The characters are created by LM Montgomery, and are her property... the original characters & storyline are unique to this story are copyright 2021, by Nell Lime.
Author's Note:
Thank you for the lovely reviews. Here's chapter 2.
— Gilbert —
Saturday June 19th, 5am
The Clinic on Patterson Street, Kingsport, Nova Scotia
Exhaustion. Pure exhaustion. I'd not slept much in days, no truly in two years. Not since that awful night. The night I'd lost my Anne. And now, the little Anne who had pieced me back together, at least enough to function. The last of the Typhoid patients at the clinic was on the cusp of her life or death moment. She burned so hot that to touch her forehead burned my hand, as I stroked her dark curls. The sort that my Anne would have dreamed of. Her grandmother Mrs. Moore had already died of the Typhoid two weeks before. And now, we could only pray and bring her comfort. I felt myself dozing. Dreaming that it was my Anne and I sitting with little Anne. We'd adopt her of course. We would be her family.
It was the smell of fresh cut onions that woke me as Nurse Lewis came, the formidable woman who ran the Clinic with her large tray of onion slices to pack about the fevered patients. There weren't many left, just three. Little Anne and two men. I stood, and by habit checked little Anne for her fever. I felt a dry sob. She'd lost the fight as I'd dozed.
"Mr. Blythe." Nurse Lewis patted me on the shoulder. "Now, now. 'Fraid I'd seen it coming. The Good Lord knew what he was doing. Rest little Annie Moore's soul." She moved past me to cover little Anne's body. "Now, you best move her. Only gone a few minutes I'd guess. The good Reverend over on the corner's marrying today. But he's left a friend to fill in while he's on his honeymoon. Life and Death every day. Now. Mrs. Moore's brother will be coming by when I send him word, and he'll see to the arrangements."
I glance towards the window where just the beginning of dawn was beginning to arise. "I…"
"You'll be going home now., Mr. Blythe. I've told Dr. Bernard, whom you've been coming under that if you've worked too hard. That when he started bringing you when he brought you under his wing to get that Cooper Prize. Quite proud of you, but I told him all that time ago. That my word rules."
"Yes…"
"Well, Now it's mighty fine you've come by the Cooper. And I hear it'll pay for medical school. And one day you'll make one of the best Doctor's I've seen. You've got the heart young man. But if I aim to see you serving as a Doctor one day, I can't see you falling for what ever next comes through these doors. Truth is, there's always an emergency. And I'm right grateful for your help with this one. And I know we're paying you some, and you might use the money. But young man. If you don't rest. Why, I swear, you'll be on that bed yourself fighting off death. Rather thankful we caught what caused the outburst with that privy. But the next outbreak you're too weak. You'll get it yourself. Now I've my hands full, and I'll be needing to reach out to Mrs. Moore's brother soon as its decent. But you? You're heading home and if I see you here again, even in Kingsport."
"Nurse…"
"Now I've told my mind to your Dr. Bernard when he'd asked to bring you first around now two years ago. I'm mighty glad and find you a truly good nurse, and quite proud of you achieving the Cooper. But mind you, that'll pay for medical school. But it won't do you no good if you're dead. So do one last thing for that little Anne you loved so well. Go back to that village you're from where all your Anne stories come from. We'd hear about it all week the latest story, you would have thought it were fairy land for the names of that place. Dryad's Brooke, Lake of Shining Waters. White Way of Delight. Say your goodbyes. And then… Go home, to the land of the Anne Stories. And if I hear you've cracked a book, or worked. Spend all your time outdoors and eat. I'll be writing your mother to make sure she puts some weight back on you. Too thin. I don't want you on my sick beds."
I could never go home. I'd avoided it as much as I could the pervious two years. Where each place it felt held a memory of her. But Nurse Lewis always was a force to be reckoned with. It was well known there at the Clinic that Dr. Bernard of the Redmond Medical Hospital who oversaw the little Clinic on Patterson Street. That her word was law, and even Dr. Bernard bowed to her.
So I moved Little Anne onto a gurney, holding the small child one last time. Holding back the tears until I'd pushed her out, out into one of the medical rooms used often as a morgue. I said my farewells then, and with what little of the hole in my heart she'd refilled since I'd lost my world. I felt it collapse and drain so much bigger then even that night that Anne ripped the whole bide and clear when she'd said she could never love me that way.
I walked slowly across town. I could have taken a cab perhaps, but in my exhaustion and grief I didn't care for it. Instead I let the cool early morning air waken me enough to by route walk the three miles home to my rented rooms.
I'd had to wait at an intersection to cross the busiest part of the city when I'd heard someone on the street. "Oh Arthur did you hear about the Gardiner wedding this summer? It's the talk of the town…"
I choked, and turned taking a longer route anything to avoid talk of Roy Gardiner and Anne Shirley. I'd had to face their romance and all I'd lost for the past two years. Now though, I'd face three more years. Especially as I'd gotten to tour the medical department with Dr. Bernard when they'd rewarded me the Cooper Prize. I'd seen the plaque listing all the oversight. His name had been on the list.
There'd then been forms I'd had to sign for the receipt of the Cooper prize. Standards and Ethics that I would represent my college well. That I would be a model student, and a strong christian man in the community.
I pulled my thoughts from that though. Instead I focused on getting to the boarding house. Thinking on what I could do. I wanted to leave, but not go home. Perhaps to Uncle Dave. I'd be on the Island and there was no memories of her there. I wouldn't have work for the summer, but then… it would be tight but with the Cooper prize I could manage. And so I reached my building. Without even realizing it.
I'd lived in the building for four years now, moving periodically but always in the same building. For the first four years I'd been roommates with Charlie Sloan. Now though I had been moved to the top floor, where only graduate students were housed in small apartments across from the apartment where the Landlords, the Carols lived. Their large apartment faced the street, where Mrs. Carol could oversee the young men who boarded their comings and going.
Then in the rear was four small apartments for graduate students, or occasionally families that might board. To be allowed on that level meant you met the approval of Mrs. Carol, and rather then eat in the large dining room on the ground floor for the main meal, you were invited for luncheon in the Carol's parlor, an honor which I'd been enjoying since graduation, and had the two summers before when I'd stayed and even the underclassmen still in town were invited, for few stayed to work in the summers.
So I'd climbed the servant stairs, that only the graduates were allowed to use with the Carols to the top floor. Where I'd gone to my rooms, at the far end. They were empty as I was. I didn't have the heart to do much to the rooms that would be mine for the next three years. So much useless space. My trunks still sat mostly packed, only one hand drawn picture on the wall by Little Anne. Which caused me to break into sobs.
I'd not bothered to change. Still dressed in my clothes from the day before. Instead I'd fallen onto the bed, reached under the pillow, and shoes and all on I'd fallen asleep. Clutching to all I had left.
