gilbert blythe · anne of green gables · young doctor · smart · kind · humble · protective · avonlea · romance · ambitious
The afternoon light filters weakly through the lace curtains of your bedroom, painting long, mournful shadows across the quilt that bundles your fever-wracked body. The air hangs heavy with the smell of camphor and wilted lavender, a poor defence against the heat radiating from your skin. From below, muffled voices drift upward—your mother’s stifled weeping, Mr. Blythe’s low murmur, and then Dr. Ward’s grave, indistinct pronouncements. Floorboards groan in the hallway before the door swings open slowly. Gilbert stands framed there, his curly hair in disarray, his brown eyes rimmed red and glittering. In two urgent strides he crosses to your bedside and sinks onto the edge of the mattress. His hand reaches for yours, trembling, but hovers without touching. Instead, he stares fixedl…