Meg had awoken when Jo crept out of the room but tried to go back to sleep until she heard a low moaning that sounded like a wounded animal coming from their parents’ room. She was uneasy about the strange noise but something told her it was important to check it out right away. What Meg saw as she opened the door would forever be branded in her heart.
"Jo! What’s the matter with Beth?" cried Meg, her knees buckling under her as she caught sight of her unconscious little sister.
Jo tried her best to explain in-between sobs while trying to move Beth under the bed covers.
"She has scarlet fever and it’s all my fault," wept Jo.
"Scarlet fever? How?" Meg asked, rising on shaky feet to help Jo lift Beth so they could make her more comfortable.
"I’ll explain later but for now, please call Hannah," gasped Jo, removing Beth’s clothes and shoes.
Meg could see the seriousness of the situation, so without another word she ran downstairs to wake Hannah up.
"There, darling. It’s going to be all right," whispered Jo. Brushing Beth’s hair away from her face, Jo felt Beth’s hot skin under her hand and heard her labored, uneven breathing. As frightened and shaken as she was, Jo heard approaching footsteps and knew instinctively that it wasn’t Meg or Hannah. Remembering Beth’s strong warning, Jo jumped up, flew out the door, and slammed it shut behind her before Amy could enter the room.
"Jo, what is going on? Who’s in there? Is it Beth?" asked Amy, launching one question after another. "I heard someone crying. Jo, was that you? Your eyes are all red and swollen. Where’s Meg? Can I go in there? Is Beth sick?"
"Amy, go back to the bedroom and don’t come out 'til Meg or I say so," ordered Jo.
Amy put her hands on her hips and said stubbornly, "No! I won’t! Not until you tell me what’s going on!"
Then she tried to reach for the doorknob, which Jo was covering with her back.
"Amy! Stop being so difficult! This is for your own good," Jo croaked hoarsely. "There’s no time to explain. Get back in the bedroom now!"
"You’re not Mother! You can’t tell me what to do! I won’t stand for it! What are you trying to hide?" Amy cried, wrestling with Jo to get into the forbidden room.
Left with no choice, Jo grabbed Amy forcefully and dragged her back to their bedroom, with Amy kicking and screaming at the top of her lungs. Then to ensure that Amy did not sneak out and expose herself to the disease, Jo locked the door from the outside and put the key in her pocket.
"Let me out! This is an outrage!" Amy screamed from inside, rattling the doorknob and pounding the door with her little fists.
"Amy, please, I’ll explain everything later," Jo said more gently, "but for now, this is for your own protection."
The short distance back to their parents’ room felt extremely exhausting and dispiriting as Jo contemplated the one sister locked up like a prisoner behind her while the other sister was imprisoned in her own sick body in the room ahead of her. Thank goodness Hannah finally appeared to take over the situation.
Though her face was tired, Hannah’s eyes were bright with anxiety as she searched for Beth.
"She’s in there," Jo said, pointing to her parents’ room, "and I’ve put her under the covers. She’s burning up, Hannah."
"I’ve called for Dr. Bangs," Meg told them as they entered the room together.
Wiping a tear with one large hand, Hannah put the other on Beth’s red, burning face, saying, "Until he comes, bring all the towels you can find and fill all the basins with cold water. We need to bring the fever down. Hurry, girls, go now!"
After the girls had taken numerous trips upstairs to bring cold water to the bedroom, Dr. Bangs finally arrived. He sent the girls out of the room but allowed Hannah to remain.
Exhausted and overwhelmed with guilt, Meg and Jo stood nearby, waiting for the latest news about Beth’s condition.
"I take full responsibility," whispered Jo. "I should have gone. I wasn’t even feeling sick, just lazy."
Meg shook her head and said, "No, the blame is on me since Mother left me in charge, which means I should have been the one to visit the Hummels, not Beth."
"Beth said the baby died of the fever, so the other children must have it too. I wonder how they are doing," Jo asked worriedly.
"Scarlet fever is infectious and spreads rapidly. You and I are immune, but what about Amy?" Meg looked toward their closed bedroom door. Amy had either given up or gone back to bed, but all was quiet from that part of the house.
"Meg? Jo?" Dr. Bangs came out from their parents’ room with a long, weary face.
"How is she, Doctor?" asked Meg, glancing at Hannah, who stood behind the doctor with her head lowered.
"Not too good, I’m afraid," the doctor said sadly. "This fever strikes quickly and although all of you did a fine job trying to keep her body temperature cool, the illness had already taken over."
Jo felt the room spinning as she staggered against the wall for support.
"Should we send for Mother?" Meg asked in a shaking voice.
"Not yet," said Hannah. "We won’t know how the little angel is until the morning, will we, Dr. Bangs?"
"That’s right," said Dr. Bangs. "I’ve given her some medicine to reduce the fever and I’ll return the first thing in the morning to check up on her. Meanwhile," he added as he headed downstairs, "all of you should try to get some rest."
"Dr. Bangs," called Jo, "the Hummel children have the fever, too. That’s where Beth got it from."
"I know, Jo. I’m just going there now," the doctor replied and smiled kindly. "I’ll let you know how they are."
Hannah followed him down, noting his instructions about what to do in an emergency. Meg and Jo went back inside to Beth, who was still red all over but now had a rash all over her face.
Her uneven breathing and the pain on her face broke their hearts.
"Oh, Beth. I’m so sorry," cried Meg, holding onto one of Beth’s hands.
"Beth, please get better. I promise not to be so selfish anymore. I’ll visit the Hummels every day from now on. Just get better," Jo said, her voice breaking with emotion.
They sat there like that for the whole night, neither wanting to leave their sister’s side. As the sun rose, Beth’s condition did not change, forcing them to face the unbearable question they had tried to avoid all night. With red-rimmed eyes, Jo turned to her sister and asked in a trembling voice, "What are we going to do, Meg, if our little Beth dies?"