Meanwhile, Izzy got up from her table and rushed to Felix's side. "Felix!" she screamed upon seeing the blood. "Call for Dr. Snow, too! Felix has been shot!" After the Constable was informed, the employee telephoned the doctor. The Constable arrived a few minutes later; when he looked at the shooter, he said, "Rupert Gillis. I should have known."
Upon hearing this, Izzy stood up and questioned, "Rupert Gillis?! He's the one who shot Felix?"
"He escaped from the asylum in Carmody earlier today. Other constables on the Island were notified and have been on the look-out. I had a hunch he might return to Avonlea."
From the floor, and still in pain, Felix told the Constable, "I think I know why he came back, too. I believe he did it to kill me, so he could have Izzy--my fiancée--all to himself."
"What makes you so sure?"
"He kidnaped me on New Year's Day and took me to this abandoned building in Carmody. He told me he was after Izzy."
"He almost had me, too," she added. "I saw Rupert take Felix with my own eyes. I went to Carmody the next day; he found me, grabbed my arms, and told me he was the man of my dreams. I spit in his face and tried to escape, but I couldn't; his grip was so tight on me. Fortunately, the local Constable arrived before Rupert could try anything else on me." Afterward, she said to herself, "I hope he gets it good this time."
Dr. Snow entered the hotel right then, and Izzy motioned for him to come toward her. He looked down at Felix and his bloodied hand, nearly stunned. "Let me take a look," he said, kneeling down.
Felix removed his hand from the wounded area to allow the doctor to examine the wound. "Well," he began, "you've stopped the bleeding, which is a good thing. As for the bullet, it's got to come out." He looked at one of the maids, who recently emerged from upstairs, and told her, "Will you get a room ready? I need clean sheets, towels, and any fabrics that you don't need anymore; I'll use those for bandages."
"Wait a minute; you're going to operate here?" Izzy wanted to know.
"I can't wait until morning to take him to Charlottetown. If I do wait, he'll die. I have to operate here. I'll also need some wine or whiskey, or some other beverage with a lot of alcohol."
"For what?" Felix asked, grimacing in pain again.
"To keep you calm, so you won't feel any pain."
"I can take it. Really, doctor, I can take it."
"Okay," the doctor gave in. He helped Felix toward the stairs, telling Izzy on the way, "You might want to telephone his parents. They'll want to know what's going on."
"I want to come up and help you and Felix!"
"Izzy, I know you want to be with him, but you'll be more of a help down here than you would with me. When I get done, I'll come down and let you know how it went."
"Thank you, Dr. Snow," she said. He and Felix continued on upstairs.
* * * * *
"Shot?!" Janet was on the phone with Izzy, who had just finished describing the horrible ordeal. Naturally, Janet was panicky.
"Yes, he was shot," replied Izzy, nearly breaking. "You and Alec should come." (For a month, Izzy was on a first-name basis with Felix's parents.)
"We'll be right there."
Janet hung up the phone and buried her face in her hands. Alec walked in from the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her. "What is it, dear?" he asked.
"Felix...was shot...at the hotel..." She let out a wail after that.
"We should go see him then." Cecily descended the stairs with Daniel holding her hand, and with Cecily sporting a pale, pained expression. She obviously heard the phone conversation between her mother and Izzy. "Is he okay?"
"I hope so," replied Alec. "Get the motorcar for us, will you? Your mother and I are going to go to the hotel; will you stay here with Daniel?"
Reluctantly, she said, "I suppose." She went outside, found the car, and drove it to the door. A few minutes later, a very disturbed Alec and Janet drove away to the Sands. Cecily waited for a moment, then ran upstairs to change into her riding pants. Daniel followed her up as far as her bedroom door. "What are you doing, Cecily?" he asked.
"I'm going over to the White Sands to see Felix. Meanwhile, I'm sending you to Aunt Hetty's. She and Sara and Dora can keep you company."
"I want to go with you."
"Daniel, I know you do, but you can't. Besides, I don't think Felix would want you to see him hurt. It'd be better and easier for you to stay with Aunt Hetty."
He rolled his eyes. "Alright."
Cecily walked out of her bedroom wearing an off-white knit sweater and a pair of tan riding pants. She escorted Daniel downstairs; they put on their coats and walked to Rose Cottage. Cecily knocked on the door; Sara answered it saying, "Cecily! You look like you've seen a ghost! What's wrong?"
"Felix has been shot, over at the White Sands. I'm going over there now. Will you and Aunt Hetty keep an eye on Daniel?"
