nurse. her friend and co-worker at the hospital, samela payne, says the main thing keeping ciara in georgia was being near her ex. >> she didn't want the children to be without their father. she tried her best to co-parent. you understand she didn't have anybody here. >> so she sacrificed her short-term happiness -- >> right. >> -- for the kids? >> for her children. that's the type of mother she was. her friend kendra lived in tennessee, but they were as close as could be. >> when did you start? end of the day, start of the day, middle of the day? >> all day. we were single moms dealing with our exes. she was my support system, and hopefully she thought of me as hers. >> by june 2012, ciara decided it was time for a fresh start. she made a plan to move home to indiana to be near her family. their kids, ages 6 and 7, would stay with jarod for the summer and join her later. >> was she dating again? >> yes, she was, absolutely. she was young. so of course, you know, she didn't want to be alone, you know.