Thank you all for reading and reviewing, it means so much to me that you are following along! I have to give shout out to Rebeccathehistorian, 24 reviews in 7 days- you didn't have to do that, but how I loved that you did. Before I began this story, there were several people I bounced ideas off- Kwak, Julie3113, hecalledmecarrots (I still do! ) and Rebecca, who knows a lot about medical history from that time period- so thank you all for your help. Quite candidly, I am enjoying writing this again. I've discovered that writing becomes hard when I'm worried about its reception- so I'm trying to just have fun now. You are a tremendously forgiving bunch, and I thank you.
Love, Cate.
Chapter 37
"I think she's coming out of it, Doctor."
Anne was adrift in a sea of mayflowers, feeling an odd prickle in her foot. "It's so lovely, Gil," she mumbled. "But where did all of the trees go? Did Mr Winston take them?"
There was a clatter of metal instruments then, and a chuckle. "Yes, she's coming out. We need to watch her for- oh, there she goes."
Marilla's voice came then, impatiently. "Anne, for pity's sake, if you feel sick, then you need to stay home from school!"
"But he'll get ahead of me!" she wailed, from her low, white bed in the room at Green Gables.
Someone pulled a blanket over her then, the weight of it comforting. "It's alright now, Anne, we're almost done. Gilbert will be waiting for us."
A long aisle stretched before her, and in the distance, she could see apple trees blossoming. She looked down at the walking stick that had inexplicably become a tennis racket and heard Gilbert's impatient voice from beside her. "Well, come on Anne, I've been waiting ever so much longer than you have." He began to run, and she tried to call him back, only to find that he was out of sight. In a temper, she stomped her foot.
"It isn't good manners to take someone's cane and then leave," she spluttered. Suddenly a sharp pain and a curious coldness went through her foot, she looked around to see water rising rapidly. The dory was sinking- and where was Gilbert? Wasn't he supposed to be there whenever a dory sank?
"I'll just wait here for him then," Anne mumbled. "The lake trout will keep me company."
The old clock on the mantelpiece had just chimed two in silver sounds, when Gilbert shifted slightly, trying to find a way to fold his frame into an ancient wicker chair. A low storm was rumbling in the distance, and the faint moonlight shone in through the high arched windows of the hospital ward, the white curtains moving in the breeze. He turned his head at the low voice of the night nurse as she spoke to another patient, and he rubbed his eyes tiredly.
A slight movement beside him made him jump, and he was quick to bound to Anne's side, his hand smoothing the wisps of red hair from her forehead.
"Good morning, sunshine," he teased, seeing her confused grey eyes blinking up at him in the dimness. She raised one hand to her cheek, her breath catching. Gilbert took it in his, his voice gentle. "You're alright, darling, it's all over."
Anne shifted her leg with a grimace, and he bent down to kiss her forehead. He helped her to take a sip of water, and when she lay back on her pillows, some of the anxiety had faded from her face. "What time is it?" she whispered.
Gilbert grinned. "Just after two. Jeremy was in to check on you an hour ago- he had a late surgery to attend to." He pulled the chair close beside her, ignoring the scowl coming from the nurses' desk. "I must say, you do not come out of anaesthetic well, sweetheart," he said, amused.
Anne gave him a slight smile. "I warned you of that." She lifted her head to look around the almost empty ward, the metal beds standing in orderly rows down each side. "I've never had anyone with me when I've woken up. And where is everyone?"
Gilbert chuckled. "It's a quiet night in here. I'd take advantage of it, and sleep." Anne attempted to pull herself up, and he was quick to steady her against the bed. "Easy, now. No running until morning, at least."
"You're so bossy," she mumbled, a crooked smile on her face.
Gilbert kissed her forehead again, his look tender. "I wouldn't worry. You'll manage me."
Their quiet talk had gained the attention of the nurse, and she strode down the centre aisle with a frown. "Doctor Blythe, what did we tell you?" she hissed crossly.
He lifted his hands up in protest. "I didn't do anything, I swear, she just woke up. I was checking on her."
Anne smiled to see the nurse shoo him off the bed, and she grasped Anne's slim wrist between strong fingers. "Let's see what we have here, Miss Shirley. Goodness- you do look pale," she said bluntly.
