After a long day of logistical planning with Tank related to the next mission, Ric was tired and ready for a peaceful night. As a treat, he had gotten steak and fresh broccoli as well as potatoes to bake- it was Rachel's favorite meal and she had seemed a little down over the last few days. He was sure his long days at work were not helping.

When he arrived, he found Rachel sitting on the couch with Julie, and it was clear his wife had been crying. The groceries forgotten, he took the baby from her and got Julie settled before going back to his wife

"Rachel," He sat beside her. "What is it?"

"My mom called… she and my stepfather… they want me to come home… they know I am not happy here…" Rachel, he knew had struggled being so far away from her friends and family, but to tell her to leave him?

"Honey, I know marriage and motherhood are big changes, but I want you here. I know you don't love me yet, but I am trying to be a good husband for you." They couldn't leave. He was fond of Rachel and he loved his daughter more than his own life.

"This isn't what I want. It never was. I am not cut out to be a military wife. They said I could go home and start college in the fall and go back to the life I had planned before all this happened."

"If you want to go to college, you can do that, I would never stop you from getting an education." Ric felt his heart speed up and struggled to stay calm. "I think you will be an amazing nurse one day."

"I am not saying this right... Ric, I want to start over."

"Please, give me another chance, I will try harder to make you happy." Ric swallowed hard. "Please don't take Julie away from me." It was a whisper, and his eyes were burning, tears threatening. His heart was actually breaking.

"That's just it, Ric, I don't want to take Julie away from you… My folks want me to move home, without the burden of a family to interfere with the life I had planned. And you are an amazing father."

Her parents didn't want him or Julie. It was emotional blackmail to offer Rachel what she so desperately wanted, their love and comfort, and demand she leave her baby behind to get it.

"They want you to divorce me?"

Rachel nodded. "And they said I should give up my parental rights to Julie, so I won't ever have the responsibility for her expenses. Because once I am a nurse and gain my inheritance, I will have a lot of money and… well, they worry…"

They were worried he would go after her for child support. Ric concentrated on his breathing. Her fucking parents were monsters. First, they threw her away and now this? They wanted her to throw away her own child?! He needed to reign in the fury he felt for them and take care of his wife and her needs.

"I have a counter proposal for you to consider." He swallowed hard. "I don't want you to make a permanent decision right now, in case you change your mind later."

"What do you mean?"

"I think you should go to your folks and visit, leaving Julie with me. We will still be married, so you'll have health insurance and you will still have money of your own. You can try it for, I don't know, two weeks? Two months? Whatever timeframe you decide. After the time you determine, when you are sure of what you really want, we will meet up and you can tell me what you want and I will help you make that happen." He hoped she would miss them and decide she did in fact want to mother her child.

"Even if I don't want to be your wife or Julie's mom?"

Ric pulled his wife gently towards him. "No matter what you decide, no matter what papers we sign, you will always be Julie's mom. You will be able to see her as much or as little as you want. "

"Why would you say that?"

"Because how you feel now might not be how you feel a few years from now. And because there is such a thing as postpartum depression and that may be part of what is going on here. So, while you are away, I want you to consider talking to a therapist. This way, you are certain you are deciding for yourself and it isn't sadness and depression making the call."

"Okay Ric, I can do that. It is a good idea."

"And, Rachel, I need to do one more thing for us. You have to promise, no matter what you decide to do, that if you ever have an issue you can't solve on your own, that you will call me and let me help if I can. I will always be there for you."

Rachel's tears were falling again. "Why are you being so kind to me?"

"You deserve my kindness. You gave me a daughter who is my whole heart. I can never do enough for you."

"I was worried you would be angry."

"I am not angry, just sad that I can't be what you need."

They talked about what would happen next and Rachel decided to finish high school before leaving, so she would be on a good timeline for college. After settling Julie down for the night, Ric made Rachel's favorite dinner. She seemed happier, now that she told him, and praised the meal. To Ric, it tasted like sawdust and he could barely choke it down. After dinner, while Rachel worked on her physics homework, Ric tried to read the tactical manual Tank had given him that afternoon, but the words just swam on the page. He had failed Rachel in their marriage. He had failed his daughter. And he felt numb inside.

Ric called his Tia Ella to ask if she and her husband, Louis Guzman could help short term with Julie after Rachel left. His plan was to buy a multifamily house off base and move them in one of the apartments since they couldn't live on base with him. Until the house was ready, Mary Lou and Bobby had offered to help him out. Since Tia Ella kept saying she wanted to be closer to her mother's Florida home and get away from New Jersey winters, she was delighted with the idea. She agreed and Ric started searching for the perfect home- one he could afford, that would increase in value through sweat equity and that Rachel would like when she came back to them.

If she came back to them.

"Thanks for coming with me Mary Lou." Ric had finally found the house he decided on. A four-family Dutch Colonial on a decent sized lot, with off street parking as well as a 2-car garage. "I got permission from the current tenants to tour the whole place."

"You said each apartment has two bedrooms?"

"That's correct. And each of the downstairs units has an ensuite bathroom as well as the main bathroom. All the fixtures are builder grade and older, but I think I can improve each apartment over time." He led her into the front downstairs apartment. "This is the one in the best shape that I would give to my aunt and uncle." Mary Lou liked the wide plank wood floors and the large window.

