Couple of guest reviewers who I can't respond directly to (because you're a guest) neither one I've popped through on moderation.
Sophie- if you've read this far, you're quite right I've updated chapter two the right word isnt acronym its synonyms forgive me, I wad probably very tired at the time.
Another reviewer stated this was probably more then a T rating at times, for what it's worth I agree and have been posting as I go warnings about individual chapters and their content. Leaving it to read or not to, on this and other points.
So, There is so much in the next few chapters, its constant change for them again, but its good. I loved writing the proposal! Its strange how I've had to order things on here, its funny the difference a century and a bit makes, the whole world is much more secular and therefore the morality is quite different, and of course this depends on your physical location too, some sections of society are a lot more religious then others, some are open or closed off to the way themes are even presented to them. People have so many different views now and I've been open about the role everything has on them or not, but as well this isn't just them as teens either, I think they must be about 25 by now, just about ready to leave medical school... So its quite different what a mid teen experiences to what a 25 year old does. Its hard writing!
Ummm, someone asked if I was planning on going past the last chapter... yes, yes I am, although I will give a fair warning I think there might be some leaps in time, maybe even opening a new story and linking it back to this one as some one offs because honestly its been interesting writing it but I don't think I can keep it up! Original Mcfishie was it you?
Jxuan, I think I replied to you but I'll say it again if I did. Yes, we get to see them with children, at least in a leap forward because I have this one scene in my head, they visit the park with their current children to visit Joy and at least 2 of them are in a double pushchair... I'll just leave that there!
WOW Guest: Why, yes Josh is single! (how I know this I don't know, he feels like an old friend at this point!) I don't know if he can be matchmade up, I think he's a bit of a ladies man who will settle down into his job before he settles with a girl!
so this chapter is long enough without me blubbering on!
love Carrots x
"Anne!" He exclaimed coming in from the elevator excited.
Anne looked up and smiled at him as he threw his jacket at the coat stand but ignore it as it hit the floor, she knew he was distracted to let it go.
"I have interviews at IWK, Royal College, NICU..."
"Is that normal to get interviews at so many of the ones you've applied for?"
"Yes, sort of, I'm not sure, How should I know, I've never done this before?!" he exclaimed with a smile on his face "but it means that there was no problems with the application."
Anne smiled, of course she had known it was bothering him, for a week after the application had been put in he had tossed and turned in bed. It wasn't until Anne had turned in the bed her fingers rubbed at his feet, he protested for a second before relaxing.
"Tell me about it Gilbert?" she had asked of him.
It had been in that moment he had unloaded his worries with her, that something had gone wrong that his application wasn't good enough, that he wasn't good enough, he'd fallen asleep telling her how wonderful she was, but she hoped the last thing he heard that night was her whispering to him that, no matter what happened with the medical schools, he was good enough.
"I can't believe its happening!" he proclaimed looking at the letters again sitting crossed legged on the floor in front of her. "I don't suppose you've heard back from any of the universities you applied to?" he asked her.
"No, not yet," She admitted, "But that's normal, they don't start interviews until Easter time, you have your interviews much sooner." Anne smiled.
"A week from now is the earliest." Gilbert nodded.
"So, we better get prepared." Anne said with a smile, picking up a folder which had in all of his preparation for his interviews in it. She opened the folder looking at the front page "we might as well start with the bits we can prepare for, so the interview and the knowledge of the programmes itself." Anne started.
Gilbert grinned watching her, "Anne, you don't have to do this now." He told her.
She looked at him perplexed by what he was saying.
He grinned "Are you trying to make up for missing out on my MCAT?" he asked her.
A little grin appeared on her face and she whispered "Maybe." She admitted, "I want to show to you what I would have done." She continued "but, I do want us to do this now." She told him. "I know inside your head you are freaking out about this interview and you will not relax until you have perfected the things you can..."
He grinned back and nodded his head kissed her on her forehead "You know me far too well."
"So, Gilbert Blythe, How do you feel about the practice of medicine today?"
"Hey beautiful, are you awake?" he whispered as he entered the bedroom just over a week later.
"Hey." She croaked. "Yeah I'm here." She said trying to sit up but flopping back onto the bed.
