𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥 (𝐆𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐁𝐥𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐞)

xxii.

Thank you all for being so patient with me as I took a much needed break.

I highly recommend you listen to this song while reading! It's the song that Eleanor hums to Mary, it'll give you a better idea of the pure raw emotion this chapter demonstrates. 

Now, onto the story!

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The sound of paper being pulled up made Eleanor glance up from her book, smiling as she seen Diana hanging up the first ever page of the Avonlea school news report.

Miss Stacey had finally finished fixing the printing press, and the students were quick to jump on the opportunity to use it.

"Eleanor, wouldn't you like to come see it?" Tilly asked as she waved the girl over.

Eleanor nodded and she stood, gently closing her book before walking to the front of the classroom with her peers and printing press.

"It's just like magic." Moody chuckled as his friends laughed along with him.

"Farmers celebrate new...Gilbert." Diana read aloud, her voice whittled out as she read aloud the first line.

"Again Ruby?" Diana sighed.

"Don't look at me like that! I'm preoccupied...why isn't he here?" Ruby whined as the others laughed.

"He went to fetch the Charlottetown doctor, Bash's wife has gotten worse in her illness." Anne stated from beside Eleanor, making her jump slightly as the girl didn't realize she was standing beside her.

Ruby sniffled and wiped her face, a smear of black ink from the printer smudged across her face.

"Oh good lord you don't even know that colored woman!" Josephine scoffed.

"Mary, is a smart lovely woman. But you'd know that if you spoke two words to her." Eleanor hissed.

"Gilbert is so heroic!" Ruby swooned.

"Here Ruby, for your poor eyes." Moody handed the weeping girl a small white hand cloth.

The girls "ooh'd" as Moody's cheeks grew red, he crept back to his spot beside his friend.

"Are you taking notice of this Diana? Cause I certainly am." Josephine smirked as she pointed towards Moody and Ruby.

"It's true...I am beautiful when I cry! Or so I've been told..." Ruby sniffled as she tried to hand the hanker-chief back to Moody.

"You should keep it if you'd like." Moody smiled with a shrug.

Anne and Eleanor glanced at each other, a sly smile on their face as they giggled.

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"I-I don't understand...there has to be something you can do-" Bash's voice faded as Eleanor gently shut the door to Mary and Bash's bedroom. 

She gently crept over and sat down on Mary's bed, it squeaked as she let out a small sigh. Her hand snaked over and grabbed Mary's, her thumb caressing the back on her hand.

"Can you explain more on what he said I had? Sepsis?" Mary asked.

"Sepsis...is an infection." Eleanor tried to put on a brave face as she explained.

"Ah...I was worried about that, it's not contagious is it?" Mary asked as she stared at their locked hands.

"No...we'll be fine we can't catch it from you." Eleanor shook her head.