Ric took her upstairs to see those two units- they were slightly smaller than downstairs but still got good light. Here the floors needed refinishing.

"These floors need work, but Tank and I think with a few weekends of heavy lifting, these two will suit us."

He led her down the back staircase and they entered the last apartment. The kitchen overlooked a large fenced back yard and this unit seemed to have newer appliances that the others.

"Ric, this is really lovely. How on earth can you afford it? Bobby and I can't even come up with a downpayment.?

"My Abuelo bought each of us kids stocks for Christmas, our birthdays, and big events like communion, graduation and the like. He thought buying "stuff" was pointless- it would be gone and forgotten in a heartbeat."

"Your grandfather is a genius."

"He certainly was. So now my question to you is, would this apartment suit you and Bobby?"

"We could never afford it."

"I would offer it to you for whatever the housing allowance is- that's what Tank agreed to for upstairs."

"Have you spoken to Bobby about this?"

"He told me if you loved it, he was all in. This way our kids can hang out together and have a yard to play in."

"On behalf of Bobby and the boys, I accept your terms."

"Great. The current tenants will be out in a month. The roofers will finish in about a week and after that is done, you can move in any time."

The phone was ringing and Ric sat up. As he got up to grab the phone, his thoughts were jumbled. It was 2am. Rachel had flown to Florida that afternoon and Ric had the next few days off to focus on Julie as Tia Ella would not arrive until her apartment in the house was ready. So, he should not be on call.

"Captain Manoso." He answered. The caller gave him the message, and Ric shook his head. "Can you repeat that, please."

"Lieutenant Lester Santos was successfully recovered and will arrive at the Base Hospital at 0330 local time. The Colonel is enroute for the debrief and asked that you join him."

Ric responded in the affirmative and after hanging up, he pressed his head against the wall as his shoulders shuttered and the tears fell. Les was home. Tank and the team, Junior, Ram and Hal among them, got his cousin back. He understood why the Colonel gave Tank the lead- Les was Ric's family, and Ric settled for working the background planning and logistics for the mission, but this was the best possible outcome.

He would need Mary Lou to watch Julie while he and Bobby went to the hospital.

The last person Steph expected to see when she opened Mary Lou's apartment door was a half-dressed Ric Manoso holding a tiny bundle that was his daughter Julie.

"Babe." The word rushed out as he noted her mouth was a perfect O. "I was hoping Mary Lou could watch Julie."

"They are away. Bobby and Mary Lou are away. Lula and I are watching the kids for the weekend, but she is sleeping right now… Lula... and the kids. Are sleeping." Stephanie was aware she sounded like an idiot but couldn't stop.

Of course, the Browns were away-Ric shook his head- that is why he had taken the days.

"Come in, Ric." Stephanie opened the door wider. "I wasn't sleeping."

She hadn't been. She was fully dressed. And still so beautiful.

"I have been called in… I know this is insane to ask, but I, can you… I wouldn't ask but…"

"I would be happy to watch your daughter for you." Stephanie put out her hands out for the child.

"They brought Lester home." Ric blurted out. He should not have told her- it was need to know. "I have been asked to help debrief him."

"Thank God, oh thank God." Stephanie had tears streaming as she hugged him briefly and chased Ric out. "Oh my God, go, go now, oh my God. We will take care of her. Tell Les- you know, everything." Her smile was so spectacular it took his breath away and he did as ordered. He went to his cousin. On a run.

Lula woke a half hour later to find all four babies sound asleep and Stephanie watching as Lester and Val's son snuggled next to his cousin Julie.

"Ric was here." Lula looked down, recognizing little Julia. "How did seeing him again go?"

"Lula, Les is home. It was the only thing either of us thought about. We didn't have time to revisit the past."

Past my ass, Lula thought to herself. Neither one of her friends had put their relationship in the past.

"Well, I hope this debrief shit goes fast because I wanna see Les for myself. And it means Tank is home too. It is a day full of joy. You call Val yet?"

"It is the middle of the night."

"She will want to know."

She is married."

"To the wrong man."

Stephanie couldn't argue that point. But she couldn't call Val till she knew she would be alone and could safely process the news. Her lover, the father of her son, had survived. Had come home.

Les was clean, warm and his stomach was full. He wasn't thirsty. The pain meds had helped ease his pain but he was tired. And so glad to be home safe and mostly sound. He had answered questions forever, ever since Tank's Ranger team pulled him out of that Godforsaken hole in the dessert. At each stop, with Tank by his side, he answered every question to the best of his ability, without complaint. Now, finally he was alone in a room, resting. He had lost over fifty pounds and when he walked, he had to be supported. His teeth were all loosened by the chronic malnutrition and he likely had a host of parasites to go with all the bug bites that covered his skin, not to mention a couple of places the rats had bitten at when he was asleep. God, the rats.

The room door opened, and Ric, in full uniform, entered. He stood inside the door, examining Les with that blank stare he had honed to perfection.

Les started to speak, but the tears he saw streak down his cousin's cheeks stopped him. His throat closed and in the next moment Ric was holding him, he was holding Ric, and sobs filled the air.

"I thought you would die there."

I thought I would never get home."

"We never stopped looking."

"I love you so much."

"Primo…"

After both men settled, Les laid back to sleep, more peacefully than he had since being taken. And Ric sat beside him, holding his hand.