case. If you take it off, Jerry or Roy or anyone can carry it. Don't worry about it more than you need, ok?"
"If you say so…" she accepted. "So can I see now?" she asked again.
"No, just when you're going to change. And Jerry!" he called, looking at the living room. Jerry replied something. "Keep her from looking, ok?" There was an agreeing noise and he nodded, Anne grumping in frustration. She wanted to see what Cole had done! "Anyway, I have to run. I still have to go to the hospital and drop Gilbert's stuff there," he said. "I'll see you in a bit." He hadn't finished closing the door when Jerry was already beside her, taking the box and the bag from her.
"Give me this," he ordered. "I gave Cole my word, and if he thinks you should see this later, for whatever abstract reason I don't understand, so be it," he declared, making Anne growl. "Come, let's continue with this," he said, after leaving the things on the dining room table and going back to the living room, where Anne had spread all the makeup she had and was trying to figure out what to do. She still had time.
"I honestly don't know what to do," she said, looking at Jerry with a slight worry. She wasn't used to wearing much makeup, just not using any more days, but she wanted to look special and different on this day of all. She just didn't know how to do it.
"Anne, we can figure it out," Jerry said, looking at her and sighing. "Di always watches videos on youtube whenever she has doubts about how to do her makeup for an event or something, maybe that helps?"
"Or we could just call her," Anne proposed. Jerry nodded, and they dialed her number. She picked up almost immediately.
"Anne! I've been thinking of you all day!" she said excitedly. "How's everything going? How do you feel? Are you ready now?"
"Everything's going well, I'm feeling excited, I'm nowhere near ready," she replied, giggling. "Are you busy? We're stuck."
"I'm not, what happened? You're with Jerry? Amour, t'es là?" she asked.
"Oui ma belle," Jerry replied in his easy French.
"Listen you two, no French right now," Anne said. "Can we video call?" She hadn't finished asking when Diana had already sent the request. She accepted it and propped the phone against a book. "I need help. I have no idea abou how to do my makeup and your husband is useless."
"Of course he is," Diana laughed. "So, what are the ideas? Is your hair done already? Let me look!"
It wasn't like having her right there in Gilbert's living room, but it was the closest thing. Jerry moved the phone, showing Diana Anne's updo while they talked about ideas and what might be in the box and how Cole's dress might be. They giggled like when they were still schoolgirls and made Jerry's eyes roll as he said some sarcastic comment. Anne tried one thing, then another, with Jerry giving blunt, unfiltered opinions and Diana giving her measured but crudely honest ones as well.
Even if she was going to be present only by video, Diana also did her makeup while they spoke, and they compared ideas like they used to do when they were just girls trying out the stuff. She washed her face a couple of times, starting over and cursing mentally about not having thought of this before. She had wanted to marry Gilbert now, yes, but that didn't mean she had considered how her makeup was going to be, especially since she hadn't even considered how she was going to look at all after having trusted Cole with that.
Eventually, she felt decently satisfied and her look thoroughly approved by both Diana and Jerry, which seemed to mean she had met both of their expectations. That was good enough for her. She was just going to marry Gilbert, and at the end of the day, her makeup was irrelevant. It was the best afternoon she could imagine for the day of her wedding. Just laughing and sharing with her bosom friend, with her brother. And she could see, in hindsight, even as she cursed for her lack of preparation, that Cole had done it on purpose, just so she could have this moment with them. And she knew just as well that she would have her own little moment with him later that day, but most of all, her marriage with Gilbert becoming something real.
It was nearing four in the afternoon and Fred was in Gilbert's office so they could get ready and leave without any last-minute problems. They had agreed to put on the boutonnieres Cole had also left once they were in the car- no need to explain more than necessary to whoever they crossed in the hallways. Dr. Blythe was doing a vote renewal with his wife and that was it, in case anyone asked, and he just hoped no one was as nosy.
They eyed the suit and things Cole had left earlier in the afternoon. Gilbert was slightly skeptical, looking at the deep burgundy tweed suit with cool, light camel vest, and then a bowtie of the same deep, dark red wine colour. And a boutonnière of dried foliage, flowers and what he could swear were peppercorns. Cole had even included suspenders that matched the color of some of the flowers.
