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.
Astrakelly - Yes… it'll be fixable, and yes, it won't last forever. Typhoid has 4 stages, the first stage has little symptoms, the second stage started likely the day Anne found Gilbert, and the third stage is the most dangerous stage, then the fourth stage is the body starting to recover. Each stage typically lasts 5-7 days.
Kushinka - Yes… it was a careful balance, trying to show his warring emotions about how he sees Anne, and how to pretty it publicly. And remember, he's not thinking straight.
Faith-hope-and-glory - Yes… I actually forgot about that. Thank you so much for your feedback. Yes… you thought right… Enjoy catching up.
— Anne —
Friday, June 25th, 8:00am
Green Gables, Avonlea, PEI
I woke up in my sweet little east gable room. Oh how I'd longed to be here only a week before. Now, instead my heart was laying shattered over at Apple Bough, how was that possible/ Because… He was right. It was always on my terms. Even now pretending we were engaged that I might meet the promise he'd extracted from me. I just wanted my chum back. I gulped. I'd seen far too much of him in only the last week. I almost laughed at the memory of the first time I'd had to clean him and he'd woken. Would he remembered that if he survived? I'd done everything I could to think of the 3 sets of Hammond twins each time I'd had to. Thankfully Davy and Mr. Blythe took care of it mostly and I'd only had to once in the middle of the night that week. To him I was just the ghost, I figured faced with the real Anne Shirley he didn't want me. He'd created… oh I don't know. And I didn't know if I wanted to be that.
He deserved one who would love him with the depth it seemed he loved me. I was just using him. My chest hurt from the crying and his punch though it held little power in his weakened state. I rubbed the area softly, below my bosom where his hand had hit. The ribs were sore, but not bruised. I rose then, forcing myself to undress completely, taking stock of the bruising. My right breast was now edged with green around the handprint. The bruise itself was a mixture of purple and green outlining his hand. I placed my own hand on it covering the spot, smaller then his.
I checked behind my ear also, that was also healing, though still visible, less so though now. There'd been some scratches from his stubble, but that now was gone. There was no bruise though from him hitting me and sending me away. They all thought it best. I'd lived two years without Gilbert. Could I live a lifetime without him?
I'd run the night before when he'd sent me away, without thinking. Tears streaming, my heart breaking at his words. I'd collapsed startled to find myself at our apple tree and had broken down into fresh sobs. It blared in my memory every moment since the day we met. Calling me Carrots. Breaking my slate on his head. Him trying to apologize. Squashing the small candy heart he'd given me. Him rescuing me when the girls and I had played the lady of Shallot and I'd been Elaine and had to abandon my sinking ship. How I'd refused to be his friend. Only accepting his friendship after Queens, after Matthew died and he gave up everything for me. But that was Gilbert. Sweet consistent Gilbert. It always was my rules. He would take what ever I would give. Oh…
I glanced down at the ring on my finger. He'd even offered it as a token of friendship. This ring that he'd admitted to having carried around. How long? The verse he'd written. The ring wouldn't budge of course. I dressed quickly, in one of my old dresses still there, my things still sitting in Gilbert's room. I choked at the memory of seeing my dresses hanging beside his suits. Then stepping out of the room I gave it one yank and it suddenly slipped off. After days of trying. My finger felt naked without it.
Marilla mentioned Fred wanting me to visit Diana this morning. And that they'd heard Ecco lodge would be opening up in a week. She'd been same old Marilla. I tried to eat I truly did. But the thought of Gilbert. Before I knew it I was rushing outside, trying to reach the outhouse and instead heaving into the bushes just as Mrs. Harrison walked up to spend the morning with Rachel.
She'd shaken my head at me, so had Rachel and the two had set me down again, "Not surprised, was rather expecting that." Rachel soothed. "Landsakes child you've more then yourself to think of now. I'd been in your shoes more times then I can count. Now don't you fret about Gilbert. I'll be heading over myself to help with his tending. We'll all pitch in for you. If anything happened to you Anne, you know Gilbert never would forgive himself."
"I…"
"Now," Marilla stepped up. "You spend the day visiting Diana Anne. Take the buggy…"
"No…" I shook my head standing slowly. "I'll walk."
With stale bread pushed into my hand by Marilla, the ladies sent me off with my pocket heavy with the ring. Marilla had given me a letter from Phil, but one glance and I knew it would be no help. She was blissfully happy and gave no answers that I might use for my own encounter. I turned back, stashed the letter, and with a shawl, I slipped down the lane. I stopped to pick flowers for my hair and had a full wreath of blooms after taking every back lane I could find to cross the three miles to Diana's home. It was only a little over two miles from Apple Bough I absently thought.
She laughed and smiled at me as I came up. Per Dr. Spenser's rules I could not hug her. But what joy to see my busom friend! I wanted to break down and tell her all, but it was too close, too sacred, too mortifying, too beautiful… too… Oh too many things.
