Anne with an E The Next Chapter

Escape

Gilbert stared into the bottom of a burnt sauce pan while he listened to Anne ramble on and on about the events of the week.

"So then Jerry dragged him all the way through the mud to the road and then finished him off, I dare say, with another hit to the stomach. I'm sure I saw James come up the ground with that one. It was so incredible. I never understood fighting, but this was so well deserved and to be honest, a little exhilarating" she said excitedly.

"And I need a new pot apparently" he said, chipping away at the bottom of the pot, now burned black.

"Yes, one of the casualties of the day, but really, everyone came out relatively unscathed, I don't know what would have happened to Diana if we had not arrived in time. Can you imagine?"

"No I can't" he said, putting the saucepan into a box of metal scraps he had sitting out the back door.

"Gilbert is everything alright..." Anne said noticing his quiet demeanor today.

"Uh.. yes.. Sorry, I'm a little preoccupied. We have a patient at Dr. Ward's clinic and I was hoping to get back earlier this weekend to check in on him. He has a very unusual case and we are all trying to crack it. Winnie and I poured over so many texts books and we were close to narrowing the ailments down to 3 or 4 possibilities, but I had to leave to come home. I'm just wondering if she found it?"

Winnie. The sound of her name on his lips made Anne's blood boil. Anne watched him as he walked into his clinic and started riffling through the text books "It could be here too, I should bring these along with me this week".

"Sounds very...consuming" Anne said, suddenly feeling a bit insecure about Gilbert's distraction.

"Anne, if you don't mind, I'm going to spend a bit of time reading this morning... I'm sure I can locate something in here," he said with his nose buried in a textbook and barely looking at her.

"It's Saturday Gilbert.. I thought maybe we could take a walk or go into town. Do you have any clean shirts for next weekend?"

"Next weekend.. what about it.. I'm not sure I'll be able to make it back next weekend"

"Gilbert!"

"What is it...?"

"It's Moody and Ruby's wedding".

He looked up and then she saw the wheels turning. "Oh right...Well I suppose I could come back for the wedding on Saturday and then head back the same evening"

"The wedding is Sunday after church service..." Anne stood with her hands on her hips, head tipped to the side.

"Oh right... well that works out well. I can stay in Charlottetown for Friday and Saturday and then come in on the Sunday train in time for the wedding".

"So you're heading back early this weekend and then only coming for a few hours next weekend" she said sharply. Her tone was enough to alert him and he looked up at her from his text book.

"What's the problem? I'll be here for Moody and Ruby, I won't miss a thing?" he said rather innocently.

"You'll be here for Ruby and Moody... but you have no time to spend with me?" she dared to say. She was stern faced but feeling suddenly shaky inside. She didn't know why this was bothering her so much, but she was past the point of no return.

"Anne, you don't understand. I have responsibilities at the clinic I have to attend to. The research is important..."

"Yes the research... wouldn't want to tear you away for a day or two from the research you're doing with Winnie?"