He chuckled removing his clothes with just his boxers on he slid into bed beside her, where she turned and hugged into him. "Its okay, you don't have to wake, I'm home." He whispered.
"What time ist?" she mummered.
"Just after eleven." He told her. "its been a long day." He continued. "I couldn't wait to get back home, to you." He told her.
She grinned against his chest. "I hope you took it all in rather then pine after me." She told him.
He chuckled "course I did, just coming back on the train was the hardest part that's all, it was three hours of the most beautiful countryside in the whole world and all I could think of was 'I wish I could share it with Anne.'"
"You old romantic you." She smiled. "So was the interview all you thought it would be?" she asked him.
He nodded in agreement "and a little bit more." He admitted. We went on a tour of the hospital, I saw the Pediatrics ward I would be working on, and then the formal interview."
"What was the ward like?" she asked him.
"Not as advanced as the one here." He told her. "but they are hopeful of getting some funding which would upgrade their equipment."
"Did you get to interact with the patients?" she asked him.
"I could talk to them yes." He said with a smile. "we looked at a few charts they asked what I thought it was, before taking me through some of the less obvious possibilities, I didn't really diagnose with not having my licence yet, but they seemed happy enough."
"In other words they loved you." She chuckled.
"its not my first choice in hospital but its not one to turn your nose up at either." He said. "I really think I've made the right decision you know. I think its where I'm needed." He told her.
She smiled softly and hugged into him more. "Needed and where you need to be." She reminded him, "don't forget yourself in all this."
He took a deep sigh and whispered "I'll try not to." He smiled into her "Anne?"
"Yeah?" she whispered.
"I really really missed you." He whispered back.
"You were only gone from five this morning." She remarked.
"No." He said his lips turning into a wider smile. "I really really really missed you." He flirted into her ear.
She chuckled, turned over in bed and whispered back to him "I missed you." Before their lips met.
"Can you see?" Anne asked Katherine as she was finishing checking her piece.
"Got it." Katherine nodded. "I'll make the adjustments needed." She agreed.
"Now I had a look over your book." Anne admitted.
"Oh?" Katherine jumped, "What do you think? Do you like it? Was there too much too little, it was too lengthy, I knew the lexicon was..."
Anne's hands held up to stop her "Katherine!" she chuckled "it was good." Anne admitted.
"Really?!" Katherine squeaked.
"I've made some reviews for you." Anne smiled "it will take some editing but I don't want you to think its not good, because I really enjoyed it."
"How is your book?" Katherine asked her.
"I think its going to be finished by the time we're ready to go home." Anne nodded. "Which is melancholic in a way." She chuckled "but don't tell Gilbert I said that, we use that word to mean my ex boyfriend."
"You don't use the word melancholic?" Katherine asked confused.
She chuckled again "That's a different story."
Katherine stood up and looked as though she was about to leave before she stopped again in front of her.
"What is it?" Anne asked.
"Jenny Heelan asked me out..." She blurted.
Anne chuckled "The barista in the coffee shop?"
"I don't know what to do Anne?! Can you help?" Katherine asked. "She's so smart, she's doing a degree in microbiology, I mean I don't know if we have anything in common..."
Anne looked surprised, "You want me to help you get ready for a date?" Anne asked.
Katherine sat back down and took a deep breath "I don't have many girl-friends, or girlfriends for that matter." She said quietly. "What could I possibly talk to her about?"
Anne took a deep breath "With that attitude..." Anne started. "Katherine, what do you suppose Gilbert and I talk about? You couldn't find two people in fields more different, it sounds like you'll be in a similar position."
"But you and Gilbert have history, you've known him since high school!" Katherine defended.
"But we started at high school, not knowing each other at all. It builds up, you don't just have a handy home made relationship all ready to go right from the word go." Anne said logically. Anne looked at her "tell you what, come round to mine, I'll have Cornelia, Josie and Leslie come round we can all give you advice and then you can choose which ones feel most comfortable."
"Anne, I... I couldn't but..." Katherine started.
"Don't mention it," Anne said with a pause, "its what friends are for."
Katherine looked up with hopeful eyes "friends?" she repeated.
"Yeah." Anne said nodding her head. "Friends."
"Anne Shirley!" Cornelia exclaimed as they walked down the street an hour later, "Urgh, you're so sweet, its sickly, I don't know how you could forgive her."
