"Previously on "army wives"..." "I really don't need all this macho, man-of-the-house crap." "It's not good for me, and it's not good for the boys." "I'm ordering you on convalescent leave for 30 days" "Pending your next evaluation." "But, sir, we deploy before then." "Joan, you won't be deploying with the brigade." "You're deploying?" "Me..." "Frank..." "Everyone." "For how long?" "Probably a year." "You'll miss the baby." "Oh, you'll miss everything." "Thanks for the heads-up, general." "I'll be sure it's added to this afternoon's briefing." "Yeah." "Yes, sir." "I look forward to working with you and n.A.T.O." "I'll see you downrange." "Mm." "Scrambled or over easy?" "Actually, I've heard that fresh fruit" "Is a rare commodity in Afghanistan." "Would a smoothie be out of line?" "Of course not." "Strawberry sound good?" "Sounds perfect." "Whew." "Hey, honey." "Morning." "Good workout?" "Yeah." "How's the knee?" "Better every day." "Dr. Hollander said that I might be able" "To get back on the ice next week." "Hmm." "Oh, I wish I could be there." "Me, too." "You want a smoothie?" "No, thanks." "I'm making one for your dad." "I'm not really in the mood." "I've gotta get ready for school." "She misses you already." "You've spoiled her, being around so long." "Mm." "Mm." "Me, too." "You're at it early." "hey." "Don't want little Milo to smash his fingers." "Milo?" "Yeah, just wanted to hear what it sounded like." "No?" "No. (laughs)" "Well, looky he." "You just push on this button," "It pops right open." "We had those with Jeremy." "We did?" "Mm-hmm." "Jeez." "It was so long ago, who can remember?" "Ooh. (chuckles) whoa." "Got someone doing the two-step in there this morning." "Oh, yeah?" "here." "Where?" "Right there." "D., let's decide." "What?" "Names." "Let's decide right now." "Right this minute?" "Yeah." "I don't want to deploy tomorrow without knowin'." "Okay." "All right, for boys, we had..." "Thomas, Samuel" "And..." "Matthew." "I like Thomas." "I like Matthew." "Oh." "Right." "All right, well, here's... here's a wild card." "How about..." "how about Woodrow," "You know, like that character from "lonesome dove"?" "Woodrow Sherwood." "Woody Sherwood?" "Oh. (chuckles) yeah, I get your point." "Uh, yeah." "Well, for girls, we got, what, Eleanor, Molly..." "Olivia, mm-hmm." "Olivia and Laura." "Oh, I like Molly." "Yeah?" "I was leaning towards Laura." "How did we ever agree on Jeremy?" "I don't know." "I don't know." "Rock, paper, scissors, I think." "So how about this..." "If it's a boy..." "Matthew," "And if it's a girl... molly?" "Deal." "Hey, t.J., find Charleston." "Here." "All right, good man." "Now hold steady." "Now tomorrow I fly to Germany," "Then off to Kuwait" "And then finally to..." "Afghanistan." "mom, carpool." "Yeah." "excuse me." "Thanks, mom." "All right, bye, dad." "bye." "When do we go, mom?" "Now." "Go to the van, and I'll be right there." "bye." "bye." "What's that for?" "I'm sorry." "For what?" "For fighting lately." "Yeah, me, too." "Look, deployment..." "it's... it's hard on everyone." "Well, I've been thinking, and you know how I always said" "That I wasn't gonna have another kid without you being here?" "Mm-hmm." "Well, I kinda changed my mind." "Whoa." "Wait." "You... you want a..." "you want a baby now?" "Yeah." "Babe, I deploy tomorrow." "I know." "So..." "So..." "I want your sperm." "What?" "Oh!" "mom!" "Yeah, okay." "Sorry, honey." "We'll talk later." "Milk..." "this is something that you..." "Drink." "This is a magazine," "Something that you..." "Read." "Earrings..." "Something that you..." "Wear." "Nice." "what, can't I be proud of my wife for keeping up" "With her therapy?" "Well, I feel like I'm back in elementary school" "With these flash cards." "Meanwhile, my soldiers are preparing to deploy." "Sweetheart, I know it's frustrating," "But you're on the road back." "You gotta walk before you can run, huh?" "Mwah." "Bye, baby girl." "Mwah." "Mwah." "Gimmie that leg." "we'll