I sat for tea that morning with her. We sat and chatted, and I told her all about Phil & Jo's wedding, the girls, graduation. In a lull she finally spoke. "Anne… Fred told me about what happened yesterday with Gilbert. It's just his fear. He's always loved you. That you've finally seen him, your Steadfast Tin Soldier. You remember that story? Miss Stacy had us read it once. I've always thought of him as your steadfast Tin Soldier even then." I gulped at that.
"Anne?" She asked.
I slipped the ring out of my pocket. Fiddling with it. "He.."
"Bought that for you with his first paycheck at White Sands. Did he tell you that?" Fred said surprising me as he came up, kissing Diana. "Only one he showed it to back then. His folks probably though saw it too now that I think of it."
I was trying to keep the tears from flowing. Oh… I'd never thought Gilbert had a romantic bone in his body. His first paycheck… that was six years ago.
"It doesn't fit well, needs to be resized, a little too tight and well…" I rambled. "It was too tight, and I finally got it off. I was so angry. He can put it back on when he recovers. It's not horribly uncomfortable but it doesn't get past my knuckle easily…"
Diana laughed. "I've had to stop wearing my ring until Little Anne's born. I never know that Fred about Anne's ring. How romantic. All these years."
"He carried it in his billfold." I spoke absently, inside the lining.
She gushed. "Well stay the night and we must talk for hours. I'm sorry I wasn't there for the big day…"
I remembered graduation, glad to change the subject. "Oh… it was rather far and truthfully. I knew you were there in spirit sweet Diana! Gilbert gave me Lillies of the Valley. Oh it brought me back to Green Gables, so of course I carried them. None other would do." I wouldn't even think of Roy. He was the past after all. A mistake. "But let's speak of things here and now. I… I can't think of Gilbert now."
We talked of over things. Diana showed me the sweet Nursery she was preparing and we spent the afternoon talking of everything but Gilbert. An afternoon of kindred spirits speaking with joy about the little one to come in weeks most likely. We laughed and spent a lovely evening. And they sent me to bed in a borrowed night gown from Diana. I almost confessed all when Diana came in to say goodnight. But the thought of Fred knowing! Though I longed for answers, perhaps tomorrow I could ask.
I sobbed into my pillow that night. Alone with my thoughts I replayed the day before over and over again. He'd destroyed the picture of me. As he had slept I slept clutching our ring under the pillow. How had I come to think of it such? I slept little. Fitfully dozing into nightmares. Dreams of him dying. Dreams of him marrying Christine Stewart. Dreams of him mocking me, for he'd gained what he'd desired, that he'd not truly ever wanted me. That he'd conquered Anne Shirley, claiming me body and soul. That he'd… That he'd die alone without me. That I would not keep my word. What if he died that night and I wasn't there?
It must have been nearly three in the morning when I gave up.
He'd filled his world with dreams of me when I'd give him nothing. I could feel his ring burning in my hand. I dressed quickly, left a note for Diana & Fred and slipped out of the house quickly within minutes. It was two miles north west to Apple Bough. Three miles further to Green Gables, but a mile north east to the shore. His words…
The sun would rise eventually and I wanted to see it for myself. See the sun rise he said my hair was like.
I sat for two hours, watching the shore before the sun began rising over the sea, marveling that he saw my hair, the color I always despised as beautiful as that. I hugged myself and felt tears fall down. Then as the sun crested and was risen I turned, I was now three miles from Apple Bough, and four from Green Gables. I'd wandered far and wide and it was time to return to where I belonged I realized. Beside Gilbert's side.
We'd fight it together. The Typhoid, our fears. Our sins, against ourselves, God and each other. I promised him until the end until death parted us. And so reverently I slipped the ring back onto my finger, squeezing it past the knuckle. It would not come off until we took it to a jeweler to be resized. I'd deal with the tightness. A constant reminder of what I was fighting for.
So I came as the day began in earnest, seeing Mr. Blythe and Davy heading out to the barn to begin their chores, a wreath again on my head, flowers I'd gathered wandering the shore before sunrise, and then on the walk to Apple Bough, still wearing the dress I'd worn two days before. An old green faded one Gilbert had commented years ago how he'd especially loved. And his ring back on my finger. I found a dozing Rachel sitting at Gilbert's bed side, Mrs. Blythe came out hearing me as I entered also.
"Anne… I think it's best you go back to Green Gables. Gilbert would want it…" Mrs. Blythe spoke.
"I promised him." I held my head up high. "Till death I would stay by his side. That mine would be the last face he sees."
"We don't want to risk you, and if he were to attack again…" Rachel spoke. "Or if you were to catch it…"
"He won't." I stepped into the room. He was burning up, soaked in sweat and worse then I'd left him. I took one of the two chairs pulling it close to his head, I stroked his forehead. Then whispered. "Till death do us part."
—*—*—*—*—
Author's Note: Personally I think that when Gilbert made the mistake of the first proposal if he'd just wooed her, especially with poetry... she might have given him a chance.