"The same way I could forgive Leslie, she seemed to have a grudge too." Anne tried.
"Leslie never had a go at your baby." Cornelia retorted.
"To be far Katherine didn't know there was a baby." Anne defended. "Are you saying she doesn't deserve a second chance?" Anne asked. "I thought we all deserved that."
Cornelia huffed for a moment before she said "You don't think with Katherine, maybe it was a bit more then just jealousy do you?" Cornelia asked.
"I don't follow." Anne wondered confused.
"Well, I mean she's bi, do you not think that maybe it wasn't just Gilbert she had a crush on?" Cornelia said with a wicked smile.
Anne looked shocked at Cornelia "You mean me?!" Anne exclaimed. "No!"
Cornelia's nose upturned for a moment. "If you say so."
"No!" She exclaimed again before her face dropped "No." She said with a little less conviction, as they entered the bookstore.
"Are you sure we'll find books in here for the children, they're at such different ages, its hard to know what to read to them all?" Cornelia pressed.
"Of course I'm sure." Anne said with a smile "Have you forgotten I am a editor by trade and I love books in nature."
"That's true." Cornelia said as they reached the children's section.
"What you need is the book to be easy enough for the older children to read and easy to listen to so the younger children will listen."
"Do you think a single book or a series?" Cornelia asked.
"Series, any time." Anne chuckled.
Cornelia smiled before she reached for a bookset only for another hand to reach for the same book.
"Oh excuse me." The man apologised.
"You're excused for the books." Cornelia teased the man.
"Am I guilty of something else?" he asked her.
"Only of being a man so far but it puts you on quite the uneven footing." Cornelia told him honestly.
He shrugged it off "I see a seething feminist." He judged which annoyed Cornelia by being judged herself "Are you as harsh on my gender?" he asked Anne.
"Most certainly not," Anne smiled. "My fiancé would be most annoyed if I were."
The man nodded "Would it help if I said these were for my daughter?" he asked.
Cornelia looked surprised "You have a daughter?" she asked.
"Nine." He nodded. "Just me and her. She read the first and wanted the rest for her birthday."
"Mine is for the children I nanny."
"You're a nanny?" he asked.
"I am, three days a week a 2 girls and a boy."
"A boy?" He teased.
"He's a sweet child." Cornelia admitted. "And you know a few men have found their way into my good books, the Captain Jim, Anne's Doctor Gilbert..." she trailed.
"You're Anne?" The man asked Anne.
"That's right." Anne confirmed. "And that's Cornelia." Anne said nodding towards her friend.
"Then perhaps you might add a farmer man to that list of men in your good books?" He requested.
"I don't know many farmers," Cornelia thought "other then through other people, the doctors father is a farmer and I like him well enough, though he is extremely like the doctor." She said looking at Anne.
Anne smirked "I think he means him." Anne broke a chuckle.
Cornelia looked embarrassed as the man nodded his head. "Do I at least get to know your name, if we are to get along so famously?"
The man smiled his blue eyes in mirth "Elliot. My name is Marshall Elliot."
"Anne!" Diana exclaimed as she opened the door. "Oh Anne!" she cried hugging her friend "Oh my God I've missed you!"
Anne chuckled "You too Kindred!" she exclaimed too hugging her friend, "I'm sorry this has to be a flying visit." She apologised again. "Gilbert has his interview for Queen Elizabeth Hospital, its sort of an association with the school where they can complete their courses there, it is still 40 minutes away from Avonlea, but I think he wants to come home to the Island." Anne admitted.
"Is that where he is now?" Diana asked.
Anne nodded as they walked through the kitchen into the small corridor to get to the living room, "Typically the interviews are lasting about 5 hours." She confirmed "You should have seen his face when he saw it was a Friday so we could come home for the weekend." Anne laughed softly "We left at four this morning."
Diana rolled her eyes "Have you ever heard of a plane, it would have only been an hour."
"But then we would miss anything interesting happening!" Anne exclaimed, "the bakery delivery the strange looks we got in the service station when we rolled up for coffee, the sunrise across the sky..." she sighed romantically "plus any extra time with Gilbert..." she trailed.
