His Lily Maid

The swell of the cold dark ocean pulled him ever closer the feeling of the salt water spraying him made him shiver it was too cold so cold he could almost feel all his nerve endings firing at once causing a pain like fire then he was burning the roaring heat like that of a thousand suns drenched him in a sweat his head felt like it was going to explode.

Gilbert shifted restlessly half awake and half-asleep Scarlet Fever that was what the doctor had said and it had been four days since his visit he could hear his parents talking quietly in the kitchen. He heard a soft knock on the door and the scrap of one of the kitchen chairs was one or other of his parents went to answer "Mrs Blythe, Dianna told me, where is he? is he ok?" the person fired off question after question so rapidly he believed his mother didn't have a chance to answer there was one person he knew that was able to talk so fast and so much and that was Anne. Soft footsteps sounded and the door to his room opened. He saw a blur of red and blue through the haze that clouded his eyes the figure gave a sharp sob a hand flying to their mouth. Did he really look that bad? "Oh Gil" cool hands brushed his forehead

"Anne" his voice sounded loud and rough his throat was so dry and it sounded more like a question than a statement he was hallucinating of that he was certain

"Yes, Gil it's me" her voice was so soft and light and her cool hand grasp his warm one, she was real he had seen her so many times in his dreams (no like that) yet her she was as real as the day she was when she whacked him on the head with her school slate. His other hand pushed back a strand of loose hair, hair once the colour of carrots now the colour of rich autumn leaves "Anne?" he asked "Yes?" she questioned back

"Will you read to me?" he could see a little smile on her face, he loved the way she use to read when they were back in school "tell me the story of the Lily Maid it is a favourite of mine"

"I'll read to you if you try to rest and shush" she answered he leaned back and closed his eyes as he listened to Anne's gentle voice reading the poem

"On either side the river lie

Long fields of barley and of rye,

That clothe the wold and meet the sky;

And thro' the field the road runs by

To many-tower'd Camelot;

The yellow-leaved waterlily

The green-sheathed daffodilly

Tremble in the water chilly

Round about Shalott" as she read the images which ran through Gilbert's head were not those of the characters but flashes of his Anne the day in the pond she was lying in a boat her fiery hair splayed out and holding a bouquet of lilies. She was his Elaine his Lily maid. He silently drifted off in the first fitful sleep he'd had since the start of his fever. Anne watched him sleep for a few minitues before going into the kitchen. Mr and Mrs Blythe were sat at the table "Sit down dear, how is he?" asked John as Katherine poured her some tea "he is still feverish, but he is asleep" she said quietly trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over if he died then she knew without a doubt that her heart would break in two. She spoke with them for a while but her mind was only partly with the conversation the rest of it was when she had found out about Gilbert's Illness.

Flashback

Anne ran towards her most beloved friend Dianna and the two shared a glee full hug "Oh Dianna how I've missed you and Avonlea you must tell me the news?" Dianna smiled at her great friend and told her how married life was going and that Fred Jr was a wonderful little boy and that Josie was betrothed to Moody. The thought made Anne laugh all miss uppity Josie Pye married to someone she never really liked but was to proud to decline because in her opinion if she couldn't have Gilbert the next reverend of Avonlea would be the best thing for her one of the most influential people in their community. "Oh and Anne "Dianna exclaimed setting down her teacup "have you heard about Gil from anyone?"

"No why? What is it?" Anne asked she swore her heart beat ten times faster the way it always did when he was near

"He's ill, deathly ill they say he may not survive it" Dianna told her sympathetically. Anne dropped the cup she was hold no he couldn't be she felt like her whole world had been turned upside down and spun like a top.

"Anne, Anne oh I'm so sorry I shouldn't have said" Dianna said hugging her friend as Anne gasped for breath between heaving sobs.

"Oh Dianna I must go to see him, I love him so" Anne confessed wiping her eyes.

"I'll ask Fred to take you dear Anne, would you like me to come"

"Yes that would be wonderful if you could stop by Green Gables and tell Marilla where I am I would be most grateful" Anne told her as cried a new wave of tears. Dianna's heart went out for her friend the two of them former school rivals and danced around their feelings for years and it was now that Anne finally admitted her feelings for him

…..

"Anne, Anne are you alright?" asked Katherine

"Yes I'm fine if it's ok with you I'll go back to Gilbert make sure he's ok" Anne said placing her cup on the table and leaving the room. John and Katherine looked at each other, they had seen what they had known for years. Anne was just as taken with their son as he was for the fiery red-head now sat in the armchair of his room reading a book.

Anne stayed at the Blythe's home that night telling them that though she knew they were looking after him she wanted to stay there for her own peace of mind, she didn't sleep well she stayed up with cooling cloths and soothing his fevered dreams when he yelled out for her. It was early morning when the worst of his fever broke and Anne finally let herself rest sitting in the chair she let herself drift off in to her own world of dreams.