"Where are Uncle Alec and Aunt Janet?"
"They just left for the Sands in the motorcar, and besides, Felicity's house is too far away. Please, Sara, will you and Aunt Hetty watch him tonight?"
"Of course. You be careful, alright?"
"I will."
Daniel and Sara went into Rose Cottage, while Cecily went to the barn to saddle up her new horse, Blaze. A couple of minutes later, she rode to the hotel as fast as Blaze's legs could take her, yet being careful at the same time.
* * * * *
"Felix, are you sure you can tolerate the pain?" Dr. Snow asked.
The two men were now occupying an empty room on the second floor of the hotel. Dr. Snow was preparing to take the bullet out of Felix's shoulder. Meanwhile, Felix was lying shirtless on the bed, hoping nothing would go wrong in the next few hours.
"I can take it. I'm sure of it," replied Felix.
"Alright then. Bite down on this, in case you have to scream." Dr. Snow handed him one of his black leather gloves to bite down on whenever he felt like screaming. Felix took it with his good hand and held it close to his mouth. Dr. Snow then proceeded to disinfect the wounded area to prevent any further infection. Afterward, he called in one of the maids to offer him assistance. When everything was ready, Felix shut his eyes and bit down on the glove.
Dr. Snow pryed open the entry wound with a retractor and asked the maid to keep it pulled open. He then took a pair of tweezers and went to look for the bullet. He looked for a minute, but couldn't find anything because of all the blood. "Can you wipe some of this away? I can't see anything."
She grabbed some cloth and began to wipe away the bloddy mess. Afterward, Dr. Snow went back in to look for the bullet. He finally found it, well into Felix's shoulder, and pulled it out as fast as he could. Felix let out a muffled grunt; the pull was obviously painful. It was similar to getting a tooth pulled at the age of seven or eight. Eventually, the pain became so great that Felix passed out. Meanwhile, Dr. Snow tied off an artery with some thread and sewed up the bullet hole. He asked the maid to clean the wounded area again before he bandaged it.
Five minutes after leaving King Farm, Alec and Janet arrived in the lobby of the White Sands. "Where is he? Where's Felix?" Janet asked frantically.
"Now, calm down, Mrs. King," Simon reassured her. "He's upstairs right now. Dr. Snow should be down soon. Why don't you two have a seat?"
As they went to sit down, Cecily entered the lobby. "Where's Felix?" she wanted to know.
"Cecily! What are you doing here?" Alec was somewhat surprised to see his youngest daughter there. "I thought we told you to stay with Daniel!"
"I took Daniel over to Rose Cottage. Sara and Aunt Hetty are looking after him. I wanted to be here for Felix."
"Oh, I see. Well, I suppose you should have a seat as well."
Cecily noticed that Izzy was still in the dining area alone. "I'm going to go talk to Izzy."
Before she could make her way over, Dr. Snow descended the stairs. Cecily motioned for Izzy to come over, so she could find out for herself if Felix was going to be alright. "How is he?" Izzy questioned.
"Felix made it through the surgery. I got the bullet out with no complications. He's to keep his arm still for two weeks to allow it to heal, and the bandage should be changed every day to prevent infection," the doctor explained.
"May I see him?" asked Izzy. She couldn't handle being away from Felix any longer.
"He passed out during surgery, but I think he'll know you're there. Go on up, Izzy."
Izzy did what any young woman in love would do; she darted up the stairs to Felix's room faster than a speeding train. Eventually, Alec, Janet, and Cecily went up as well. As they ascended the stairs, Olivia emerged from her room, shaken, scared, and downright upset. "Olivia?!" Alec questioned. "What are you doing here?"
"I arrived yesterday," she replied. "I was going to visit all of you to surprise you." She paused for a moment, then broke down saying, "I'm so scared. I couldn't leave my room; that's how afraid I was. How's Felix?"
"He's going to be fine. Dr. Snow got the bullet out." He looked at Janet and asked, "Will you take her back into her room? She's still a little shaken up."
"Of course. Come on, Olivia." Janet and Olivia went back into the latter's room, closing the door behind them.
A couple of minutes later, Izzy came out of Felix's room, telling Alec and Cecily, "Come on in. The more, the merrier."
"You go in, Cecily; I'm going to wait for your mother," Alec told his daughter.
Cecily entered the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. Felix was still asleep, and slightly more pale than he was last night. She took his lukewarm right hand and began to talk to him:
"Felix. It's me--Cess. I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I want you to know that I'm glad you're still here with us. You get better now, you hear me? You've got a wedding in a month; I don't think Izzy wants you dead. I know I don't. So, do us both a favor and wake up. Please?"
