Anne had lit the fire in the small clubhouse earlier that afternoon, and it was now only a small flicker, it having been an hour since she last tended it. Pulling her coat closer to her, she stood up, and faced Cole. "I'm going to grab some more firewood, it'll only take a minute." He nodded, but said nothing in reply, as he was concentrating intensely on his current sketch. She exited the small clubhouse, her breath coming out in small white puffs of condensation. It had snowed earlier, but not so much that Marilla would prevent her from staying out. She left a circular trail of footprints as she picked up piece after piece of wood. As she bent down to pick up one, she heard Cole scream from inside the club house, followed by a yell of pain. She dropped the wood and raced into the clubhouse, immediately kneeling down beside Cole and placing a hand on his shoulder. "What happened?" She yelled, looking for signs of injury. He held out one of his hands and a sharp piece of wood, and she looked down at his hand. It had been cut badly, a gash spreading across most of his palm. She immediately pulled out a handkerchief she had in her pocket and wrapped it around his hand, making it snug, but not too tight, and tying it there, while grabbing his uninjured hand and leading him outside the clubhouse. "We're going to get you to Green Gables, okay?" She said, cringing as she saw the large area of the makeshift bandage that was now red. She held onto his uninjured hand, and helped him quickly through the woods and over to Green Gables. Once she arrived, she yelled for Marilla, pushing the door open and leading Cole inside. She told him to sit on the couch, to which he nodded, and sat down, face contorted in a pained expression. Marilla rushed to Cole's side, and, inspecting the cut, pulled a multitude of medical supplies from a small case she had in a cabinet. Anne squeezed his other hand, tears rolling down her cheeks as she saw Cole in pain. Since then, Anne had vowed that no matter what, she would be there for Cole. He would never be alone.
Anne dropped the lantern, rushing to his side. The two fell into each other's arms, each holding the other up. Anne felt a tear roll down her cheek, and broke away. She wiped her face and took Cole's hand. He opened his mouth as if to explain, but Anne shook her head. "Don't explain anything tonight. I'll set up Marilla's old room for you and you can tell me in the morning." He nodded in response, giving her a grateful look, and following her into the house. He sat somewhat awkwardly on the couch as he waited for her to finish setting up the room. Once she had, she led him to the room, and presented him with an extra blanket and bar of soap. "There's a bath ready if you want it. It's cold, so use the blanket. Goodnight, Cole." He seemed to struggle with a response for a bit, but finally let out a small, "Goodnight."
