Paperclippings.com

By Alizabeth
Coming Together
Announcement

By AngelRose
The First Walk
Anne's Magical Mystery Tour
Mr. Blythe's Spirit
Entering the Brave New World
My Sweetheart's Cal
Songfic

By Jen
She's In Love

By Beks
Memories at the Alter
Love Letters
Rilla and Jem
The House of Dreams

By Queensgirl
Anne of the Glen

By ElleJay
Rilla's Castle O Dreams

By Shorty
All's Right in the World

By Darien
Davy's Beau

Anne ^of Green Gables
Fan Fiction

All Characters are the property of LM Montgomery and her heirs and Sullivan Entertainment. These are for entertainment purpose only. Others may have their own opinions as to how these fan fiction stories should take place. If you have a better idea we would like to read about them.

Paperclippings.com

You Cannot

by Becca

"Gilbert, its time." Those words had been said many times before to the experienced doctor, but only four times before had they ever made him nervous and this fifth time made him more so than ever. Anne was getting older, although she would not admit it, and this pregnancy had been harder on her than even Joy's had.

The labor was long and all Gilbert could do was pace. Soon into the time, Dr. Parker was called from Lowbridge as well as an extra nurse. Gilbert had discovered that not only was the baby early, it had not turned yet. Gilbert didn't trust himself, his hands were shaking, he want from steady doctor to hysterical husband in a matter of minutes. Susan had taken the other children over to Mrs. Marshall Elliot's to spend the night, so they would not hear the screams of their mother and think she was hurt in any way. Susan also paced, but she took her place with Mrs. Parker in the kitchen, heat water and rags for the doctor and the nurses. There was no worse assault on Gilbert's senses than Anne in pain. Her screams ripped through his ears, the look of pure agony on her face made him turn away and the pressure she put on the hand she held allowed him to physically share in her pain. Parker glanced up at Gilbert after a while and the solemn look in his eyes was not good news to Gilbert. As a doctor, he reasoned that fate had inevitably caught up with them, as a husband he pleaded that something could still be done. The husband won. Screams filled Ingleside far into the next day, but next day by supper, there was a new member of the Blythe family. Shirley Gilbert Blythe. He was small, but his lungs were big. There was no worry for the doctors with him, it was his mother that cause them distress.

Anne was weak from the many hours of labor. That was all Dr. Parker could determine. She was pale and frail, but bed rest would solve that. Gilbert knew that Parker was right, but he still worried about Anne. Hence, Dr. Blythe sent the weary Parker's home and Gilbert went to sit at his wife's side until she woke up.

Susan took care of Shirley, washing him, wrapping him in a blanket, making sure he was perfect for Mrs. Dr. Dear; Susan didn't know just really how bad Anne was.

The children were kept at the Elliot's for another couple days, and after that, the Ford's, hearing the news, came up to the house of dreams, taking the children, indefinitely.

Gilbert kept a faithful watch. He rarely left Anne's side, but despite his presence, Anne failed to get better. All that happened was that she got weaker. Anne was thin to begin with and those that did not know her original weight would have called her ghostly, in fact everyone except Gilbert called her ghostly. He simply said that she was wan from the difficult birth. However, Anne finally reached a point of sickness, to where even Gilbert could not deny the grim reaper loomed. In the beginning, she had just been weak, but soon she caught a fever. This made her delirious and she tossed and turned her head. Still, Gilbert did not leave her side, his vigil merely grew stronger. Parker worked around him as he clung to Anne's hand. On her worst night, Parker left shaking his head, telling the nurse that Mrs. Blythe wouldn't make it through the night, such a shame.

Gilbert heard this, and he lost any doctor that was left in him. He became the boy who had been hopelessly in love with Anne since childhood. He left his seat for the first time in what seemed like an eternity and fell to his knees. He still clutched her hand, but he laid his head next to her, as if to whisper in her ear, and his pleading did start as a whisper.

"Anne," he whispered to her sleeping form, which for the first time in three days was not fitful, he knew that either the fever would break that night or the next morning he would be a widower, "Anne girl, you can't leave me. Do you hear me?" As he begged, his voice became louder and cracked more with the oncoming sobs, "I can't live without you. You know that. But I can't go with you, Anne. I won't leave the children, and we have a new son Anne, Shirley. We haven't had enough time Anne. We still have too much to experience in life together. We have to grow old together. We have to see our children grow up." His cries had reached their crescendo, "Anne, please Anne, I love you too much to lose you. You can't die. You cannot . . ." and from that point on his words became inaudible, and he cried himself to sleep still touching her hand.

He woke up in the middle of the night to find that Anne was once again in the throws of a fitful slumber. The fever had not broken, in fact, from Gilbert's estimation, it seemed much higher. Still on his knees, Gilbert folded his hands and looked skyward.

"Please don't take her away! I know that you know best, but how can five children losing their mother be for the best? And I need her. I need her so much it hurts. I need her, want her, and most of all, I love her so much. We've barely had any time together, compared to the time we've waited. Please don't take her. I know that must sound redundant, but too many people need her down here. She is too important. She is the light of my life as well as the children's." His prayer were interrupted by Anne's delirious screams.

"You cannot take her God, you cannot . . ."

He stood up and went to care for his wife.

"Gilbert! Gilbert!"

"Anne-girl, I'm here. What is it Anne?"

"I just wanted to say congratulations on finishing first."

He had no idea what she was talking about. All he could piece together was that she was dreaming of their school-hood days.

Indeed, she was, except Anne was not reminiscing, she was trying to make things right earlier. However, even the delirious know the past cannot be changed. But to the delirious the past was the present and therefore ripe for the altering.

"You called my hair, Carrots, how can I forgive you? Thank you very much for the ride, no if you will kindly row me to shore. Thank you very much for the Avonlea school. Of course, I'll marry you, you know I've always loved you."

This regressing was scaring Gilbert and it took all his willpower not to shake her. Instead he resumed his position, kneeling next to the bed, holding her hand, speaking into her ear.

"Anne wake up, please. Anne wake up, you need to wake up . . ." This continued until Gilbert lost all his remaining strength and fell asleep.

Anne did indeed wake up, some hours later. Her throat was dry, but she was feeling considerably less tired. She could not speak, but she managed to put the hand that held hers, startling Gilbert awake. He stood up quickly.

"Anne, your awake!" He put the back of his hand to her head. "You're fever broke."

She looked at him questioningly.

"You were in a delirious fever for almost four days. Do you want water?"

She shook her head yes. He went to retrieve the water and came back with a glass and helped her drink. While he was bent down, she slowly pulled an arm around his shoulder, pulling herself up so she could whispered in his ear.

"I love you enough to live.

Home | Fan Fiction Home | Submit a story | Forum (yahoo groups)