Both Cecily and Izzy waited for what seemed to be the longest time. A few minutes later, Felix squeezed Cecily's hand and opened his eyes. "Wh...wh...what happened?" he asked faintly. "Dr. Snow was operating on me and...and...and...what happened?"
"He got the bullet out," Izzy began, "but you were in so much pain that you passed out."
"Oh. Cecily, help me sit up." He pushed himself up with his good arm, while Cecily held him up and propped up pillows for his back. After he was sitting up, he asked, "Where are Mother and Father?"
"They're here. Izzy telephoned them while you were being operated on. Mother's with Aunt Olivia; Father's out in the hall, waiting for her."
Just then, Muriel and Lillian burst into the bedroom. "Oh, Felix! I'm so glad you're alright!" exclaimed Muriel.
"I'm fine; I'm going to be fine," Felix told the two older women.
"That's good to know. Can't have Isolde marry a dead man, can we?" Lillian remarked.
"Good point."
Izzy, Cecily, Muriel, and Lillian visited with Felix for a few minutes until Alec and Janet arrived. They insisted on visiting with their eldest son alone. Izzy decided to go home with Lillian and Muriel, while Cecily went across the hall to visit with Olivia, Monty, and Alicia. An hour later, Alec and Janet bid Felix a good night and went home, with Cecily following a few minutes later.
* * * * *
(Two weeks later...)
Felix had fully recovered from the gunshot wound he suffered. It had taken a gruling two weeks, but he recovered. Not only did he recover; the snow was beginning to melt as well. Plus, Olivia and her children reunited with Daniel, Felicity (now six months pregnant), and Hetty (who no longer required the use of a cane to get around). To the delight of Olivia, Hetty did not criticize the absence of Jasper this time.
There was some news from the battle front, too. Peter Craig had been injured in action during a battle in the Loire Valley and was to be sent home on an honorable discharge. He was shot twice in the left leg--once in the thigh and once in the lower leg just below the knee. Both bullets shattered the bones, and there was no way Peter would be able to continue fighting. He'd have to go home.
Izzy was over at King Farm getting fitted for her wedding dress for what seemed to be the hundredth time since she had chosen a design nearly three months earlier. "You know, in a way, I'll be glad when my wedding's over," she told Janet and Felicity.
"Oh, don't worry about it, Izzy," Felicity replied. "You'll be fine. I know I was nervous before my own wedding, yet somehow, it all seemed to pass. I mean, I was marrying Gus, and I loved him! What did I have to lose?"
"Good point."
"Now, lift your arms; I need to see if the top will fit or not with the corset on."
As Izzy lifted her arms, there was a knock at the door. Janet decided to go answer it. When she did, she was stunned to see Belle-Marie on the other side. "Belle-Marie Dean? Gracious Providence; it's been ages!"
"I know. It's not Belle-Marie Dean anymore, though. I'm Belle-Marie Arsenault now; this is my husband, Jean-Luc. He's a lawyer in Montreal." She poined to a man is his early to mid twenties with black hair, hazel eyes, and a smile that could top anyone.
"Oh, yes. Jean-Luc, it's so nice to meet you." Janet shook his hand and hugged Belle-Marie, and then invited them inside.
Felicity turned around as they entered, nearly speechless. "Belle-Marie!" She hugged her former ward and shook Jean-Luc's hand. "It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Felicity Pike."
"I'm Jean-Luc Arsenault," he said with a slightly heavy Quebec accent. "I'm Belle-Marie's husband. Who is this?" He pointed to Izzy.
"This is Izzy Pettibone," Belle-Marie told him. "She's getting married to Felicity's brother in two weeks."
"And his name?"
"Felix King."
"But I thought--"
"'Pike' is my married name," Felicity explained. "My maiden name is 'King,' like Belle-Marie's maiden name is 'Dean.'"
"Ah yes; I understand now," acknowledged Jean-Luc.
"So, Belle-Marie," Janet began, "have you heard from your brothers lately?"
"We went to see them on our way here," she replied. "Unfortunately, they won't be here for the wedding. I telephoned Callie from Moncton; she told me she'll be here for the wedding, no matter what."
"That's good to know," returned Felicity, who went back to work on Izzy's wedding dress. "Why don't you two come by my house later? You can stay with me, and you can meet my student Alice, too."
"I'd love to!" Belle-Marie exclaimed. "Anyway, we're going to visit Rose Cottage. We'll see you later, Felicity."
