Gilbert parked the car and grabbed Anne from the back seat. She had regained some consciousness on the drive. Gilbert held his girlfriend in his arms, bridal style, and looked at her. Her eyes fluttered open again, to meet his. "Hey, Anne-girl," he said, softly. "How ya feeling?" He asked, mostly out of a lack of better things to say.
"Awful. Like I was ran over by six trains. Am I gonna die, Gil?" Anne spoke softly, like it was difficult.
"No. You're not gonna die," he told her. Then he muttered under his breath, "You better not." Anne's eyes fluttered closed again. "No, stay with me, Anne. I need you to keep your eyes open. Look at me." Gilbert finally got her to the desk.
Diana spoke to the nurse in an urgent tone, "We need help. She's dying." The nurse grabbed a gurney and rushed over.
"What happened?" the nurse asked.
"Am I dying?" Anne asked, quietly.
"No," Gilbert replied, placing her gently on the gurney. "She fell off a roof." The nurse rushed her down a hall. Diana and Gilbert tried to follow, but were stopped by another nurse.
"They're gonna take her to the ER. I need you to fill out this paperwork about what happened. And I'm guessing you're not her parents, so I'm gonna need to contact them as well," the nurse explained kindly. Diana nodded. It was a good thing she had came along, since Gilbert was in a panic.
"Gil, call Marilla," Diana said, "I'll fill this paperwork out." Gilbert agreed and pulled out his phone.
He dialled the number and waited. Marilla answered on the second ring. "Gilbert?" she asked. Gilbert began to cry. "Is everything okay?"
"N-no," Gilbert muttered. He took a breath and spoke again, "It's Anne. She's in the hospital. She fell off the roof at the Andrews'. I drove her here. We're in Carmody. I'm so sorry."
"Slow down. Matthew and I are on our way. Are you alone?" Marilla asked. Her voice remained shockingly calm. She was holding a brave face for Gilbert.
"No. Diana is here. They took Anne to a room for tests," Gilbert explained.
"Okay. We'll be there soon. Stay calm, Gilbert," Marilla said, and with that she hung up.
"They're on their way," Gilbert told Diana.
"Good. I'm done filling this out. My head is spinning, I need some coffee. Do you want some?" Gilbert nodded and Diana left to find some coffee. Gilbert sat down in one of the waiting room chairs and put his head in his hands. A million thoughts ran through his head, but the most prevalent was 'I hope Anne is okay'. Diana came back a few minutes later with two cups of hot coffee.
"Thank you," Gilbert said. He took the cup, but didn't drink any. He held it and stared blankly.
"She's gonna be okay, Gil," Diana comforted, but she couldn't tell if she was trying to convince Gilbert or herself. They sat for awhile before Matthew and Marilla burst in. They saw Diana and Gilbert and walked up to them.
"Is she okay?" Marilla asked.
"She's still back there for tests," Diana said. "They're doing a full workup the nurse told me. So, it could be awhile." Gilbert stood up and started to pace. Marilla grabbed him by the shoulders to stop him. She held his shoulders and he stared into her face. Then the tears came again. He let himself fall into Marilla's arms.
"I'm so sorry, Marilla. I shouldn't have let her do it. I was supposed to be taking care of her. I'm sorry. It's my fault," Gilbert rambled through tears.
"Shh, child," Marilla said softly, "It's no one's fault. You couldn't have stopped her if you tried, I'm afraid. She's very determined. Gilbert pulled out of Marilla's arms. Then, they were joined by the nurse from before.
"You can see her now," the nurse said.
"Is she okay?" Matthew asked.
"She will be. She broke her ankle, has a few ribs out of place, and a concussion, but it could have been so much worse. She's a lucky girl. The doctor just gave her something for the pain, so she might be kind of out of it, but you're welcome to go in. First door on your right, just down that hall." The nurse pointed them in the right direction, and the four of them left to see Anne.
"Do you want us to wait?" Diana asked Matthew and Marilla.
"No, no. Come in. She'll want to see you two," Matthew said, kindly. The four of them entered the room together. Gilbert was scared to look at Anne. He wanted nothing but for her to just be okay. She wasn't though. Her foot was wrapped and she had visible bruises on what Gilbert could see of her arms. Her eyes were closed, but they opened when she heard them come in.
"Hey you guys," she said, a soft smile spreading across her face. "Did someone get a picture?" she asked Diana.
"You're kidding me. That's what you're worried about?!" Diana exclaimed with a small giggle. It was still Anne.
"Are you okay?" Marilla asked. She knew it was a stupid question, but again, it was what felt right.
"I will be," Anne said, softly. "Come here." Matthew and Marilla approached the bed and Anne pulled them both into a hug. "It's still me. I'm alright."
They were joined by a doctor in navy blue scrubs. "So, I assume, you're the parents?" He asked Matthew and Marilla. They nodded. "I'm Dr. Avery. She's going to need a minor surgery just to set her ankle. It's a simple procedure. I'll be in and out in no more than a couple hours. We can do that right away and then we'll keep her until tomorrow. Then, assuming everything goes well, she can recover at home."
"Wonderful. Do what you need to do," Marilla said, looking back at Anne. The doctor left. "We'll give you some time with Diana and Gilbert before surgery. Good luck. We'll be right here when you wake up. We love you, Anne." With that, Matthew and Marilla left the room.
Gilbert walked up to her bed. "Hey, Anne-girl. You scared me," he said, softly.
"I'm never gonna hear the end of this, and I owe Josie $20," Anne muttered.
"Shh, if we don't bring it up, I'm quite sure she won't either," Diana reasoned. "She's gonna feel terrible."
"It was my own fault. I was dumb enough to do it," Anne laughed. "Ouch. No laughing until the ribs are a little better." The nurse came in and said they only had a couple minutes before the doctor would come and take Anne to surgery. "Also, Diana, when you tell everyone that I'm fine, be sure to tell them how HOT this surgeon is. WOW!" Diana laughed.
"Of course, I will," Diana said. "I'll go call Pris right now. I'll give you two a minute." Gilbert smiled a 'Thank you' to Diana and she left the room. Gilbert sat on the edge of Anne's bed.
"Don't ever scare me like that again, you hear me Anne-girl?" Gilbert said, only half joking.
"Awe, Gil," Anne said, grabbing his hand. "I'm okay? You hear me? I will be fine. I can handle a broken ankle. If it makes you feel better, you can push me around everywhere in my wheelchair.
"Okay, Anne. I love you, you know that?" Gilbert said, squeezing her hand.
"I love you too, Gilbert Blythe," Anne said. Dr. Avery walked in at that moment.
"Ready, Anne?" he asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be," she replied with a smile. Gilbert leaned over and kissed her sweetly. While he was close, she whispered, "What're you doing kissing me in front of the hot doctor?" She giggled and placed a kiss on her boyfriend's cheek. Gilbert laughed.
"Good luck, Anne-girl," he said, smiling at her. Dr. Avery wheeled her bed out of the room.