Anne exchanged a faint smile with her fiancé, and the nurse clicked her tongue worriedly. "We're not to touch the bandages until Doctor Barnes returns- and he wants you up and walking in just a few days." She shot Gilbert a shrewd look. "Now, you will go home tomorrow, Doctor- it's only on Doctor Warner's word that I am allowing you to stay in my ward overnight." The nurse gave her notes a quick glance. "You'll feel a bit groggy for a day or so- so you'd better get some sleep, Miss Shirley." She gave Gilbert a sharp look, then. "Now. There is a bed at the far end of the ward. You will go to sleep there- soon- and you will put clean sheets on the bed yourself before the other staff arrive. Is that clear?" she said sternly.
Gilbert grinned. "Nurse Winters, you are a gem. Thank you."
She patted Anne on the shoulder and stalked away, leaving a bewildered Anne with Gilbert.
"What?" he asked, with a raised eyebrow.
Anne rubbed her eyes with a yawn. "I don't know if she regards you as her worst enemy, or if she adores you."
"Ah. Just like you, then."
She chuckled sleepily. "I think you know where I ended up on that, Gil."
Gilbert tucked the blankets around her carefully, his hand warm as it lingered on her cheek. "She adores all of us- Jeremy especially. She was cross at me for leaving 'just as she got me trained'," he said, with a grin. "Margaret's run this ward for fifteen years."
Anne's eyes were growing heavier, and she sighed. "What happened?" she asked, her voice thick. "With the hand- I mean, the foot."
He bent down to kiss her softly. "It's still there, sweetheart. How about we talk about it in the morning?"
"Alright. You're very tired, Gil. Go to sleep," she said, her words slurring slightly, making Gilbert chuckle.
"I'll do that. I'll see you in the morning."
He stayed by her side for some time after she fell asleep again, relief radiating through his body. He'd realised that he had felt the dread in her for some time now, and was still kicking himself for not realising its source. Of course she had been worried- he'd grown so used to her ability to remain calm, that he'd missed the signs that she was frightened. Even the day before, she had entered the hospital, her red head held high, and on her face a smile that immediately made others respond in kind. She had spoken with the nurses so easily- until Jeremy had appeared in his white coat, and she had gripped his hand so hard that it bruised his fingers. He'd checked them- nothing but a strain.
Gilbert sighed now, watching her chest rise and fall evenly, in slumber. He had called Susan from Jeremy's office to tell her that the surgery was over, and she had promised to get a message to Diana and his parents. Gilbert smiled. Susan had sounded terribly stiff at first until he realised that she was struggling to keep back her emotions. This was the woman who had cared for Anne so tenderly- and he had realised that she would show the same care for himself and one day for their children as well. He placed his feet up on the bed beside him, his brown head resting against the chair. It would be better for Anne now- they would simply handle everything as it came. She wouldn't be parted from him again.
She missed home, she had said. As they had waited, Anne had blinked away a tear and told him that she longed for their island, for the life they were building in the Glen. He'd chuckled, after watching her being chased around by the staff at Winston house, teasing her about the high life- only to have her eyes blaze with scorn. He smiled. He knew her better than that. No, it was their own home they were waiting for.
The house that they had christened Ingleside was being worked on in their absence. Anne had been reluctant to make changes to it initially, simply assuming that she would become accustomed to the stairs. There was a large room at the end of the hall, one that would make an admirable master bedroom- however Gilbert had vetoed that idea. Anne's recovery would still take time- and he pointed out quite reasonably that the two of them had been sleeping on the ground floor in their respective houses for the past year- in his case, for the past two. After he had sighed theatrically and moaned at the idea of climbing stairs after a long day of work, Anne had thrown her hands in the air with a wry laugh, surrendering. He grinned. He had a feeling that the additions to the house would be something that would benefit them all. Susan would be keeping an eye on the builders while they were away, and had begun stitching curtains for the new bedrooms already.
Through the filmy white curtains now, sheet lightning lit up the dark hospital grounds for a moment, before disappearing into darkness. The thunder continued to grumble away, but it was clear that the storm was dissipating. Gilbert got to his feet then, and after kissing Anne's pale cheek, he moved to the bed the nurse had indicated, removing his tie, jacket and shoes. As he laid down he looked over to where Anne was sleeping peacefully, and smiled. No, it wasn't the same as living in their own home together- but to spend the night in the same room was good enough for now.
It was ten in the morning when Jeremy made his way through the ward, stopping to greet other patients on the way. He was followed by two young gentlemen holding files, and one of them balancing Jeremy's cup of tea on a notebook. Gilbert snorted at the sight of him, and Anne turned to him in surprise.