see you later." "Have a good day." "You, too." "This is a letter," "Which no one writes anymore, but if they did," "It's something you..." "Read." "Okay, Chase." "You promise me, though," "That the boat's never gonna leave the Bay" "And that the kids are gonna wear their life jackets" "The whole time, right?" "Uh, you sure?" "Okay, um, I gotta run." "Okay." "Bye." "Sorry." "That was, um, Chase." "He's taking the kids out on a boat this weekend" "With Kristy and her brother." "So I'm just nervous mom, I guess." "I guess." "Kowalski..." "Uh, from property," "Asked me yesterday to find out if you bowl." "Why, is there a league?" "No, I think he just wants to bowl with you." "What, you mean, like a date?" "He's asked about you before." "You gotta be kidding me." "I'm barely divorced." "Didn't seem to stop your ex." "Okay, you know what?" "Even if I wanted to date, which I don't," "Office romances are just a bad idea." "Plus, Kowalski's a Yankees fan, and he wears too much cologne." "I mean, you can smell that guy coming a mile away." "I'll just tell him you don't bowl." "Good idea." "Well, I think we got everything." "I hope the troops are hungry tomorrow." "Of course, what soldier doesn't love hot dogs, right?" "Mm-hmm." "Oh, I just he we don't have to spend hours" "Waiting on the airfield, you know?" "Yeah." "It's so hard on everyone..." "the soldiers and the families." "We've all been there." "yeah." "you wanna grab lunch?" "Oh, I can't." "My to-do list is so long." "Oh." "I've got, uh, pharmacy" "And the dry cleaner's, post office." "Is everything okay?" "Yeah." "Just a little preoccupied." "A lot on my mind." "I'm okay, really." "Good. 'cause I have something I wanted to ask you." "Shoot." "Well, um, last month, Frank and I started Lamaze classes," "And, uh, he's deploying," "And I'm gonna need a birth coach, so I was hoping..." "I would love to." "Yeah?" "Yes." "I know how busy you are." "Oh, I will make the time." "Oh, thank you so much." "We'll have fun." "Yeah." "Good?" "Yeah." "hey, Roxy." "Officer Boone, officer Moran." "What are you doing here?" "I figured you'd be spending the day with Trevor." "Yeah, well, you know him." "He's making sure that his men are ready for deployment." "So I'm just poppin' in to check on chief" "And then I'm poppin' right back out." "Hey, wait a minute." "Maybe you can tell me." "What's her type?" "Stop." "Her type?" "Of date." "A guy at the station asked her out." "She turned him down." "You got asked out on a date and you didn't even tell me?" "Okay, no." "A guy asked him to ask me." "It's like passing notes in study hall." "Yeah." "Right." "Uh, no, that is not her type." "Thank you." "Anytime." "Hmm." "What is with you?" "Do I bug you about your dating habits?" "No." "Do you even date?" "none of your business." "come on." "Well, I'm not the one who needs to get over my ex." "Oh." "And I do?" "I'm just saying, it wouldn't hurt to get back out there." "That's all I'm saying." "honestly," "The idea of dating again..." "Small talk, lame jokes..." "Shaving my legs..." "I haven't been on a date in 15 years." "Who needs it?" "General holden." "Am I interrupting?" "No, sir." "I'm just, uh," "Well... well, come on in." "Thank you." "May I get you some coffee?" "No, thanks." "I just stopped by to have a quick word." "I, uh..." "Spoke to the head of your medical team." "She says that you're making real progress." "I'm doing my best, general." "Look, Joan, I've been living" "With Emmalin going through rehab on her knee for months now," "So I know how frustrating it is," "Wanting to get back in the action," "Waiting for the doctors to sign off." "I appreciate it, sir," "But this is different." "I can't just get on a treadmill" "And push past the pain." "But I will work through this, sir." "Oh, I know you will." "I just wanted to remind you to stay the course." "Didn't know if I'd get a chance tomorrow." "Things always get a bit hectic on the tarmac." "Thank you, sir, but I