Author's Note: I hope everyone is staying safe & healthy during this pandemic. I'd like to keep this short & sweet. For all my readers who have been here since the beginning & are still interested in the story's conclusion AND all the newcomers who took a chance on reading this mammoth of a story despite me not having updated since 2018. Thank You for sticking with me. As soon as I get a chance, I'm going to wrap up both Uncharming & You are my Sunshine (on my blog.

THIS IS JUST A [PREVIEW] OF THE UPCOMING CHAPTER. A little taste of how the final arc is going down.

MAY

"He was an A-plus student—always excelled in every subject. My son was well rounded. He volunteered at a local homeless shelter, He was only a sophomore when he made Captain of the debate team at his private school, headed to nationals…he used to always talk about going to college to become a lawyer, fighting for justice like his father, but in better suits. All Joshua ever cared about was helping people…making a difference."

"The questions that—I believe—are on most people's minds...when did you first notice the changes in his mental health? And what did you do to help him?"

"I did everything within my power," Sheila Kohn answered. The camera panned closed to the tortured expression on her face as she added, "It wasn't enough."

Sheila Kohn, 20/20 interview

"…. And up next we have Diane Sawyer previewing her upcoming 20/20 special where she interviews Sheila Kohn, the mother of Joshua Kohn—who we all know for allegedly being responsible for the car-jacking murder of twenty-three nurse and mother Nathalie Copeland as well as the attempted murder of at least two teenagers—one of who is Mrs. Kohn's own nephew. This is one you definitely don't want to miss—"

Just one click of a button and Dr. Alyssa Copeland

was way too exhausted to even attempt at assuaging the mix of fear and guilt swarming in Marnie, one of the hospital's new Nurse's, eyes when she looked from the television hanging along the wall of the empty vacant lounge. "This lounge is for doctors only. And your break ended fifteen minutes ago."

"I'm so sorry," Marnie babbled, jumping to her feet. She scrambled to catch the spoon that fell from the yogurt container that had been in her lap. "It's just, I study in here sometimes, but I wanted to find out…"

Alyssa turned her back to her, sighing as she reached into her locker for her jacket and purse. "The 20/20 special airs tonight, around eight I think."

"Mrs.—uh, Doctor Copeland…I just wanted to say I'm sorry about your daughter. I'm keeping you and your husband and…the little girl you bring to work with you sometimes—"

"My granddaughter."

"Yeah," Marnie said, stepping into her line of sight as Alyssa continued fiddling with the scarf she didn't really need, given the weather. "I just wanted to say you're all in my prayers. And if there's anything I can do—"

Alyssa turned her head towards her so fast, Marnie flinched. "Can you get my husband to put down the bottle? Stay sober long enough to drive himself home so I don't have to leave work to pick him up before child services gets wind and I lose my granddaughter on top of everything else? Can you get these nosey ass reporters to stop calling me at home and at work? Asking hospital employees questions about me—"

"Dr. Copeland," Marnie started, the color draining from her face. "I had no idea I was talking to a reporter when I said that stuff."

Alyssa waved her off with a hand, before stepping around her to head for the door. "Just do your job and stay out of my damn business."

*~*~*~*
"….It was my first week back at work in almost sixteen years. My divorce had just been finalized a week or so before. I threw myself into every double shift, just trying not to think about it. When I woke up the next day, it was around noon. I remember it was loud banging—like pots and pans falling to the floor that woke me up. I got out of bed and went downstairs, and I saw Joshua, standing in the middle of the kitchen…he was covered in flour…egg stained all over his shirt… he could barely make toast the last I'd remembered and here he was…my fifteen year old son…he'd left campus to come home and surprise me. Said he felt like a phone call and a card in the mail wasn't going to cut it. He wanted to spend Mother's Day with me. That's the son that I choose to remember because that is who Joshua was—who he really was. And that Joshua is the one that Jackson Teller took away from me."

Sheila Kohn, 20/20 interview

Jax winced at the cramp in his neck, raising a hand to rub it out with his fingertips. How was it possible for the same bed he'd been sleeping in for the past few years to be so damn hard and uncomfortable? He knew the answer even as he glared at the rumpled sheets he'd slid out from under. Last night had been the first he'd spent in his own bed in months—and he'd been alone. There had been a lot of unwanted firsts this past week. The first 20/20 special scrutinizing every little detail of his life on national television. The first time he'd actually felt bad for Donna—when Opie cursed her out and broke up with her in front of the whole club.

And then there was Tara.

Last night was the first fight they'd had since she caught him in a moment of weakness and stupidity with Wendy on the night she was kidnapped. He wasn't even sure how it started. But he was half way up the walkway at the front of his own house when he'd realized why. He'd been so busy actively putting the holiday weekend out of his mind that it hadn't even occurred to him why he shouldn't have come to Arthur's defense when Tara blew up at him for suggesting that "Wendy's crank-whore mother" move in with them when Diane left.

Making his way down the stairs and entering his kitchen, Jax stopped short. The cramp in his neck was forgotten as a different kind of a pain hit him square in the chest—a phantom ache that had been twisting him up no matter how hard he'd tried to ignore it since he'd sent her away. JT's rough laughter joined the sounds of Trinity banging her empty plate against the table of her high-chair.

"Relax," Maureen urged, mirth coloring her tone as she grabbed the plate from the tantrum-throwing toddler seated at the end of the kitchen island. "Your Da's making some more. With any luck, you'll leave some for Jackson."

"She can have it," Jax said, interrupting the hallmark moment that was threatening to incite an outburst that rivaled Tara's reaction to her father's question. He ignored the heads turning in his direction, averting the looks of concern and guilt Maureen and his father's eyes as he made his way towards the refrigerator. "I'm not hungry," He added, grabbing the handle to the fridge before reaching up to yank the cupboard above the fridge open instead. He screwed the cap off the Whiskey in his grip, already taking a swig from the bottle before the cap pinged against the kitchen floor.

The bottle was gone from his mouth after the first swallow.

"You're not going to do this shit today," JT warned. "I understand—"

"Good." Jax snatched the bottle back, ignoring the Whiskey splashing on the tops of his White sneakers. "Then I don't have to explain it. I'm celebrating just like you two—sorry, you three. Y'all really are one big happy family."

JT scrubbed a hand across his face. "Jackson…"

"Fine," Jax said, pushing the bottle into his father's chest. JT raised a hand to catch it just as Jax released his grip. "I'll save you guys the rest. Go get my own." Jax shoved past him, stopping to press a kiss to the top of Trinity's head. Above their heads, the smoke alarm went off. Jax chuckled with his baby sister as they watched JT rushing towards the pancakes burning on the stove. "Looks like your Da's going to have to make some more pancakes," He snarked, turning his heated gaze on the redhead standing quietly watching them from the other side of the counter. "Happy Mother's Day."

"Jackson Teller doesn't have any mental health problems. Not that I know of—or not that anyone has bothered to look into. Everyone is happy to make him out to be the hero of this story. He's not a hero. And Tara Knowles—the girl he supposedly played savior, too? She's not innocent in this. She's complicit."

"Now Mrs. Kohn I want to be clear—are you alleging that it was Jackson Teller who shot your son and not Agent Taylor as reported by authorities?"

"I'm not alleging anything. You have to use the word alleged—protect yourself from a potential lawsuit but I have nothing to lose because they took it all—he, him, Jackson Teller—the cold-blooded killer that not a single California court has bothered to bring charges against…he took everything that meant anything. And they're helping him get away with it, the same way Charming County Police department lets anyone in his father's Motorcycle club get away with all of their other crimes."

TO BE CONTINUED...