"He never used to get them to hold his tea," Gilbert said, amused.
"I see. Is this for the patients' benefit, do you think?" Anne murmured to him, earning a laugh.
"No- I would say mine." He grinned as Jeremy approached. "Trying to make me see what I'm missing."
He rose to shake Jeremy's hand, who clapped a hand on his back. "Gentlemen, you remember my colleague, Doctor Blythe; and his lovely fiancée Miss Shirley. Miss Shirley presented with a cutaneous nerve injury, as a result of multiple surgeries to repair a compound fracture of the lower fibula and tibia. The sural nerve was entrapped in a layer of scar tissue, which has now been recovered," Jeremy said, nonchalantly.
Anne smiled kindly at both men, thinking that they seemed so young- and that one of them was looking up at her fiancé with a terrified look on his face. Gilbert seemed perfectly at ease, and Jeremy turned to them with a benevolent look. "Now, run along, you both have an appendectomy at eleven to prepare for."
She watched the two young men scuttle away, and Jeremy turned back to them with a grin.
Gilbert crossed his arms, a twinkle in his eye. "You took on Willoughby."
Jeremy grinned. "He's not bad, either. You never got to see him at his full potential." Anne gave the two of them a bewildered look, and Jeremy pulled up a stool to sit beside her, moving the covers off her foot to check the bandages. "Gil here gave young Doctor Willoughby a rather difficult time of it, while he was here."
Anne turned to Gilbert in consternation. "You did? But why?"
Gilbert rolled his eyes. "He was a medical student from Laval University- and he was terrible," he said bluntly.
Anne flinched as Jeremy unwrapped the wound, and gave Gilbert a disappointed look. "Gil, you need to be patient with those under your tutelage- children need to feel like they can learn in a safe environment."
Jeremy gave a snort. "He wasn't a child, Anne. And I will admit that he wasn't very promising at first."
"He lost a patient of mine," Gilbert grumbled.
Anne's face fell. "Oh, Gil. I know how deeply you feel it when you lose a patient, but still-"
"No, Anne, lost," Gilbert interrupted, wryly. "As in misplaced. A very frightened old man was found wandering the shrubberies outside, instead of where I wanted him to be taken before an acute heart procedure. I had to delay it a day because he was so worked up- I was afraid he wouldn't make it if I continued."
Anne paled. "Oh, Gilbert."
Jeremy sat back with a smirk, looking happily at the neat line of sutures on Anne's leg. "And so Gilbert blasted the poor fellow to kingdom come- and only a few months before he left for the island, too." He chuckled, helping Anne to sit up to admire his work. "I suppose I should be thanking you, really. He was never careless again. I'm hopeful that he'll turn out well."
Anne shook her head, amused. "Well, if you were one of my staff, Gilbert, I would still have disciplined you for terrorising a student."
Gilbert looked at her indignantly. "I did not do that! I was usually very good with the medical students."
Jeremy chuckled. "He was better than the fellows who took us on, I'll grant you that. They made you step smartly." He turned to Anne, rubbing his hands together. "Now, it's time to pay me some attention- thank you. The surgery went extremely well. After examining the injury, I can see why they repaired you in a rush last time- life over limb, and all that. We've corrected most of it though, and I'm hopeful that the nerves will repair over time. Also, I have a little souvenir for you." Anne was handed a jar from Jeremy's pocket, containing a small, ivory fragment. Gilbert glanced across at her, alarmed. "A piece of bone was left floating around after the break," he said brightly. "I believe this has been causing some of the pain and bruising around the site, and most likely affected the sensation in your foot as well. So- I removed it. And here it is."
Gilbert was quicker than Jeremy to see that Anne's face had taken on a definite green tint at the sight of the shard, and as she swayed slightly, her breathing was shallow. Gilbert caught her, easing her shoulders back onto the pillow. His voice was soothing as he bent over her. "Breathe in and out, sweetheart, that's right." He rubbed her cold hands between his own, smiling at the faint groan she gave as she winced. "I'm sure Jeremy didn't mean to put a big foot in his even bigger mouth," he said, scowling at his friend, and tossing him the offending jar.
Jeremy gave a wary look at the bowl beside Anne's bed. "He's right, Anne, that was terribly thoughtless of me. I sometimes forget that I'm not lecturing students." He had a wry grin on his face, seeing Gilbert had the situation well in hand. "You know, Gil always did have the better bedside manner."
