First name terms

23- "She"

Tangled among the bed covers was Gilbert Blythe, sleeping soundly. His messy curls were poking from under his pillow, which was covering his head. Everything was peaceful as the sun rays peeked from the curtains...However, the calmness wouldn't last very long.

He regained consciousness when someone started pinching his nose and forcefully opened his eyes. He groaned in annoyance, shifting to his side, which was of no use since he felt a small body climbing up his back.

-Morning!- she babbled- Open your eyes!- she tried to say

-Dells, I'm sleeping.

-Please...Let's play!

-Why don't we go play with Mommy? Doesn't that sound fun?

Without even putting a shirt on, he went to find Mary, determined to continue sleeping as soon as he left her with her. He wandered around the house, his hair messier than ever, trying to find his family. Hearing Bash's voice in the kitchen, he headed there, still trying to convince Delly that playing with her mother would be much more fun than spending time with him.

-Mary, a little girl here wants to play wi...-he started saying playfully, until he spotted someone- Heey Shirley, good morning

-Morning- she smiled brightly, a light blush creeping up her cheeks at the sight of the half naked boy.

-What are you doing here?

-I came to talk to you, but you were asleep.

-Hello, princess- Mary walked towards Gilbert, taking the girl from his arms.

-This little girl wanted to play with you- he poked Delly's belly, tickling her a little bit- Can you stay with her?

-Of course, you two go.

Dragging him towards his room, a very energetic Anne invited him to a sleepover at Diana's, to which Cole would attend too. She wasn't really inviting him, she was just announcing that he would be going, since it had been arranged as a farewell event for him.

Gilbert, already lying on his bed, answered with an "uh-huh" to every question, even though he was clearly not paying attention. He was trying to follow her train of thought, but he wasn't able to escape the comforts of his bed, so he slowly lost consciousness.
Meanwhile, Anne paced around the room, exploring everything thoroughly. She did that every single time they talked in his room while he was lying in bed, but it somehow never got old. She always noticed something new, and this time was no exception.

-...so that way, we can stay there until the 31st in the morning, that same night we have New year's eve, then on January 1st you can spend some time with Bash, Mary and Delly. Well, the next day we all go to the airport to say goodbye... Are you okay with it?- she asked, going through the pages of a book called "When breath becomes air"-...Blythe...Did you fall asl...? Oh, yes.

She looked behind her and saw the boy with his legs spread across the bed, his eyes closed as his chest moved up and down rhythmically. Biting back a smile, she rolled her eyes and continued inspecting the book.

-"At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade's worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated."... Sounds tragical... I love it- she read the description aloud before putting it back on the shelf.

Among the books, she found a navy blue notebook. She wasn't going to read it, because it was none of her business...but...a little note fell from inside it and onto the floor. Of course, that sparked curiosity inside her, which was far too strong to fight. She crouched down to pay a look at the folded piece of paper. "Blythe," she read. 'Is that my handwriting?'...As she read the end of the note, she confirmed her theory. "Sincerely, Annie aka Shirrrllsss".