"Oh my God you live with him!" Diana exclaimed "don't you get enough?" she asked.
"Evidently not." Anne said dignified, her nose going in the air.
"Would you come home?" Diana asked "if he got the associate place at the Queen Elizabeth?"
"We would need to live in Charlottetown," Anne said practically "but our visits home could be so much more frequent, at least until Gilbert finishes his residency, then I think, I don't know, he might like to get a job in a surgery, as a paediatrician."
"Isn't it strange he wanted to do paediatrics?" Diana wondered.
Anne shook her head "Its not strange at all, it fits him perfectly." Anne said softly.
"Well..." Diana mused "I suppose life teaches you who you want to be," she mused "Speaking of teaching, how would that effect your plans, 'Miss I want to teach in high school now'?"
Anne laughed "It wouldn't," she said "we already agreed matching comes first and I get as many 'yes's as I can and we fit each other together, we can't be apart." Anne said shaking her head. "I don't want to be away from him like that ever again."
"So you've applied to the nearest university in the same town which have the teaching certificates?"
Anne nodded again "we're in this together." She chuckled.
Diana looked to her friend "You're happy." She observed.
"I really really am." She said looking down at her finger.
"Oh that's right I've not seen it yet!" Diana exclaimed pulling Anne's hand to her."Oh Anne that looks Antique!"
"It was his great great grandma's." Anne said looking at it still. "so it is."
"Wow!" Diana exclaimed. "Was it romantic?" Diana asked her.
Anne smiled and her heart gave a familiar flutter. "I honestly don't know how I got so lucky." She mused. "Mind you, we both did well, did we not? Two jocks married two of the unpopular girls."
Diana snorted "Don't kid yourself, you know you were one of them."
Anne looked at her confused "Diana Wright!" she exclaimed "you know that's not true!"
"I know that it is, even if you did get there because Gilbert was head over heals in love with you!" Diana teased.
Anne rolled her eyes "but then you were right there beside me." Anne objected "So does that mean you were popular?"
To which Diana laughed "I can't believe just how much it used to matter." She smiled "You wouldn't believe that Fred used to be a football player."
Anne snorted "because you've fed him up so well."
"You'd still believe it of Gilbert." Diana remarked amazed "where does he find the time to keep in shape?"
"The weights and the treadmill in our apartment." Anne quipped. "He does like to stay in shape too, its what was so unusual after we lost Joy and he didn't eat or sleep or workout..." Anne trailed. "He has been known to have a book in front of him while he's running." Anne said with a grin.
Diana smiled widely "Oh Anne there's so much I want to tell you and Fred Gilbert... and Gilbert hasn't been home in such a long time, never mind spending time with us..." she said reservedly.
"All of that will change tonight!" Anne replied "And then we really must spend all weekend with his parents and Marilla and the twins."
"I know but at least we get a mention." Diana smiled.
"Where are the babies?" Anne asked.
"Anne-Cordy decided she is going to be an Olympic swimmer, I told her she would need lessons thinking it would defer her from wanting to but then she asked for lessons." Diana grinned. "And Fred Jr is taking a nap, that all he does is eat and sleep." She paused before she said "but you know Fred can take him over to my parents if you prefer?" she asked Anne.
"Why would I pre-" she stopped mid sentence "No, Diana, its okay for other people to have a family around it, I'm not angry or jealous, it doesn't..." Anne tried.
"Make you miss her?" Diana asked.
Anne swallowed "I think we'll always miss her." Anne admitted.
"You could have another?" Diana tried.
"She was unplanned, before we even try for another we want to make sure we're in the right place." Anne admitted. "And anyway, didn't you contribute to her seat?" Anne asked Diana, "it means the world to us both that we have somewhere just for her."
"It was Gilbert's idea, he's so sweet." Diana nodded. "We're just glad we could help."
"And then she comes out with the statics about the survival rates in convertible cars compared to normal cars..." Diana exclaimed.
"No!" Anne laughed along with Gilbert.
"How?!" Gilbert exclaimed, "Did she read them somewhere?"
"Oh here's the kicker..." Fred smiled.
"When we said we were buying a new car she used the voice recognition on the computer then got the computer to read back her results."
With Anne chuckling beside him he grinned widely "They're getting smarter." He quipped into Anne's ear.