Anne opened one eye to glare at her doctor, making Gilbert laugh as she swallowed, her voice thick. "Jeremy, destroy that souvenir."
Jeremy tucked the jar into his pocket after an abject apology, and soon left on his rounds. Gilbert turned to stroke Anne's pale cheek with a grin. "Well, I think the danger is past now. I thought you were going to faint on me, Anne-girl."
She managed a slight chuckle as looked up at him. "At least I didn't throw up, this time."
Gilbert contented himself with a smile, resolving to not let her look at Jeremy's notes, either.
When the warm summer winds were blowing through the city, and the skies had been clear and blue for a week, a triumphant Gilbert carried Anne from the carriage up the steps of the Winston house, to be met by Penny and her mother. The two of them had been frequent visitors to the hospital room through her recovery, and Penny chattered to Anne happily as she was assisted into her room.
"Anne, I am so glad to have you back! Jeremy said you were doing very well, and I hated to think of you in that smelly old hospital any longer!" she said indignantly.
As Gilbert sat her on the comfortable sofa in the room, he stood up with a relieved sigh, and Anne chuckled.
"Thank you, dearest," she said to him softly, and turned back to Penny. "It is lovely to be back here," she said frankly, as Louisa brought a pillow across to place her foot on. "Although to be fair, the hospital was much better than I had expected."
Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Anne, why do you think I wanted you to come to Montreal? It's got to be one of the most modern and well-equipped hospitals Canada has." He turned to Penny then, with a smile. "Oh- and Jeremy said to tell you he would be by tonight for supper."
"Excellent," Louisa said, suddenly businesslike. "Penny, darling, would you be sure to tell Mrs Waters to prepare the custard tart that he likes? And your father has requested oysters tonight." As soon as Penny left the room, she turned to Anne with a kind smile. "Now, is there anything we can do for you right now, dear? Perhaps you would like a quiet meal in here tonight?"
Anne chuckled. "No, indeed, Mrs Winston- Doctor Barnes has ordered me to practice walking, and practice I shall- I should very much like to join you all this evening." She caught Gilbert's eye, and added hastily- "After a nap, which of course I am very happy to have."
Louisa chuckled. "I can't fault him for being concerned, Anne, no doubt it has been a very long eight days for you."
Anne watched her curiously, as Louisa opened a wardrobe on one side of the room, and lifted a large box out of it. She carried it to the bed with a bright smile. "Now, Gilbert, I feel quite sure you haven't slept as well as you usually do while Anne was in the hospital," she began. "Perhaps you require a nap upstairs as well?"
Gilbert shrugged easily. "No, I'm quite well rested, in fact, thank you."
"Oh. Then perhaps you might like to see what Andrew is doing?" she suggested.
"Didn't he take Lizzie over to Stephen's house, Mrs Winston?" he said, frowning.
Louisa turned to him with a faintly exasperated look. "Gilbert, dear, how did your mother tell you to leave the room when she had something she wished to discuss that wasn't for your ears?"
Gilbert's eyes widened in shock, and he gave a shame-faced laugh. "Oh- er, she would just tell me to run along, I suppose."
"Wonderful, dear. Then run along," Louisa said, amused. "I have something that I wish to discuss with your fiancée, and it is not for you to overhear at this time."
Gilbert escaped out of the door in record time, pausing to laugh as he crossed the white tiled floor. Women's business, indeed.
Inside the room, Louisa sat down beside Anne with a big smile. "I'm sorry, dear, I wasn't sure if he was willing to leave you just yet- and I did want to show you this. Some of your items have arrived."
Anne shifted on the cushions, surprised. "Really? It hasn't even been a fortnight."
Louisa chuckled. "This is Madame Sylvian, dear. She takes great pride in exceeding expectations. Would you like to see?"
Louisa rang the bell for Amanda, and the women took their time sorting through the box, finding delicate undergarments, several pretty gowns, and accessories enough to gladden the heart of any girl. Anne declared herself thoroughly spoiled, pausing to brush the fabric of a fine, tailored walking suit in a rich green.
Louisa smiled, pleased. "I believe the wedding dress will be along next week- and anything that does not arrive in time, we will simply send on, dear." Her brow was worried, then. "Anne, are you quite sure you will be ready to travel in a fortnight?"
Anne smiled, setting a small box of gloves aside. "I think so, Mrs Winston. Gilbert is confident that I will be ready in time, and we really must return soon- we have so much to prepare for the wedding. I hate to think of Susan carrying so much extra responsibility on her own."