"He's really playing dress-up, right?" he said to Fred, who just laughed.
"Blythe, I have to admit I wasn't expecting this, but it fits you more than I would have thought," his friend said. "It goes so in line with that… old fashioned vibe you and Anne have. I'm just curious about her dress now."
"Don't even mention her. I can't wait. And old fashioned? That's what you're really thinking?" Gilbert asked him, eyeing him critically as he raised an eyebrow, trying to divert his mind of thinking about Anne and what she might be doing, how she might be looking. Fred chuckled.
" You know exactly what I mean, Bythe," Fred said. "Anyway, now I suppose it makes more sense why he was so picky about what I was going to wear."
"Like you were complaining," Gilbert mumbled, as he started undoing his shirt buttons.
"Of course I wasn't. I had fun. I hadn't done anything of the sort in years- Grace was the one who liked to play that," he explained, as he took his wool sweater and graphic t-shirt off to change for the simple white undershirt he was going to wear under his own white shirt. He had brought his change of clothes as well. Gilbert grumbled something as he put on the new, crispy white shirt Cole had brought. "What was that?"
"Is there any box around there? Or something with cufflinks?" he asked. Fred frowned slightly and looked in the bag Cole had left.
"Shit," he said. "Let me call Cole and see," he added, looking at Gilbert, who frowned. "You don't freak out, ok? We don't need you being a panicky groom without cufflinks."
"I'm hardly a panicky groom, Freddie," Gilbert said. "But I'd like to have something to hold this together," he said, showing the undone cuffs of the shirt.
Fred nodded, taking out his phone and calling Cole as Gilbert took off his shoes and pants, and put on the tweed ones Cole had brought. The things he did for him and Anne, seriously. Even if the fabric was a really soft, warm wool. He walked to the bathroom, trying not to pay attention to whatever Fred was talking about, and looked in the mirror as he fastened and adjusted the new suspenders. He frowned, looking critically at the image. Ok, Cole might be on a better track than he had initially thought. And everything fit so well he was kind of impressed about Anne's talent for taking measurements or Cole's for interpreting them.
"Here," Fred said, sneaking up next to him, and gave him the bowtie. "You look dashing, Blythe. Seriously. Anne won't know what happened. And Cole messed up with your cufflinks, he's still cursing as we speak. Left them in Toronto. But I already talked with Ella and she'll bring you all I have so we can see which ones work best, so there's actually no need to worry."
"Ok, works for me," Gilbert said, adjusting the knot. They probably wouldn't even be seen, he doubted he would take the suit jacket off. It would snow any day now. They went back to the office, to the mess of clothes, and they sat to put on their shoes. Fred was looking at Gilbert's vest and his own suit.
"I can't believe how he managed to match this over facetime," he mumbled. Gilbert looked up. "Nevermind. So, ready to put this on?"
"What time is it?"
"4:05," Fred said. "We're ten minutes away, plus five to park… Ella's leaving the house now, so we'll see her in the parking lot to see about the cufflinks. So about time, I would say."
"Ok, give me that, then," Gilbert said. Fred tossed him the vest and, while Gilbert put it on, he folded their clothes and put them in their two bags.
"And do something about your hair, Blythe," he said, not even looking at him. Gilbert looked in the mirror, sighing. It really was a lost cause, but still he did his best to fix it somehow. Fred was next to him a moment later, already suit jacket on. "So, ready?"
Gilbert nodded. He hadn't felt more ready in his life. He wasn't as nervous as he was excited to get everything moving. Cole would take photos. Roy had already said he would take charge of the zoom call for the gang, so they needn't worry about that. Ella was bringing the spare cufflinks, Jerry was with Anne, Fred with him. Everything was perfect.
They left the office, taking only the box with the bouttonières with them and leaving the clothes for another day. They met some doctors and a couple of Anne's fan nurses on the way up, but tried not to linger. Yes, they had somewhere to be. No, they couldn't stop and talk. And of course he was averting the curious gazes that were in them, as it was unusual for dr. Blythe and dr. Wright to be this formally dressed on a Friday afternoon, of all days.
