Author's Note: Hello hello! This should be quick and fairly painless chapter featuring Jessie! However, this will be the end of Jessie's story. She was important to the narrative but she's done in this story after this chapter. Please enjoy.

Jessie pulled at the loose threads in her jeans anxiously as she sat inside her car staring at the entrance of Carol's bakery. Tonight was a special night.

Every other Saturday Carol closed the bakery a few hours earlier, pushed the tables and chairs into the corner and turned her modest bakery into a meditation sanctuary.

Carol helped lead the meditation along with a man named Morgan Jones.

It was a fairly new occurrence. It was birthed after the shooting and it was mostly parents of students attended. They practiced meditation and even did some Tai Chi all before sharing some of Carol's culinary creations.

Jessie had always wanted to come to the meetings. She wanted to find the same sense of community and peace they had seemed to have found. But people were unforgiving and with Ron gone the only person to be mad at, was her.

She saw her chance to go in when Carol came outside with a bag of trash for the dump. Jessie quickly unbuckled herself and told Sam to stay put while she followed behind Carol.

"Carol," Jessie said quietly and Carol hurled the trash into the bin, "uh, hi- Carol." Jessie said a little louder and Carol turned to face her.

"Hello Jessie. Are you going to join us today?" She asked and Jessie was embarrassed to find out that Carol seemed to know about her sitting in her car during the meetings.

"No I don't think so..I was just getting ready to leave." Jessie sighed and Carol caught Jessie's arm in her hand.

"Is everything okay? With you, with Sam?" Carol asked and Jessie felt her eyes burn with tears. She looked over to her car where Sam was looking at them with his face pressed against the window.

"Not so good I guess. You know I was surprised you two stayed here after everything." Carol said bluntly and Jessie felt the sting of what she thought was Carol's rejection. She knew she shouldn't have come here. Even so, Jessie felt this was her last opportunity to get help.

"He's doing well- considering.." Jessie said quietly and Carol's softened stare encouraged her, "He sometimes still asks about Ron. I don't think he really understand what happened." Jessie bitterly smiled up at the night sky and shook her head. "You know what I realize? This is his first major death. All his grandparents are still alive and even Pete's great-grands are still around."

"But you. You're not doing okay?" Carol surmised and Jessie nodded and pulled at the sleeves of her sweatshirt to wipe her tears away. "Why did you stay Jessie? After everything don't you just want something different?"

"I didn't want to change too much in Sam's life. Between Ron and his dad leaving, I didn't think it would be wise."

"I see you around town Jessie. You move in and out of places quickly to avoid being seen by anyone. You look like the walking dead wherever you go. It's like you've died yourself. Now tell me is that good for Sam?"

Jessie anxiously shifted on her feet and shook her head. She wasn't sure what she wanted from this conversation and now she desperately wished she'd never initiated it.

"Did I ever tell you how my daughter Sophia died?" Carol smiled as she stared out into the darkness of the parking lot, mustering up the courage to talk about her daughter. "Oh she was so sweet. She loved baking with me and would sing little songs all day. She was absolutely perfect because she was mine." Carol's smile dropped and Jessie could see a bit of darkness come over her. She closed her eyes and the smile came back.

"We tried so hard for a baby, I was afraid that maybe I waited too long. But then we had Sophia and she was an absolute angel. And there was a time when she was first born that Ed was on his best behavior. I really thought that fatherhood had changed him. But that man was always a wolf in sheep's clothing." She laughed bitterly at the memory and Jessie took a chance and reached out to hold Carol's hand. Carol smiled and held her hand a little tighter.

"You don't have to tell me." Jessie insisted and Carol nodded her head. Of course she knew that but something told Carol if she didn't tell Jessie things would never change for the grieving mom.

"It's nothing too dramatic. She fell at the playground one day. A freak accident I guess, and she hit her head. She was in a coma for a month and then all the money ran out. Ed's patience went long before that. I got to hold her when they took her off life support. That's the same day Ed left me."

"I'm so sorry." Jessie gasped and Carol's eyes misted over as she waved her hand.

"I've made my peace with it."

"How?" Jessie asked desperately as her tears came down violently.

"I did some stupid shit first. I drank and smoked, I got mad at everyone- especially myself. And then one day I heard Sophia singing. It sounds crazy but I heard my baby singing. So I got it together. I cut the bullshit. I sold the house that was more like a memorial than anything and I used the money to open my bakery. And yes there are some days I can barely get out of bed because I wish I could have one more day with her. Just one more song. I had friends who helped me, some doctors too," Carol let out a laugh and shook her head, " I needed to become someone my daughter would be proud to call mom."

Carol let the woman sob for a moment longer before grabbing her face gently.

"Don't give up on yourself." Carol said sternly and Jessie held back more tears. Jessie wasn't sure it would be possible to ever be okay but she wanted to believe.

"Carol? Everything okay?"