Louisa folded a chemise in capable hands, laying it in the box carefully. "I dare say she will have help from your families, in any case," she commented.
Anne smiled, thinking of Diana and Sonia's heads bent over a calendar on the day before they left Avonlea. "She will indeed." There was a brief pang in her heart for the wedding Marilla would not get to see, however, just as quickly she drew in a calming breath. Surely, somehow Marilla would know.
Louisa sat down with Anne again, her eyes kind. "Now, dear, aside from everything that is yet to come, is there anything else you need? Anything you may require for the wedding? I shouldn't like you to leave without checking."
Anne gave her a startled look. "Oh- I think I have everything I could need, Mrs Winston." She paused then, her cheeks flushing. "Well- that is, I have everything that is necessary."
"I'm so glad, dear." Louisa then studied the young woman before her. "Is there anything special you would like?"
Anne's cheeks were pink, and she gave a slight chuckle. She recalled that of course, Mrs Winston would understand- and as a happily married woman of over thirty years, she would surely feel more at ease discussing this with her, rather than her daughter.
"Well, there was something-"
Louisa smiled knowingly. "Something perhaps, a little memorable for a wedding night?"
Anne laughed, her cheeks warm. "I suppose so, yes. I have all manner of undergarments and hosiery and nightwear being made, however, I didn't see anything that I-"
Louisa placed her hand over Anne's with a twinkling smile, stopping Anne. "I confess I didn't see anything of that kind, myself, my dear- hence, my question. Now, I believe I know just the place, darling, if you wish I can take care of it this week. Just tell me what you had in mind."
By the time a fortnight had passed, on Anne and Gilbert's last afternoon in the old house, Jeremy Barnes studied Anne's walk along the carpeted halls of the Winston house, looking pleased. "You know, Anne, I do think you've improved. Can you feel the foot now?"
Anne looked down, a slight frown on her face. "Not all the time- and when I can it feels slightly odd- hot and cold, and sometimes like little pins and needles are prickling me."
Jeremy came up to her with her walking stick to rest on. "That's actually a good sign," he said thoughtfully. "It will take some time for the nerves to recover- you might need to be patient with yourself."
Anne stood up straight, a slight smile on her face. "It's no matter. I can wait."
Jeremy sat down on a long sofa in the foyer, smiling at the sound of Gilbert talking with the Winston family in the sitting room- Andrew and Penny's brothers had come home for the last evening with everyone, and Lizzie was wild with excitement at playing with Uncle Stephen's young children again. He turned back to Anne appraisingly.
"When I come to the island, I'd like to check your foot again, with your permission. I've been asked to present a paper to the university on recovery rates of cutaneous nerve injury, and your case is one of two I would like to discuss, if I may."
Anne chuckled, moving to sit with him with a thankful sigh. Over the past month, Jeremy had become a constant figure in her life, taking over the role Gilbert had relinquished. He lectured her and scolded, pushed her to exercise and teased her as none of her doctors in the past would have dared to do. Anne had come to trust him as implicitly as Gilbert himself could- not that she would give him the satisfaction of knowing that. Gilbert had only smiled. While at times he had to force himself to not intervene with her, not to jump and react at every ache, every furrowed brow Anne showed, he had all the satisfaction of being there when the visit ended- and he was sensible to the fact that he would not have enjoyed being the object of her frustration from time to time. Jeremy had handled it easily enough, and Gilbert smiled at the way he would put his bag in a corner, and go with brightening eyes to where Penny poured his tea, and he himself could take Anne in his arms, her adoring look for him alone.
Anne now looked up at Jeremy consideringly. "As long as I needn't read the report, you may do as you like. Is that happening after the wedding?" Jeremy nodded, his smile easy. "Now, you will be coming to the island with the Winstons, won't you?" she asked innocently. "It would only be sensible to travel together."
Jeremy gave her an amused look. "Is there something you want to ask me, Anne?"
She smiled cheekily, brushing her red curls back from her forehead. "There is nothing so wonderful as a love story, Jeremy. I only want to see others as happy as I am."
He folded his arms, the two of them relaxing away from the others for a time. "You wouldn't want me to upstage your own wedding, would you, Anne?"
Anne turned to him then, serious. "That isn't what you are waiting for, is it?"
He chuckled. "Well, maybe. A wedding is hardly the time for the best man and bridesmaid to announce an engagement."
