Carrots Are The Best Vegetables

Chapter Two

She awoke in a familiar room... well, it should've been familiar, considering it was her room... but there were new features added since she'd left for Gilbert's. A blanket draping over her like a curtain, a full glass of water placed on her bureau, and a chair placed a foot away from her bed, which came with a sleeping Gilbert Blythe.

She was surprised that Marilla or Matthew wasn't snoozing next to her, but it was calming to see Gilbert, because he always seemed to gift her a sense of normality, so it allowed her to put her past behind her.

As she attempted to sit up to look outside at the beautiful, blue, cloudy sky she moaned in pain, which immediately awoke Gilbert with a fright, but then a smile. His face almost looked as if he were sick, with its pale features and worried eyes. "Anne."

"Gilbert..." Anne groaned. Her head made it feel like she was about to pass out once again, and Gilbert's eyes piercing through her didn't help. "Where... what happened?" Anne moaned, as pain pelted through seemingly everywhere in her body.

"You don't remember?" Gilbert asked with his normally smug expression, except this time, it was concerned, and that almost eased the pain that Anne was being dragged through.

"No? I just remember your face... I was looking at you, and then it all went black." Anne squinted her eyes, as if trying to remember anything physically hurt her. Gilbert sighed, and then opened his lips.

"You were shot, Anne. I found you on my yard, bleeding... Sebastian and I carried you inside, and Sebastian went to get the town doctor." Gilbert was purposely looking out at the window, looking at Jerry feed the horses in the born as he continued with such a dry voice that it could've emerged from a corpse.

"I put you on the sofa in the den, and tried to stop the blood, but then... you moved, and then you passed out... eventually Sebastian came back, and the actual doctor helped you." Gilbert explained with a disappointed expression. He couldn't even save Anne, how did he ever expect to be an actual doctor? "Anne... I'm so sorry that I couldn't help you..." Gilbert replied, and he now looked directly at her, and at the blood stain on her night-gown.

"Gilbert, you did everything you could. You kept me alive until the doctor arrived, did you not?" Anne asked with a small smile. Her freckles seemed to glow in the sunlight laying on her bed next to her, and her hair literally resembled fire.

"Yes, but-"

"But what? If it weren't for you, Billy would have murdered me." Anne covered her mouth, but it was too late. Gilbert had heard it. And he looked confused, as if she misspoke.

"Billy? Billy Andrews?" Gilbert asked, suddenly rising to his feet and looking out the window, like Billy would be there with his rifle. "Anne, he did this to you?" Gilbert asked before inching closer to Anne and sitting at the foot of Anne's bed. "Anne. Did Billy do this to you?"

Anne hesitated, until Gilbert carefully placed her hand in his, trying to reassure the frightened girl. "Anne. It's okay, but you need to tell me who did this. Please." Gilbert asked again with a soft voice.

"It... it was Billy. He was mad at me... I don't know why, but..." Anne began to break down into tears, and hide her head in her knees, only for Gilbert to squeeze her hand slightly, as if he were speaking to Anne.

Her ginger braids barely resembled braids anymore, and just looked like two strands of hair, but Gilbert didn't mind as Anne cried to herself in her sheets, while Gilbert sat there.

That's why Anne appreciated Gilbert so much. He didn't find the need to fill their seconds together with useless chatter, or boring conversation. He was just there, comforting her whenever she needed it. He wasn't like Ruby, or Diana, not that Anne didn't love them, they just weren't as mature as Gilbert.

"Anne, it's okay. I'm here." Gilbert quipped, before realizing what he had said. Anen looked up, and wiped her sleeve across her face to get rid of the tears that stained her pale, clammy skin.

"How long has it been? Since I blacked out, I mean." Anne asked. There were exams she had to catch up on, and there was that project that Anne and Gilbert still had to work on.

"A day and a half." Gilbert answered, and began to sit back in his chair. He was furious, and he would have to let Marilla and Matthew know that it was Billy, but right now he needed to comfort Anne, since she looked like she'd seen a ghost.

"Oh no, I'll have so much work to do when I return to school! We should begin to work on the math project for Ms. Stacy, She'll be disappointed if I return with nothing." Anne realized, as Gilbert chuckled to himself. Only Anne would be shot, and then a day later worry about school-work.

"Anne, you should rest right now. Matthew and Marilla are out getting medicine for you, they should be back by twilight." Gilbert scolded slightly, and eventually squeezed her hand again before removing his.

"No, I have to work on my school work. If I want to be back next week, then I have to complete the work, or I'll be far behind the rest of the class." Anne explained and began to reach for her bag, before a shot of pain shot through her side, causing her to cry out and sit back down.

"Anne! You have to rest." Gilbert gently pushed Anne back down, and grabbed her books and board for her. The small black-board was still cracked from the time that Anne had smacked Gilbert with it, which caused him to smile a bit before giving it to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I just need to get this done." Anne was breathing through her teeth, so she was clearly in pain, but was too generous to admit it to Gilbert, who already looked worried enough.

"Anne, you have to stay in bed. I don't think you'll be able to go back to school by the end of the week." It was Wednesday, and Anne expected to be back by Friday. She expected too much of herself, and it would end up hurting her.

"No, there are exams coming up, and if I ever want to be a teacher, I have to pass the-"

"I'll make you a deal. If I bring your school-work home every day, will you stay in bed?" Gilbert offered with a smirk. Anne lolled it over in her head before nodding slightly, and taking her book from Gilbert, who grabbed his, because he knew Anne would be like this, so he brought his school-work as well.

"Okay, so... long division. The first problem is thirty two divided by six." Anne started, and grabbed a stick of chalk from her buera, then started to write formulas on it, before Gilbert followed; but he was looking a little more at Anne's freckled, bruised face than the chalkboard, and for once, they both felt like they were safe.