Both women turned to see Morgan approaching them with Rick standing in the doorway. Jessie felt her breath catch. She pulled away from Carol and considered making a run for the car. It was one thing to talk to Carol but to face Morgan and Rick- too men who were victims of her son's anger was something she wasn't sure her heart could take.

"Jessie wait." Carol said as Jessie slipped away from her only to run into Morgan. He held her arms in his hands and gave her a slight smile.

"It's okay. You can come in." Morgan insisted and Jessie broke down in tears. She cried harder than she had these past few months. She was not ready to face the man whose son was killed by her son. She didn't understand how he got out of bed everyday- how he breathed everyday.

"I'm sorry." Jessie cried and Morgan released her arms and stared at her quietly. Through her tears she could have sworn she saw compassion on his face. Gentleness she never thought she would experience from him again.

"Jessie you were always welcome to join us. I always hoped you would." Morgan admitted and Jessie turned away from him. "You're allowed to grieve too."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Jessie mumbled through her tears and Morgan sighed.

"What good would being angry do? Being angry won't bring back Duane, it won't bring back Ron. It can't take back what he did to Carl."

"Morgan has been moving on the best he can. He honors the memory of Duane in every way he can while still living." Carol said and Jessie looked over to the doorway where Rick still watched on worryingly. "He's moving on too. Him and Carl are living. Don't you and Sam deserve that chance too?" Carol said gently and she turned to Morgan.

"I'm sorry." She whispered as she sprinted to her car, ignoring the calls of Carol and Morgan.

"Mom?" Sam whispered when Jessie slammed the door and Jessie gave him a watery smile.

She pulled away from the bakery as Carol and Morgan joined Rick at the front of the shop. She gave them one last look before pulling away.

Two weeks later when Morgan came to the bakery to set up for the meeting Carol greeted him with a smile and his favorite muffin.

"Did you get one too?" Carol asked as she handed Morgan the large blueberry muffin. He thanked her and produced a white envelope from his back pocket.

"Read yours yet?" Morgan asked and Carol shook her head. "I thought I'd wait to read it with you too."

They both turned and Rick came through the front door another white envelope in his hand.

"I guess you guys already know what I'm going to ask." Rick said with a light laugh as he held up his letter. "Should we read them?"

They all pulled took a seat at a table and opened their letters. Each of them stared down at their letters for a moment before looking up at each other.

"Dear Carol. I wanted to thank you. It was your words that motivated me to do better. Thank you for telling me about your little girl, she sounds amazing and I wish I could have met her. You've shown me that it's always possible to do better. And I promise you I will. I've decided to move back to Wisconsin to be closer to my parents. Sam deserves a new start and I guess I do too. I won't forget Ron and I will never the pain he caused so many people. I don't think my heart will allow me. But I will always remember you. Thank you." Carol found herself crying at the end of the letter and she was genuinely happy for young girls.

"Morgan?" Rick said and Morgan found himself smiling down at the letter. He picked up a picture that Jessie had enclosed. It was one that he had never seen before. He guessed it was at some school function, it was a candid shot of Duane laughing about something. He ran his fingers over the picture and laughed.

"Look at Duane." He showed the picture off proudly to Carol and Rick and they smiled back. "She said that Duane was a beautiful boy and that he got it from me. She said she was sorry and she misses Duane. She thanked me for my kindness and said I was a great man." Morgan took a deep breath and folded the letter closed. "Are you going to read yours?" He asked Rick as he motioned to the letter that remained in his hands.

"No uh, actually I think I need to go somewhere." Rick said as he stood up abruptly and Carol and Morgan stared up at him worryingly, "I'm okay, I promise." Rick insisted as he bid goodbye to his two friends.

Rick quickly went to his car and pulled away from the bakery. He headed in the direction of Lori and Shane's apartment and took a quick glance at the letter which was now on the passenger seat.

When he arrived to the apartment he took two steps at a time and the door was open before he could knock.

"Hey dad." Carl greeted and Rick pulled him into a tight embrace. Carl hugged him back and smirked when he pulled away. "Is everything okay?" He asked with a light laugh and Rick smiled back.

"Yeah. Just wanted to see you." Rick admitted as he thought back to Jessie's letter. "You up for some ice cream?"

"Always." Carl said with a wide smile.

Dear Rick,

I know it may not mean much but I am sorry. I'm sorry for what Ron did Carl and your family. I'm so sorry for everything. I'm sorry for whatever part I had in Ron's anger.

Carl is such a brilliant boy and he's a survivor. I hope you spend every moment you can with him. I will never take my son for advantage again and I know you will do the same.

I guess it's time we both get back to living.

Goodbye,

Jessie.

Goodbye Jessie and I don't mean to say that in a cruel way lol. Hopefully I made our favorite girl to hate a little more human. I'm glad I told a little bit of her story, I think that's such an interesting perspective of the parent of a school shooter. I always wondered what type of turmoil and suffering a parent would go through after their child has committed such horrific crimes. But I am also glad to get back to the main event . This was just a side our main dish haha. I will probably be posting again Saturday or Sunday. Thank you so much for reading.