"Jeremy, you shouldn't wait," she said firmly. "If you and Penny are both sure, then Gilbert and I would be so happy for you- we wouldn't mind a bit." She gave him a slight smile. "Will you come and see us on the island from time to time?"
Jeremy chuckled. "Knowing Penny's family, probably more often than I can afford to be away from the hospital. Of course I'll come."
Anne heard Gilbert's laughter, and stood up then. "Well, Doctor Barnes, thank you for all of the time you have given me," Anne said lightly, her sincerity nevertheless apparent.
Jeremy chuckled, and offered her his arm to walk across the foyer. As they walked, he gave her a knowing grin. "I was brilliant, wasn't I? Admit it, I'm the best doctor you've ever had."
As they arrived in the doorway to the spacious sitting room, Anne saw Gilbert's eyes light up, and he strode across the room toward her with a spring in his step.
Anne couldn't keep the smile off her face, then. "That may be, Jeremy. But I confess that Gilbert will always be my favourite."
Later that evening, after a boisterous meal that had caused even Mr Winston to complain that the noise his family created had never been equalled, Anne and Gilbert strolled out to the veranda in the moonlight. Jeremy and Penny had wandered away in the direction of the oasis, and Anne smiled as Jeremy gave her a wink. The two of them sat on a loveseat, content to look out on the still night together. Gilbert was miles away, thinking of all that they had to do to be ready for the evening train to Halifax, when he turned at Anne's words.
"Gil?"
"Yes, Anne-girl?"
She laid her head on his shoulder, smiling at the familiar smell of his coat. "I was thinking about something that Penny said. That I brought you back to life again."
He smiled, running his thumb over her hand. "I have no problem with that."
Anne was silent for almost a minute, and when she spoke it was quiet. "I changed, Gil."
He pulled away with a slight frown. "I suppose we both did."
Anne shook her head. "I know- but I didn't realise what I had lost, exactly." He watched her intently, and she swallowed. "Somehow, when I fell, I stopped trusting people. And I don't even know why." He followed her troubled gaze, waiting for her to explain. "You know where I came from- at least in part. And yet despite that, I arrived at Green Gables still believing the best of people."
Gilbert's smile twisted on his lean face. "I know. It's one of the things people love about you, sweetheart."
"So what does it say about me that I stopped after I was hurt?" she said quietly. "I had help, I people who put themselves out to accommodate me- and somehow, I made it through all of that, alive. But I stopped being able to trust- I held back from Marilla, Diana, and everyone else in my world. I still struggle to accept help from people- you have no idea how I had to force myself to ask Susan to help me with every little thing. And I know you and I had our differences, but I couldn't even tell you when I knew how badly I was hurt in the forest that day. I was going to let you walk away from me then," she said, with painful candour.
Gilbert's jaw set. "I knew that you were hurt, Anne. I wouldn't have gone," he said sternly. "No matter what was going on between us."
Anne nodded regretfully. "I know that. But I didn't even trust you as a physician. I didn't have faith in anyone."
He placed his arms around her, bending to kiss the top of her head. "Alright, you didn't," he said softly. "What does that have to do with now?"
Anne's eyes were stormy. "Doesn't that bother you, that I could change so much, Gilbert? That I still fight people worrying or fussing, even when I know that they are right- that I fight you, even when I know better than to do that. I'm worried that I've lost something of myself- and I can't claim that that has gone away, even with you in my life. Doesn't that say there is something broken, inside of me? Where is the part of me that believed only the best?"
Gilbert bent down to look into the grey eyes he loved. "Anne-girl, you and I aren't the people who left Avonlea for Redmond so many years ago," he said softly. "We've grown, and changed and developed; we've taken some hits, and we have the scars to show for it. If everything had gone according to some kinder plan, we could still have them. We don't know what could have happened to us over the years. But this- you and me- this hasn't changed, Anne. You are still my best friend. You are still the girl I fell in love with- and no matter what happens, you and I just keep coming back here. Together." He smiled at her then, watching her look soften. "Who we are hasn't changed, Anne- not really. Those other things- the things in us that were affected by hurt and fear are only on the surface. You- are incredibly brave-" he kissed her cheek, "you are perfectly beautiful," he said, moving his lips to her nose," and you are absolutely indomitable, Anne Shirley." He sat back and grinned at her then. "And I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to keep up with you."
Anne threw her arms around his neck, her eyes glittering with both tears and laughter. "Gilbert Blythe, I do believe you could make me believe in anything."
"Of course I can," he said cheekily. "Because I'm believing in you."