"Junior, Ram, Hal, this is my wife, Rachel. Rachel, these are members of my Ranger team."

"Ranger's been hiding you away, Mrs. Manoso." Junior shook her offered hand and then examined the sweet bundle Ric carried. "Gosh, she is so small!" The other men agreed.

Ram put his hand out as soon as Junior released hers. "We are all glad to see you recovered from your difficult delivery, Mrs. Manoso. My mom had six of us- I don't know how you ladies do it."

Hal said only, "Nice to meet you, Ma'am."

A man who looked familiar made his way over to them.

"It is nice to see you again, Mrs. Manoso." Bones, the surgical nurse, said. "I am glad you were able to join us. And your little angel seems to be growing."

As she and Ric moved on to the next group, Rachel whispered, "I though officers and enlisted men didn't mix at social events."

"Most of my guys who aren't officers are high ranking NCOs. And when the General asked the Colonel to pull this together, none of us really had the option to skip it."

"Captain Manoso, you couldn't want to skip my event." Ric instantly recognized the voice and turned to salute.

"At ease, Captain, and please introduce me to the lovely lady who succeeded in winning you over. And let me look at this sweet bundle."

"General Welkin, may I present my wife, Rachel Manoso."

The General took her hand and kissed it, and she could see the twinkle in his eye. "Your husband will be glad he had you here." Turning to Ric he said, "Find Tank and bring him front and center."

Then he called everyone to attention.

Colonel Patrick cleared his throat and read a long citation, awarding Tank with the Silver Star for rescuing his team leader while under fire in a place and at a time that remained classified.

A roar went up from the men and the General pinned the award to Tank's uniform.

Then came Ric's turn and a Bronze Star along with a purple heart, second award.

All the men cheered their leaders.

Then the General announced, "I would love to stay and enjoy the feast but duty calls." He and the Colonel took their leave.

Hotdogs, burgers and steaks made to order were served up and Rachel met so many people she didn't see how she would remember them all. The food was plentiful and several of the ladies gave Rachel their numbers. "If you need anything at all, let us know. This life can be a big adjustment. Especially with such a young baby,"

As Rachel and Ric were getting ready to leave, Tank came over to them. "Ranger, you deserved more than a Bronze star for what you did..."

Ric shook his head. "I did. I got my "You forgot to duck, Stupid" medal as well."

"Ric, it wasn't your fault."

"The buck stops here, Tank. That's the one message they made loud and clear in OCS."

For a moment, Tank said nothing. Then he said, "5am, 10 miles."

"Winner types no reports for a week?"

"Done."

"Your men seem nice. Not many of them are married." Rachel said after putting Julie down for a nap after feeding and changing her. It had been a long afternoon and Rachel was tired. Ric sat beside her, slipped off her shoes and rubbed her feet. It felt wonderful.

"No, many aren't. This is a difficult life for couples. In our unit, we can be deployed on 48 hours' notice, sometimes for months at a time. And sometimes things don't go to plan…"

"You're thinking about Lester."

Ric nodded.

"And you run with Tank every morning so when they go out again, you are able to go with them." It was a statement, not a question.

"I am trying to get off limited status. This is the work I do, Rachel. It is what I am good at so for the time being, this is my job. Someday… in a few more years… Bobby, Tank and I… And Lester, we want to start a business doing specialized security."

"And if you don't make it to "Someday"? What then?" Rachel looked so young, so afraid. "What if it is you who doesn't come home the next time you go to the back of beyond? Who will help us when they kick us out of housing here because our sponsor id gone."

"It won't happen."

"You can't promise that. You know you can't. Nobody can. Look at your cousin's girlfriend. She couldn't raise her baby alone and she is your age."

"Rachel, my mother, each of my sisters, Abuela Rosa, Tia Ella- any one of them would invite you and Julie into their home if something terrible happens." By this point each sister and aunt had come to visit for at least a week, to help while Julia recovered from her difficult delivery. She liked all of his sisters and his mom doted on her.

Ric held her hand. "I promise that you will have all the support my family can give." Because her mother made it perfectly clear that Ric and his child had ruined her daughter's future, so Rachel could not go there with Julia should something happen to him.