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Cathy, Amy, Meg and Jo, and Marmee take turns in shifts, making sure that Beth is as comfortable as she can be. When it is Jo's turn, Cathy decided to join due to avoid Wayne's anger since she once more extended the wedding date cause of Beth's condition. When they entered, Beth is very weak, barely able to hold her head up. Jo, herself couldn't find the energy as she whispered to Beth, "Don't go quietly, fight! Please fight to the end, be LOUD! Don't just quietly go away!"

Jo is sitting watch, and drops off to sleep, her head on the bed, her hand grasping Beth's. Beth opens her eyes and looks down at Jo and smiles. She closes her eyes again and drifts away. Cathy watches all this from the door, her mind pulling strings and connecting ways and ways to get everyone cheerful once more.

Taking the once that Jo was asleep and unconscious. Cathy haste to her feet carefully carried Jo onto the other bed and tuck her older sister in. Beth watch this and the moment she made eye contact with Catherine, the older got to her knee before her. Carefully tugging Beth's hair behind her ear and out of view.

"Bes, my sister. Please don't leave me," Cathy's voice was groggy from all the yelling and crying that happened for a whole week straight, and now here in front of Beth, she was fragile and pleading with everything not to take her sister away from her. "I talked with Wayne, he'll take you to a doctor. A-And we'll- "

"Cathy," Catharine imminently quietens down when Beth calls for her, the girl reaches out to caress Catherine's broken face. "You shouldn't. I'll be fine, it'll stop hurting soon." Catherine refuses to look at the girl, she doesn't what the pale and weak Beth to taint the perfect beautiful picture she had of her sister Beth, but she also didn't want to lose her.

"Come to Paris, please. The doctor will take the pain away," Catherine cried into Beth's hand, leaning into her touch. "He's the best! Hold on longer." / "I don't think I can. I'm tired." Those words come out made Catherine's breathing tremble, as she leans to bury her face into Beth's shoulder.

"You remember our promise right?" Beth asked as she comforted her older sister. Catherin shakes her head in the hold, her breathing getting unstable from heartbreak, "How can I promise such when you won't be beside me? I wished I never left. I should care for you more."

"Things happen for a reason," Beth took a deep breath, the pain was worsening, "And I did my best. I love you." For that 40 seconds of silence, the two sisters felt different things. One had a smile, finally feeling free while the other felt shattered when each second the heartbeat become faint to her ears.

"I love you too, Beth."

●・○・●・○・●

Jo jerks awake to find Beth gone even though Catherine wasn't there - she goes downstairs and sees Marmee there. Jo hoped so much that this was history repeating itself like the day on Christmas but when Jo looks at Marmee, and her mother, for the first time in Jo's life, breaks.

Jo becomes the parent at that moment, comforting her mother, who is trapped in the unimaginable pain of losing a child. The March family: Mother and Father and Jo, Meg, Amy, Fred, and John with their arms around each other, and Hannah. They have all gathered to lay their Beth to rest on an impossibly beautiful day.

Catherine couldn't bare to see her sister being buried, so she stood far under the shade and kept her eyes on the bright skies. Holding a pale smile on her face while others broke into tears. Catharine had fought with Wayne that morning but she promised Beth to be happy so she kept true to her expression.

Laurie too was far and out of sight; he didn't dare to stand close to the grieving family. He watched in concern at Catherine. He had heard from Hannah that Catherine was the last to be with Beth, the last to listen and talk to her.

He wondered if he should be there to give her his shoulder. As much as Catherine held a faint smile, he knew that she was breaking into pieces faster than anyone else. But he couldn't when the memory of that night, they fought, said words they didn't mean. And broke each other's hearts.

The party walks away, each with its pain. Jo stays, unable to leave Beth's side, even in death. Meg makes to go approach her - but John pulls Meg closer, and she is grateful to him, grateful that she married this man who can be there for her.

Catherine walked up to Jo when everyone left them two. Seeing the picture of Beth so innocent and smiling almost broke her promise of being happy. Laying down on the ground beside Jo, she pulled the sister in her arm, being silent as no words were spoken.

Jo cries the hardest she ever had. She cannot comprehend how the world keeps spinning when Beth is gone. We go from the emptiness of the grief to... While Jo had headed back home, Catherine went to Laurence instead. She knew Laurie wouldn't be there as that kind soul would grieve with the March but she knew, Mr. Laurence wouldn't be there.

When she entered, as expected Mr. Laurence was curled off against the piano Beth loved to play. Dreadful, depressed, and crying. Catherine was never great at comfort; she was used to holding everything in instead. So, Catherine walked up to him, sat beside him, and right before the piano. Staring at it hard.

Catherine indeed taught Beth how to play and introduce music. But they played very differently. Catherine stared hard as her mind tried to recap Beth's movement, how her finger played the keys and steps. She carefully placed her finger in the right keys and played the music Beth so loved to play every day at least once. The sound of the piano broke Mr. Laurence's tears, he didn't look up but the melody and tune were so in sync with Beth's. He smiled through the pain as the melody ease his heartache.

Finally, looking up. There Catherine was focused on the piano, forcing her mind to remind her of her beloved sister despite how much it hurt her. Mr. Laurence caught the tears flowing down Catherine's cheek but she kept her smile on.

Glancing at the piano, Mr. Laurence reminisced about this tune. The same melody Beth played that first day she came to his manor. He remembered Catherine humming along to it since Catherine comforted him with music. Mr. Laurence tried his best and copied the humming similar to Catherine, despite his broken and raspy hum.

Catherine burst laughing but never stopped playing. An honest smile this time as it left-right. Beth was here with them through her songs. Everything will be fine, she has to trust that.

𝕄𝕪 𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖, 𝕄𝕪 𝕃𝕚𝕗𝕖 - Theodore Laurence ✅Kde žijí příběhy. Začni objevovat