Jack entered the recovery room. There were only two other patients, in beds at the opposite end of the room, but the curtains around Anne's bed had been drawn shut for privacy all the same. He pulled it open to find her sitting up, her hands neatly folded over her lap. She looked up at him, her expression remote.

"How are you feeling?" he asked gently.

"Fine, thank you." Her voice was timid and barely audible, like a small child's.

"I've arranged for us to leave tomorrow," he told her. "We'll head North. There's a doctor not far from Ottawa, who specializes in...well, he's agreed to meet with us. He might be able to help."

This earned him no response, but a slow blink on her part. He'd imagined the prospect of leaving the hospital would cheer her up - he certainly was looking forward to getting as far from this place as possible.

"We'll leave early in the morning," he went on. "I'll come as soon as I can to pick you up. You can get some more rest in the buggy, if you'd like."

At last, this had elicited a nod from her. A small sign she'd heard him speak.

"Well. I better go - to get things ready for our departure. Get a good night's sleep." He gave her a small smile and laid his hand on hers before closing the curtains behind him. He found Dr. Pewterson at the other side of the room, reviewing charts and issuing quiet orders to a couple of nurses.

"Doctor," said Jack when he'd reached them. The doctor dismissed the nurses and turned to him.

"Mr. Garrison. You're set on leaving tomorrow, then?"

Jack nodded. "I'll come for her at 8 o'clock."

"You made your sentiments regarding asylums clear to me, but I must impress on you that in denying her the constant surveillance she needs, you may end up doing her irreparable harm. I'm not convinced that you're aware of how much attention she will require, nor are you familiar with the measures one must take in order to keep her from attempting this highly unnatural act again."

"I can assure you that I know what I am doing. She will not harm herself again under my watch, I'll make sure of it. As for her wellbeing, Doctor, I can assure you that she will be well cared for, in a place that will heal her and help her, in lieu of calling her pain unnatural or immoral."

Dr. Pewterson frowned. "It seems you've made your choice. Nonetheless, here is the contact information for my colleague at St. Augustine's, should you ever change your mind."

Jack stared at the slip of paper the man held out, and considered yanking it, shredding it to bits and throwing them in his face. Instead, he accepted it with a nod, folded it and stashed it in his pocket. "Thank you, Doctor," he gritted out. "For saving Anne's life." The doctor nodded, and Jack dismissed himself before he could do something stupid.

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Gilbert sat at the hotel's reception desk, placing his third phone call.

His first call had been to Green Gables. He'd never heard Marilla so fragile, and had chosen to spare her the details of his visit, telling her simply that he had been following a false lead. This still proved to be too much for the woman in her frail state, and he'd needed several minutes to get a hold of himself afterwards. After breathing deeply several times, he shook himself, vowed to call her more often, and went on to contact a colleague, asking him to cover his urgent appointments and house calls over the next few days.

That had been easier. Now, he waited to be connected for the third time.

"This is the Blythe's residence," came Diana's breathless voice.

"It's Gilbert." He knew what she would think next, and spoke quickly to dispel the worst imaginable scenarios. "I just got back from the hospital. The body wasn't Anne's."

"Oh, thank the Lord," she whispered tearfully. He let her sniffle for a while, then asked how his boys were. "Oh, they're fine. They like horsing around with Freddie. Jem's been very indulgent with Small Anne, even though it seems as though she's trying to become his shadow, by the way she follows him about."

Gilbert gave a small smile at the thought of his son being patient with the little girl with a character oddly similar to her namesake's. While Jem might resemble his mother on the outside, his inner workings matched his father's. An uncomplicated boy, who enjoyed others' attention and affection, but didn't seem to crave it the way Walter did. Jem was independent and self-sufficient, just as Gilbert had been when he was little.

"I'm really grateful you were able to take them in," he said into the telephone.

"Of course. I'm their godmother, Gil." She sighed. "Will you stay in Kingsport, then?"

"There's no point. The doctor who'd contacted me said he'd heard through the grapevine about..." he tapered off, unable to follow the thought through, and cleared his throat. "Anyway, when his colleague mentioned the description of the body and where it was found, he called me." He sighed and rubbed his forehead tiredly. "He asked me if I want to put out a notice on the hospital circuit, for all of Ontario."

"It might not be a bad idea," Diana commented prudently.

"I told him I'd think about it. The truth is, I don't know if I could survive another false alert like this. And if it's not..."

"I know," said Diana quietly. They shared a moment of painful silence together. The return of the clerk to the desk made Gilbert snap out of it.

"I missed the last train out today, so I'll have to stay overnight. I might pay a visit to a former colleague tomorrow before heading out to the station. Diana-" He hesitated, not sure how to bring up his thought. "I...I've been thinking of going home." He held his breath, waiting for her reply.

"Alright, I'll bring the boys over the day after tomorrow."

"No, I mean- alone." He swallowed. "I want - I think I need some time. Alone." The silence was now tense: he braced himself for an onslaught of shaming words.

"Would you like me to keep the boys in Avonlea?"

Gilbert sighed in relief. "Could you? I hate to burden you, it's not as though you and Fred don't already have your hands full-"

"Gil. It's fine, of course it's fine. We'll be happy to keep them as long as you need. Between my parents, yours, my sister and all the grandmothers of Avonlea, they won't want for attention. You do what you need to do. And Gilbert?"

"Yes?"

"Find Anne."