the kennedy's daughter

nobody knew

August 3, 1963

7:30

Today was the day, the day that America dreaded, the day that Jack dreaded.

Once Jack had feed Kate, which might he brag he was pretty good at, he put her in her sky blue coat and put in one of her many headbands.

Suddenly the phone started ringing, while still holding Kate, he picked the phone up.

"Hello?"

"Mr. President the First Lady's mother is here, and she wishes to see you"

Jack's heart skipped a beat

"Ok, um I'll be right down, let me finish getting Kate ready"

"Alright Sir, I'll let her know"

"Thank you"

"No problem"

And he returned the phone back to the receiver

"You ready to meet your grandma?" Jack said looking back at Kate, who was already asleep in her car seat

He grabbed the seat and walked onto the elevator.

And once the elevator tinged open, there stood Janet, tears in her eyes, looking back at Jack.

"What happened John?, How is my girl gone?"

"She thought you knew"

"Knew what?" Janet asked angry and confused

"She fell back in January, busted her head open, her lungs had permanent damage from the water she aspirated. But you never called, nothing to check on her, she invited you to come and celebrate her birthday, you didn't come. She had to use a cannula turned all the way up, to breathe efficiently. The last six months have been hell for her, and now her hell is over." He said walking over to Jackie's casket and running his fingers along the ebony wood

At this point Janet was hysterical, she didn't know how bad it had been. Nobody told her, and now her girl was dead, and she never had anything good to say. All that was going though her head was the phone conversation that introduced her to the little girl in the car seat. She seemed so ungrateful for the little one, but now that she realized it, that little one was the beautiful spitting image of her mother. And in that moment she decided she would be there for that little girl, like she never was for her little girl.

"John?"

"Yes?" Jack said turning around

"Can I hold her?"

"Yes, of course, let me get her out"

He did so

"Here you go" he said placing Kate in Janet's arms

"What's her name?"

"Jacqueline Kate Kennedy" He said once again standing next to Jackie's casket

"Oh John, that's beautiful, and after her beautiful mother" she said looking at the baby still asleep in her arms

Suddenly lots of people rushed into the room, one coming over to Jack

"It's time" she whispered into his ear

Janet seemed to hear it and she handed Kate back to Jack, which he placed her back into her car seat, carrying her out to the motorcade that would drive behind the hearse. After  Jack, Janet, and Kate where all in the motorcade and about to drive behind the hearse, Kate started crying. Jack unbuckled her from the car seat and held her as she cried

"Hey, hey, I know, I want a cry too, but we have to put on our brave faces, okay? I love you Kate" he spoke to the little girl, forgetting that his mother-in-law was present

Quickly she stopped crying and just stared up at her daddy.

The next thing Jack knew the motorcade was slowing down in front of the church. He sighed as he looked down at Kate. As the car stopped Jack and Kate where first to get out, then Janet followed. The two walked along-side the casket up the large amount of stairs into the church, while Janet walked close behind her daughter.

He sat in the front row, looking deadly at the casket that was placed in front of him. Kate had fallen asleep at this point, and right before he was supposed to speak, she started to wake up. Which Jack was ok with because he knew she wouldn't cry. He got his cue, and started to walk up to the podium.

"I'd first like to say thank you all for coming to celebrate my wife's life, this is our daughter Jacqueline Kate. You know we planned on naming her Kate Rose, after my mother" Rose looked up surprised, and then went on back to crying

"She went through a lot before she finally passed on, in January she fell in my childhood home, right after we found out we were pregnant with this little one" he said looking down at Kate, who was wide eyed at her daddy

"Oh, she was so excited for Kate. She longed to be a mother, but she was still just to weak. She had permanent damage to her lungs, but I'm the only one that she told. She was always in pain, whether it was her head or her chest, she was always in pain. Yet she still stayed awake until one in the morning waiting for me to come home, so I could complain to her about something stupid that happened during my day. She was selfless and beautiful, and I plan to raise our little girl just like her mother wanted. Teaching her to ride horses, and to be a classy young women. Once again I thank you for coming."

He dabbed his eyes as he walked back to his seat with Kate. The rest of the service was a blur, he just stared blankly the whole time. Until he saw the pallbearers starting to carry out the casket.

He quickly got up and followed the casket, stopping on the top stair for a moment, tears in his eyes, and then continued walking.

-

The burial was pretty private. Like Jack wanted it. Janet, was still quite beside herself, so was Lee. But Jack knew he had to show no weakness, so he decided to wait till he got back. He just could bare to call anywhere "home" if Jackie wasn't there.

Right before she was lowered Jack placed a bouquet of red roses, with a note he had written earlier that day, and a picture of Kate. At this point he wanted to just collapse and cry, but he couldn't. Lee placed two pink roses in honer of her and her mother, who was on the ground at this point. She placed one hand on the casket and whispered,

"Goodbye Sis, I love you, I'll help John raise Kate, I'm so sorry" she said starting to cry even harder than before.

Jackie and Lee had a very complicated relationship as sisters, but before Jackie died Lee said something stupid, and stormed out of her birthday party, she never would have thought a week later this was where she would be.

And surprisingly Janet managed to stumble up to the casket, still extremely upset.

"Jacqueline I'm so sorry for all that I put you through, I was not a good mother to you, I really did love you, oh so much, I promise I'll be a better grandma than a mother"

And with that the casket was lowered, and that was all Jack could take. He quickly left, Kate in his arms. Jack looked down at the peaceful little girl who now had no mommy. Who would never have that person to go to for advice, who would never experience her mom getting her ready for dances, proms, or even her own wedding. She wouldn't get to experience a "mommy".

But Jack knew he would never let this little girl go, where he went she would go to. He didn't want a nanny, he could do it. He was going to RAISE his little girl.

Jack knew he could do it, with Jackie along side him, he would raise there little girl.

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Longer than usual but I just wanted to put the whole funeral in one chapter❤️❤️

-finley