Anne smiled at the intimacy, although he'd made no effort to hide what he said, the physical closeness was nice.
"You need to watch that one, the smarty." Gilbert said more widely to the group.
"Well one day Doctor Blythe we might be sending her your way." Fred smiled. "She says she wants to be a doctor as well as an Olympic swimmer . I think its from Doc McStuffins on the television."
Gilbert smiled "well its about time there was more females in the science fields, not just in medicine, but across the board." He admitted He looked to Fred "I'm techiqually not a practicing doctor until I have my Matching for the residency programme, and of course my certificate for MCCEE."
"Do they mark you the same as your other exams on that?" Diana asked.
"They tell you a mark out of 500, in my case 474, and whether or not its a pass or fail, which obviously its a pass, but its not a A,B, C situation its a pass or fail." He admitted.
"That seems a shame if you've done better then everyone else." Diana seemed huffed for him.
"Ah, but the rest of his career will be life and death, pass or fail, he might as well get used to it." Fred objected.
"I still can't believe it, most have us have long forgotten about school, and you're still going!" Diana said admirably.
"Well, if its what I want to do, and it is then I have to." Gilbert said with a smile "and remember I still have my internship before I'm even allowed near a patient unsupervised." Gilbert remarked.
"So an intern is your first year of residency?" Fred asked.
"Right." Gilbert nodded.
"And then, how many years?" Fred asked.
"After first year internship, another two years." Gilbert informed them.
"And you get paid?" Diana asked.
"Yes, though not a full doctors salary, still its nothing to turn your nose up at, $50,000."
"Plus, after next year we'll have my full wage as a teacher too." Anne chirped in.
"And the grant you've applied for." Gilbert added.
"We'll be fine, renting somewhere small for, what, three years?" Anne asked him.
He nodded, "it'll be strange don't you think? Moving back to the island away from all our new found friends in Kingsport and Phil and Jo, Josh..."
"Oh no way, Josh, the same Josh you've known since the first year in college?" Fred asked.
"The same." Gilbert nodded. "He's wanting to go into surgery, different medical facilities, different residency programmes." Gilbert shrugged.
"I think we'll miss them." Anne acknowledge, "but we will be visiting Kingsport regularly if we move away." She said thoughtfully with a sad look on her face "its intertwined with our lives, its part of it."
Anne and Gilbert decided to walk back to Blythe farm that night, a satisfied Mrs Wright was pleased she would see them again on their short visit.
"It feels like such a long time since we were here Gil." She said romantically as they walked across the bridge at Barry's Pond.
"It has been." He said honestly. "It makes me wish we could stay." He smiled softly.
"Our paths are taking us places we never thought possible." She said quietly.
He sighed for a moment before he said quietly "You'll tell me if I'm ever being selfish in my wishes, won't you?" he asked her.
"Of course." She said frankly. "Why?" she asked "is there something you want to tell me?" she asked.
"You know once I'm out of the residency program my wage is likely to increase?" he asked.
"Yes." She said nodding her head.
"And we're quite lucky that my scholarship from the Lambs really meant I have a debt free start." He continued.
"Yes." She followed.
"So it means we're at an advantage right?" he asked her.
"Gil spit it out!" she exclaimed exasperated.
"I... just," he struggled "what if I want to specialise further?" he asked her.
"Doing what?" she questioned.
"Neonatology." He finally admitted.
Anne looked to him, a mixture of confused, delight and concern crossing her face, before she took a deep breath. "Neonatology?" she questioned. "You mean taking care of babies?" she asked him.
He nodded. "I know it would mean that we couldn't come back to Avonlea, its a 45 minute drive to the hospital and you know we couldn't risk the..." he started before she threw herself into his arms and sweetly cried.
"Oh Gilbert Blythe you sweetheart." She whispered.
"The fellowship would mean I would still get paid but less then a normal doctors wage, but it would be a specialised wage once I..." he trailed.
Anne smiled "Do you really believe money is important to me?" she asked him. "It would make you happy yes?"
He smiled and nodded.
"And we'll have my wage coming in as a teacher." She told him logically.
"You wanted to teach in Avonlea." He said to her.
