Surely Shirley || Shirbert || ✔️

Unsure of Family

She lost her home.

The moment she heard Marilla screaming she knew her life would never be the same. Marilla never ever lost her composure like that.

Anne raced down the stairs and towards the noise. It was dark outside, but Anne, sprinting to the barns in seconds, managed to find Marilla... and the fallen body of Matthew.

As soon as Anne reached the site, Marilla looked at her with panicked eyes, "He fell. He's not moving. I think he's breathing. I don't— I don't know—"

Anne could not breathe. Her throat constricted and she felt as if she was drowning. Despite the choked sensation, she managed to get a single word out: "Gilbert."

"Go," Marilla croaked, "Go get him."

Without wasting a moment, not putting on warmer clothes or grabbing her jacket, Anne got to her horse and rode it all the way to Gilbert's home.

She was not crying. Nothing bad was going to happen. She convinced herself that everything would be fine in the morning.

Matthew would be at the table for breakfast and they would continue their everyday banter, in which Anne would do most of the talking and Matthew would do most of the listening.

Any panic that would rise like bile in her throat was pushed down by the thought of the future Dr. Blythe saving the day.

She reached the door of his house and began knocking furiously. It only took a few insistent pounds on the wooden door for it to be swung open. It was almost 2 am when Gilbert opened the door and saw the look in Anne's eyes. The look he would remember forever.

"Matthew," she said, heaving and out of breath.

Gilbert grabbed his coat and looked behind him at Bash who just then emerged out of his room wondering what the commotion was about. "I'll be back."

Bash nodded in understanding. "Good luck."

Anne grabbed Gilbert's hand and dragged him to her horse. She climbed on first and Gilbert sat behind her, and the two of them rode back to Green Gables. Anne didn't realize how badly her hands were shaking until Gilbert reached for them from behind her and held the reins with her to keep her steady.

"Breathe," he whispered next to her ear.

Anne released a shuddery breath and felt her heart welling up with fear.

When they reached Green Gables, Marilla had not moved from her spot, her head hanging low, and Anne was surprised to see Rachel and a few other people from the nearby homes gather around the farm.

Marilla slowly looked up at Anne's entrance and Anne's whole world crashed around her.

"It's too late," she croaked. There were tear tracks on her face, but she wiped them away, ready to be strong for her daughter, "There was nothing we could have done."

"No, no, no." Anne refused to believe what she was hearing. She pushed past the people around Matthew's body, "Gilbert's here, Matthew. Gilbert's gonna fix you up. Everything's going to be okay. Matthew?" Anne continued talking as the onlookers gazed at her with sympathy.

"Anne," Gilbert said softly from behind her, his voice as gentle as the wind.

"Matthew?" Anne said, as she kneeled down on the other side of Marilla, looking at his lifeless body. "Matthew? Gilbert's here. He's gonna make you better. Matthew?"

She held his arm and shook it. "Please, Matthew." Her pleas got quieter and quieter. More desperate and pitiful. "Matthew. It's Gilbert."

She felt a warm body kneel down next to her as she held Matthew's hand. Gilbert wrapped his arms around her and she leaned back into his embrace. She let out a heartbreaking scream in complete anguish of her loss.

She turned away from Matthew. She couldn't bear the sight of his still lips and closed eyes. His cold hands. His unfeeling body.

She sobbed into Gilbert's jacket. She cried and cried. Her words alternating from "Matthew" to "Gilbert" as she clutched onto the one thing that was still warm.