Roy had taken Gilbert's car, so he could drop in the apartment for Jerry to drive to the city hall. Why hadn't they thought of Fred just picking him up in the morning was beyond all of them, but it had worked out, in the end. So they got into Fred's car and drove talking quietly. As they parked on a side street where he had agreed to meet Ella, he turned off the engine and looked at him.
"Blythe, it's time," Fred said gently.
"What do you mean?" Gilbert asked, frowning, taken aback by his tone.
"Take off that ring now," Fred said. Gilbert frowned, not understanding, but suddenly realized. "You're getting married for real today. There's no need to pretend anything now. You're finally getting the life you had been dreaming about for years, and it's so, so great. But take off that damn ring so you really can go there," Fred insisted, his perpetual irritation about the ring evident.
Gilbert took it off, looking at the cool, heavy metal and all it had meant for so long. His finger had a lighter shade where it had rested for the past five, almost six years. Looking at that seemed to bring everything home and he felt his chest tighten. This was actually happening. With Anne. But for real. Today. In just… In less than an hour, it would be all said and done. He swallowed.
"You're ok, Gilbert?" Fred asked gently, reaching for him. He nodded.
"Yes. Sorry. I just…"
"It just dawned on you, right?" Fred said. He nodded once more. "It's all you want. All you have known you want for years. Just coming to fruition. So there's all the reasons to be emotional."
"I know, I just wasn't quite… expecting this," Gilbert said, his voice barely audible. He couldn't believe how attached he had become to the ring. There was a sudden knock on the window and he looked up, finding Ella smiling there, a box in her hand. Fred unlocked the car and she went inside to the back seat. She was wearing a mask, as they had agreed to do. Just in case. Gilbert and Fred put on theirs as well, before forgetting, as they were required to wear one with the judge in any case.
"How are you, Gilbert?" she asked.
"He just took the ring off," Fred said, as Gilbert hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to explain the range of emotions he was feeling at the moment. Ella nodded.
"I'm sorry to interrupt all that and bring this… practicality right now, but we have to get moving," she said. She opened the box. "I had no idea what you were wearing, but my god, now I want Cole to be in charge of your wardrobe every day."
"Hey!"
"And I say that taking into account you've been dressing quite well for the past few months, ok?" she said, giggling slightly. "Anyway, I think either these or these would be the best fit," she added, taking two different pairs of cufflinks for Gilbert to choose from. He picked ones, not really caring, and put them on as Fred got out of the car. She followed him, taking the box with the boutonnières, and was fixing it on Fred's lapel when Gilbert joined them. "Let me fix this," she said, taking the one that was meant for Gilbert and adjusting it. "I can't believe I'm saying this, Gilbert, but you're ready to get married."
"Gee, thanks, Ella," he said.
"Gilbert! I say that in the best possible way. Shall we get going? Cole and Roy texted me, they're already over there," she said, looking at her phone. They nodded, and walked over to the appointed place. Cole was talking with the judge. There was no additional paperwork to do that day, other than the official, short ceremony.
The place was simple, just a few chairs scattered and a table with two chairs on one side, one in the other, where they would sign whatever it was you signed when you married. Cole had gotten there early, and had managed to decorate the table and surroundings with the same style of dried flowers and foliage. It looked minimal, but amazing and straight out of a magazine. Ella gasped, clearly not having expected any of that- not that he had been expecting it, either. Anne and him hadn't even thought about decorating anything, thinking it was a moot point when they were getting married in a garden in a civil ceremony.
Roy already had his phone on a stabilizer Cole surely had made him use, and greeted him.
"Come say hi to all the gang!" he said. Gilbert laughed and came closer. He greeted them quickly before diverting his attention to the judge. That guy was marrying Anne and him today. He greeted him warmly and was making small talk with him when he heard Ella.
"Oh my goodness, Cole," she said, and he knew she could only be referring to one thing. He turned, feeling the air getting knocked out of him as Anne turned a corner, walking arm in arm with Jerry.