Sarah is the last to arrive at the hospital, scared and breathless, after a frantic phone call from Alison to "Come to the hospital, Sarah. It's Cosima."
She arrives, yells at the nurse to find the proper room, and runs in. Cosima is lying on the hospital bed, eyes closed. Alison is there, fussing over the sheets on Cosima's bed, anything to distract her from the fact her sister is on the bed. Donnie is sitting on one of those hard plastic chairs, eyes vacant. But it's Felix's expression that wrench's her heart the most, as she sees him sitting beside Cosima, holding her hand. Two of her favourite siblings, bonded together in the strangest of ways. Sarah doesn't know where Helena is, but that is at the least of her mind.
Sarah chokes on a sob, alerting Alison, who guides Sarah to Cosima.
"The doctors say.." Alison swallows the lump in her throat. Her lips tremble slightly and her eyes fill with tears. "They say she's not going to last much longer. We've all said our goodbye's, but I think she's waiting for you."
Sarah's eyes fill immediately as well, but a mixture of anger washes over her, too. She finally gets sisters, and now her favourite one is being ripped away from her. She wonders what she's done to deserve this. "No," she whispers. "This cannot bloody well be happening."
Alison uncharacteristically squeezes her hand. "She's suffering, Sarah. We can't wish for anything else."
Sarah sits down on Cosima's other side and takes her hand. Felix is still stroking Cosima's palm. "Did you want me to go?"
Sarah shakes her head. "Has Delphine come?"
Donnie, silent until now, speaks up. "She said goodbye, but left. I don't think she could handle it."
Cosima stirs, and slowly opens her eyes, smiling slightly at everyone.
"Whose dying?" she jokes.
Sarah closes her eyes, and Cosima turns her head to look at Sarah.
"Remember what I said to you that night in bed?" she asked.
Sarah nods, remembering their entwined hands, and Cosima's "You'll be fine. You just have to keep moving forward."
"I mean it," Cosima says gently. "You'll all be fine."
"No, we won't," Sarah says. "Cos, you're the glue that holds us together."
"I'll still be with you all," Cosima says, her eyes locking with Alison's, then with Felix's, and than finally, back to Sarah.
"Will you tell Kira that Auntie Cosima loves her?"
Sarah nods, frantically wiping her eyes on her shirt. "I'll tell her."
"I love you so much, Sarah. My life would have been so different if you hadn't come into it three years ago." Cosima manages to smile. Sarah squeezes her hand, and kisses Cosima on the cheek.
"I love you so much too," she manages to get out, before laying her head on Cosima's stomach. Felix reaches over and strokes her hair.
In a few minutes, after some laboured breathing, she is gone. Suddenly. Just like that.
Alison gasps, and collapses on the floor, Donnie worriedly helping her to an empty chair. Felix and Sarah hold each other in a death grip, both weeping, not letting go of each other. It happened suddenly, and yet felt like an eternity at the same time, too.
The funeral happens on a sunny day. "Fucking irony," Sarah mutters as she wakes up to the warmth on her bed, a trio of sisters lying beside her. A day like today should be rainy. Her words waken Alison, who has fallen asleep beside her, moments of vulnerability becoming more apparent. On her other side, Helena is still asleep.
"It's Cosima," Alison says. "She's the sunshine."
Sarah groans. "I don't think I can do today."
Alison faces her, and puts a hand to Sarah's face, cupping it gently. Her 'Mom' persona always seems to shine through at the right time.
"We are all going through this, Sarah. And we will get through this together, I promise you that."
Sarah cries. "What if we can't?"
Alison tears up, too. "We will. It will be hard, but we will."
Sarah looks at Kira, cuddled up against her Uncle Felix. Felix's eyes are open, but his eyes look sad and lost. Her heart breaks for all of them.
They bury their sister that morning, at noon. One of Sarah's hands grips Felix's, the other, Kira's.
"Did Auntie Cosima know I loved her too, mommy?" Kira asks.
"Darling girl, of course she did. You brought her so much sunshine." Sarah says, braving a smile for Kira's sake.
Kira smiles too. "It was her that was the sunshine though." Her smile fades a bit.
"I'll miss her."
"We all will, monkey." Sarah squeezes Kira's hand. "But we'll carry her in our hearts forever, and we will be fine again."
Kira nods, and Sarah excuses herself as Kira takes Felix's hand. What she didn't tell Kira was that she would miss Cosima every day for the rest of her life.
Sarah moves towards Helena and Alison, standing together with Donny and Delphine. The speeches have been given, and the well-wishers have started to pay their respects. Alison and Helena envelop her into a hug.
"Have I ever told you that I love you two?" Sarah says tearfully.
"We love you too, seestra," Helena says, and Alison nods in agreement.
The three stand together, hand-in-hand, ready to face the next part of their lives, together. They will be okay, just like Cosima said they would.