"We wouldn't have to sacrifice that." She said logically. "Its half an hour in the car to Avonlea from Brackley, Milton station..." she continued "and still be ten minutes drive away from the hospital." She told him. "Even if we were in Charolottetown itself its still only 45 minutes from the coast. I could still teach in Avonlea, and we could visit home so much easier."
He swallowed and smiled before he asked her again "I'm not just being selfish am I?"
Anne chuckled. "You're not selfish." She stated shaking her head in disbelief. "You're wonderful."
"And you don't mind we wouldn't be living in Avonlea for the foreseeable future?" he asked.
Anne shook her head "Avonlea will always be my first home." She admitted. "we might move back there one day, but for a while, its the right thing for us to do." She acknowledged. She kissed him gently before she asked "where did this come from?" she asked him.
He smiled "My interview today." He admitted. "The hospital is just perfect and I got to go on the NICU and, just that feeling where I made my mind up I wanted to go into Paediatrics just washed over me all over again." He continued "I know I'll take it to heart when a baby dies, I know it, I know because of Joy, but I know as well, the work those doctors and nurses did and I want to be someone's hope that they can keep their babies, I want to fight death and tell it that life shouldn't start and end at birth." He told her with conviction. "And because of Joy, I know I'll work harder."
"Not everyone is like us Gilbert, there might be those who blame you for their babies death, even when you do everything you can." She warned him.
He nodded and said quietly "I know."
"You can't take it to heart." She continued.
He looked down quietly "I know I can try..." he reported.
She chuckled raising his chin so his eyes met hers "Will there be a fellowship place immediately?" she asked him.
"Maybe not immediately, but I was talking to one of the fellows and theirs is up in the next couple of years, I'd need to apply for it and competition is hot, but I'd like to go for it when the opportunity arises."
Anne smiled and nodded her head and asked again "Neonatology?"
"Yeah." He confirmed "Neonatology."
She melted again as she looked into his eyes. "Neonatology." She confirmed before they kissed again.
"I have something too." She said to him.
"Oh?" He said his eyebrows quirking.
"I don't want to be one of those couples who are just engaged forever." She admitted. "I want to set a date." She admitted.
"Oh?" He asked as he smiled wider.
"Well after Match day your calendar is wide open for a little while yes?" she asked.
He nodded, "Until September." He admitted.
"I want to get married in that time, Maybe Sometime in August, Maybe even, the Birthday of our happiness."She suggested.
"Really?" he asked apparently surprised.
"Its just its our last chance before you start your residency, we have no guaranteed time off for a long time, it makes sense and lets face it we're going to get married one day, we might as well make it sooner rather then later." She shrugged.
"Well that's very practical of you Anne." He teased her.
"You know I mean it in the romantic sense too, and you know I hate big fancy weddings, just you and me and a few friends and our family, the orchard at Green Gables..." she said looking up at him with flirting eyes "it would be beautiful." She said.
"Anytime you'd be a bride would be beautiful." He smiled "though there is the added bonus you'd be going into teaching as Mrs Blythe."
"Is that a yes?" she asked him.
He smiled and nodded his head "In my view we're already married, this is a formality." He said with a smile. "Though a one to be happy about."
Anne squealed in excitement. "So August 5th?"
He smiled and held her tighter "I was thinking perfect." He agreed, before he took her by the hand and led her back to Blythe farm.
"There you are!" Mrs Blythe exclaimed throwing open the door as soon as they started opening the gate.
"We took a walk down via Barry's pond." Gilbert smiled as his mother ran down the path embracing him first then Anne. "Were you waiting?" he asked.
"Only since six." She said quietly.
"If six means three." They heard John Blythe's voice from the door.
Gilbert looked to his dad as he spoke then back to his mother "mom!" he proclaimed with a grin.
"Oh I couldn't help it!" she sighed, "My baby was coming home!" she laughed walking them back up the path.
"But mom its ten." He chuckled.
"It doesn't matter you're home now." She smiled.
"I know tonight and tomorrow." He said.
"Your bedroom is all ready." Mrs Blythe told him. "I know you had an early start."
"We did." Gilbert agreed. "But I think we can spare a few minutes sleep for a catch up." He told his mother, with a smile to her. "We have some news." He said grinning like a Cheshire cat.
His mother beamed as she told him "Let me put the kettle on."