"You bet. Nice meeting you, Jean-Luc." The Arsenaults left soon after, and Janet continued to help Felicity with Izzy's wedding dress.
* * * * *
Cecily sat in the telegraph office alone that afternoon. She wondered if Peter would make it home in time for Felix and Izzy's wedding. She then recalled the night before he left for war, in front of Rose Cottage, when he told her he loved her, and they shared their first kiss. She was about to take one of his many letters to her out of her purse when a telegram began to come in. As she wrote the contents down, she smiled. The telegram was for Dora Keith from her brother Davey. He was currently in Winnipeg, and was on his way home, in time for Felix and Izzy's wedding. After it came in, Cecily got up and left to deliver it to Dora at Rose Cottage.
* * * * *
Felix was working hard at the White Sands, as usual. He was counting the days till Izzy would become Mrs. Felix King. Felix had never been happier; he began to envision Izzy in her wedding dress, walking down the church aisle on her father's arm, in all her radiance and elegance. The reverie was shattered for the moment when Simon Tremayne told him, "Felix, someone is here to see you."
Felix looked up and saw yet another young woman from his past--Adeline Hodgson. She still had her blonde hair, but she was much taller than she was before, nearly Felix's height. Plus, she looked like she was almost twenty-one years old. She looked at Felix in the eyes and asked, "Can we talk?"
"Sure." Felix escorted her into the dining room to one of the tables. "What's up?"
"Well, first I wanted to apologize for what I did when I was here over six years ago. Second, I wanted to see if we could try our relationship again--you know, start over, wipe the slate clean?"
"I forgive you, Adeline. Yet, a relationship between us is out of the question. I'm getting married in two weeks."
"I see." Adeline was somewhat shocked at the news. "Well, I wish you and your fiancée the best. She's a lucky woman."
"Yeah; thank you."
"I best get going."
"See you later."
"Bye." Adeline walked out of the hotel, distraught. At least for Felix, it was easier to tell her the truth right away.
"Are you okay, Felix?" Simon wanted to know.
"Yeah. I'm going to be fine," he replied. With that, he went back to work at the front desk.
* * * * *
The next evening--eight days before the wedding--Felix was finishing dinner for himself and Izzy. Alec, Janet, and Daniel went to eat at the Sands with Olivia and her children; Cecily went to visit Felicity, Alice, Belle-Marie, and Jean-Luc at the former Foundling Home. So, Felix invited Izzy over for an intimate dinner alone. They were about to sit down to eat when the phone rang. Felix went into the parlor to answer it. "Hello, King Farm....Yes, this is Felix King....Really?...Thank you for letting me know....You too....Good night."
Izzy walked into the parlor. "What is it, Felix?"
He put an arm around her waist and walked into the kitchen. "That was the Constable's office in Carmody. It seems that Rupert Gillis is to be sent to the States for an evaluation. We won't have to worry about him anymore."
"That's wonderful!"
"Tell me about it. Let's celebrate."
Izzy sat down at the table, and Felix got their supper--roast beef, mashed potatoes, and corn--away from the stove and onto the table. Izzy filled their glasses with apple cider and handed one to Felix. "To no more Rupert Gillis," she toasted. "May the specialists in the States find him nuttier than a fruitcake."
"Here, here." Felix and Izzy clinked their glasses, took a sip each, and began to eat. An hour after they ate, he walked her home.
"It's been a long month, you know?" began Izzy. "I mean, you spent half of it recovering from getting shot, plus waiting to hear what would happen to Rupert Gillis. The last month or so has been hell for us."
"Well, this next week is going to be longer," Felix returned. "We're going to be getting ready for our wedding, remember?"
"Of course I remember. We also have to clean Golden Milestone so we can move in after the honeymoon."
"What about your old house? What are you going to do about that?"
"I don't know. I know Father and Muriel intend to return to Halifax after the wedding, and Aunt Lillian's to go back to Boston. Seems like my old house is going to sit and rot."
"Why don't you give it to my sister?"
"Felicity has a home."
"I meant Cecily. Face it, Iz; she can't live at King Farm all her life, either. Maybe Sara could move in with her, too. She is going to be here for a while."
"Do you know if Sara's found Booth yet?"
"No idea."
Finally, they reached Izzy's front door. "Well, here we are. I'll see you later," said Felix. "Good night."
"Good night, Felix."
They exchanged a long kiss and hug after that. Izzy went inside, and Felix walked back to King Farm, certain of one thing. The week to come would be a long one.
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