Elizabeth gets her glasses back.

Elizabeth McCord was standing next to her three children at Joint Base Andrews, waiting for him to return. She put a lot of effort into her appearance today. She wanted to look good for him. She is wearing her best-tailored black suit with a simple white button-down. On her lapel is a UVA pin that felt appropriate. She knew he would approve.

The plane has landed and is taxiing to the hangar. Elizabeth takes a deep breath as the ramp of the cargo plane lowers down, and six marines step up to remove the flag-draped box that contains the love of her life. Elizabeth barely registers her children's tears until Jason grabs her arm. She takes in the moment and holds the three of them as close as she can, but her eyes don't leave the metal coffin. It is placed in front of the remaining McCord's. Behind his coffin, Jose and Jane are walking off the plane. Elizabeth feels a sharp pang of anger as she watches Jose reunite with his wife and children. Elizabeth would never be able to have that moment. She can only imagine what it would have been like to be greeted by Henry when he returned. But, as Khaled Hosseini wrote, It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime… Elizabeth has to believe that the sacrifice of her husband will be worth it because she is quickly learning that belief in sacrifice and living with it are two different things.

She's pulled from her thoughts as Jane Fellows makes her way over to the four remaining members of Team McCord. Four. And only four. She has no idea if she should say something to this woman. This woman who got to be with Henry, her Henry, as he took his final breaths and lived his final moments. She should thank her. Right? She should thank her for staying by her husband's side until his very end.

But then her anger rises, and she wants to scream. To punch this woman in her face, take her by the neck and squeeze until she is the one taking her last breath. Is she mad at Jane or Henry? Conrad? All of them? Does it matter? She both got the last few days with her Henry that she should have had.

Elizabeth takes a deep breath and puts on her mask. She shakes the hand of the woman who held her husband as he died and says, "Thank you for bringing him home."

"He asked me to make sure you got this." She says, handing Elizabeth a bag. His Operation bag. His small backpack that he always had with him on every mission. The bag he never let anyone touch, not even her. Elizabeth feels the anger again, but this time for a completely different reason. "His things, they should all be in there. And I am so sorry for your loss. He was a great man and an even greater leader."

Jane and Jose walk away, and Elizabeth holds his bag. She feels the weight of it and imagines all the places it's been. Hikes in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Three different aircraft carriers. Tibet. Bolivia. Pakistan. Islamabad. The city where he would spend his last days. She slings the bag over her shoulder and tries not to cry. She can do that later. Alone.

The rest of the day is a blur. Elizabeth and the kids met with the priest who will be performing Henry's funeral mass, as well as the director of Arlington, where Henry and eventually Elizabeth will be buried. She had to make sure all of Henry's siblings had gotten their travel plans arranged. She had to take his Dress Blues to the funeral home. She had to do so much planning in such a short amount of time. She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. But she kept it together.

It's late when she is finally alone in their bedroom. She made sure that her kids ate some food that had been dropped off by spouses of cabinet members and even the First Lady. And then she excused herself to bed. Their room is in perfect order. His books are ready for him to read. His half-full bottle of Old Spice body wash is waiting for him to finish. The shirt he was wearing the night before his death was lying at the bottom of the closet floor. Her heart breaks a little more at the reminder that he would never return to their bed.

She sets his bag down on his side of the bed as she would if she were to come home to unpack it. She stares at it for a long while. She has no right to open this bag. That is such a final act. The act confirms he cannot do it himself. It means his death is real. She doesn't know if she is ready for that. But he was alive for a while after being shot. Alive and knowing he was going to die in that market, he had told Jane to make sure she got this bag.

So finally she opens it. It's mostly clothes: two ranger rolls and a hoodie. But four additional items are so… Henry. The first is his pocket Bible. He has had it since his confirmation (a gift from his Uncle James, his sponsor). It is worn in and highlighted. It has his notes written in every margin. Elizabeth had tried to read it once, but the handwriting was barely legible. The second is his rosary. It's the rosary he always carried into battle with him. He sent it to Iraq with her when she forward deployed, too. It was a cheap thing. Wood beads and pewter. But he was never without it. He told her that it was a gift from his mom for his confirmation. It had been his good luck charm for so many years. The third is her pink reading glasses. Tears spring to her eyes. These glasses that they pass back and forth are a promise... were a promise to come home. He took these into a combat zone. He took a piece of her with him. And he was supposed to come home. He promised to come home.

The fourth item is a letter addressed to her. She breaks down. This is the first time she cries since she found out her husband was killed in action. She sits down on their bed and cries. The envelope is marked "if I don't make it back." Writing this kind of letter is not uncommon in the course of their chosen careers, but she never thought she'd have to read his. She doesn't know if she's ready. If she ever will be. She holds the envelope to her chest and cries.

She gets ahold of herself after a few minutes and opens the letter.

Dear Elibet,

I am so sorry. I promised you that I would come home. I am so sorry I broke that promise. You should know that I tried everything I could to get back to you and our kids. God must have had other plans for the course of our lives. I want you to know that I am not scared of dying. I'm simply scared of leaving you alone. I know you have lost so much family, and I'm sorry to add to that pain. I love you, babe.

There are so many things that I want to say. First and foremost, I want to thank you for being my best friend. From the moment we met in the library at UVA, I knew that you were going to change my life. Our marriage has been a journey, and I am thankful to have had the privilege of traveling through it with you.

Second, thank you for our beautiful children. You gave me the gift of fatherhood, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. You have raised them to be kind and generous, and that is no small task. You have been a wonderful mother, and I can see how much they look up to you. I know that helping them through this loss will not be easy for you. I am so sorry that you have to do it alone. I know you rise to a challenge better than anyone I've ever met. I have faith in your strength and love for them. Please tell the kids that I love them. Please find it in yourself to walk our precious little girls down the aisle. I know it isn't traditional, but I was hoping you could do that for me. Please help to guide Jason through his anger at me. Remind him that he is not alone. And remind him how proud I was and am of the man that he is. Please help them learn to forgive me for not coming home.

Last, please continue to live. I know it's impossible to think about now, but it will be important later. I want you to make the most of life. I want you to be happy. Please, Elizabeth. Find a way to be happy again for yourself, and for me. I hate to think of you being lonely. You are much too young to be lonely forever. So please, when you are ready, try and move on. One day, you will meet someone who wants to love you and cherish you the way I have. Let him. Don't waste your capacity for love or greatness. You have done and will continue to do amazing things. Do not let this kill your momentum. Change the world, baby. Be the badass you are. I have always known that you are capable of far more than you ever gave yourself credit for.

You are the great love of my life, Elizabeth. Never doubt that. You have my whole heart. And I will hold you in mine until we meet again. And we will meet again; the universe is not big enough to keep me from finding you.

All my love,

Henry