She opened her eyes to find herself back in her bedroom in the house in Concord. Had it all been just a dream, then? It had lasted so long, and had seemed so real, she was sure it had been - but was she wrong?

The summer sun streamed through her bedroom window and fell across her sheets, and the room looked exactly as it had that night she'd come to bed after her dinner date with Fritz.

Had that really been almost two years ago? She got out of bed and went to the kitchen. Mrs. March glanced up and smiled at her.

"Morning, Jo."

"Morning, Mom." Jo poured herself a cup of coffee, fixed herself some cereal, and then sat down at the table. She was about halfway finished eating when Beth arrived, able to get around well enough but still pale and thin, giving her mother and sister a tired smile.

"Here's some coffee for you." Mrs. March poured the coffee, added two sugars and two creams, just the way Beth liked it, and sat it in front of her youngest daughter. Jo fixed a bowl of cereal for Beth and sat it in front of her.

"Thank you both," said Beth. "I think maybe I can start doing some things for myself from now on."

"I just don't want you to take on too much, too soon," said Mrs. March with a worried frown.

Jo was thrilled to see her mother and sister again, as she'd spent such a long time in that other life this time, she'd begun to accept it was hers for good.

Or had it all been merely a dream, after all?

The others - Mrs. Weber, Renate, Frieda, Paul, Julia, Sybille, Dieter - most especially Dieter - had seemed so real to her, as real as her mother and Beth were now. Had she dreamed of real people? Had they all actually existed in another time and place?

"I'd like to go to Gloucester today." Beth's voice cut into her thoughts. "It's just so peaceful on the shore. I love to watch the little birds swooping and dipping in the sky, and the crashing of the waves is so soothing."

"Great idea!" said Jo. "Will you take us, Mom?"

"Oh, no, dear. I promised Meg I'd help her with the twins today," said Mrs. March. "But you can use the car. I'll just call Meg to pick me up."

"Thanks!" Jo said, and her sister smiled. It had been so long since Jo had been alone with her younger sister she couldn't even remember the last time. She swallowed a lump in her throat as she realized that if it hadn't been for the heart donor, there may never have even been the opportunity of today.

The sisters finished breakfast, then put on their swimsuits with their shorts and shirts over them so they wouldn't have to change clothes on the beach. They packed sandwiches and snacks, towels, and suntan lotion. Then they got into Mrs. March's car, and Jo got onto the interstate going northeast. She sang along with the Taylor Swift CD as she drove.

It was so good to hear twenty-first century music again.

She found a nice spot on the beach and parked. The sky was a beautiful light blue, and the air smelled of brine. White sand stretched as far as the eye could see, with patches of sea reeds dotting the landscape every few feet.

Jo and Beth found a nice location and spread their quilt. The soft cadence of a rhythmic beat came from a CD player a few feet away from them. Jo couldn't quite make out the song lyrics. A young couple of about their age sat on the quilt beside it. The boy was well built, with short brown hair and a tan. The girl was slight and had sunflower blonde hair. She had a hearing aid in one ear. She smiled as Jo and Beth approached.

Self-conscious of her surgical scars, Beth wore a modest one-piece swimsuit. Uncomfortable with her body as always, Jo did as well. The two slathered suntan lotion all over their bodies and lay down to work on their tans.

Jo was almost asleep when she noticed a delicious aroma wafting on the air, which made her stomach growl. She rolled over to see the other couple cooking on a spit.

"That sure smells good," Beth remarked.

"We'll get out the sandwiches in a little while," said Jo, her mouth watering.

"I'm going to look for sea shells," said Beth. "Are you coming?"

"Sure," said Jo. The two of them walked along the shore in their bare feet, letting the wet sand ooze between their toes, collecting interesting shells and dropping them into the sack they'd brought along for that purpose.

At last Jo estimated they'd walked long enough.

"Come on, let's go back," she said to her sister.

Beth sighed, gazing longingly into the sack of shells. "All right."

They made their way back to where they'd been and were in the process of sitting on their quilt when the young blonde walked over to them carrying two paper plates, both piled high with steaming chicken.

"We thought you might like to share our cook-out," she said.

"Oh, we would! Thank you!" said Jo.

Beth smiled. "Thanks."

"I'm Daisy Kolchin, and that's my friend, Ryan Walker-Lane." The blonde nodded toward the young man, who was walking toward them.

"I'm Jo March, and this is my sister Beth," said Jo.

"Do you live nearby?" asked Daisy. "I don't remember ever seeing you here before."

"We live in Concord," Jo told her. "Where do you live?"

"We both live right around here," said Daisy. "We come to the beach all the time, even in the winter."

Beth smiled. "Lucky you! We usually only come a few times in the summer. This is our first time this year. I had a heart transplant a couple of months ago, and I only now feel strong enough to venture out."

Daisy's eyes widened in surprise. "That sounds serious! Well, I'm glad your transplant was a success and your recovery seems to be going well."

Ryan spoke for the first time. "Have you thought about trying to find out who the donor was so you can thank his or her family?"