won't be there." "Really?" "Well, I'm on convalescent leave," "As you know, sir." "Well, I know your soldiers would like to see you," "But you handle it as you see fit." "Colonel." "Dr. Burton." "Sherwood." "So..." "This is it." "Guess so." "I feel good." "I can tell." "I'm ready to deploy again." "Well, I guess I have to be." "You know, like we talked about in our last session," "You'll probably see combat again." "It's gonna be stressful, might bring up some memories." "I know." "But I can think about Rison now and not freak out," "Just be sad about it." "And if any of your symptoms start to reappear..." "Any paranoia, edginess..." "What's your plan?" "First thing, I have to admit what's going on." "Mm-hmm." "I have to confront things, not avoid them." "And then you seek out mental health resources" "Available in theater..." "individual..." "Individual or group counseling." "I got it, doc." "I think you do." "Okay." "Well, good luck." "Brought you something." "It's a unit coin." "My C.O. In Iraq gave it to me." "I'd like you to have it." "Thank you." "Thank you, Dr. Burton." "Without your help," "I wouldn't be deploying tomorrow." "Hell, I might not even be here." "Hey, don't you forget, man," "You drove the car." "I just helped to navigate." "Come on." "You take care of yourself." "I will." "So we're here to freeze sergeant Leblanc's sperm." "Is that the plan?" "Right." "So that when my eggs are ready," "His little soldiers will be, too." "Forward, March." "I'm afraid it's a little more complicated than that." "To obtain an optimal sperm sample," "I suggest couples abstain from intercourse" "For at least three days prior to the event." "Oh." "Oops." "And because we'll have only one sample at our disposal" "Due to sergeant Leblanc's deployment," "We'll only be able to perform two," "Possibly three intrauterine inseminations." "One should be enough, shouldn't it?" "The success rate for the first I.U.I. Is only 1 in 5." "I suggest couples plan for at least three," "Both emotionally and financially." "Financially?" "Yes." "And none of this is covered by your army insurance." "It isn't?" "Okay, so how much?" "The first cycle, which includes collection, evaluation," "Storage, medication, ultrasound and the insemination" "Runs $1,200." "$1,200?" "Do you have, like, a buy-one-get-one-free special?" "d." "D., where are you?" "I'm in here." "Hey." "What is it?" "Look, I know I'm the one" "Who was dead set against knowing the sex of the baby," "But now that we've picked names, I can't help it." "I need to be able to picture the little tyke," "So I need to know if we're having a Matthew or a Molly." "Well, that's a switch." "I know." "I know." "But I th..." "I think we ought to call the doctor and find out." "Okay." "Um, wow." "Are you sure?" "'cause once you know, there's no going back." "I understand, but I really want to know." "Come on, d." "It's a girl." "What?" "We're having a girl." "You know?" "For about a month." "But how?" "I asked the doctor." "But..." "We said we weren't gonna find out." "No, no, you said you didn't want to know, and I agreed." "So all this time, you..." "A girl?" "Yeah." "I don't believe it." "We're having a little girl?" "Oh." "Baby, I-I hope she gets your smile." "Molly Sherwood." "Molly." "Mm." "Wow." "Wait a minute." "So this mornin'," "When you let me choose names for the boy," "You knew we were having a girl?" "Uh-huh." "Okay. (laughs)" "Okay, wee Molly, you'd better take after your mother," "Because she's a hell of a lot smarter than your old man." "How long have you been having these dreams?" "Since Michael told me he's deploying." "And they're the same every time?" "I can't make them stop." "I..." "I can't talk to anybody about this," "Except... except you, of course." "Because you're the general's wife." "My best friends are going through the same thing," "You know, this deployment." "I have to set an example." "I have to be strong, you know," "Strong for my daughter..." "Strong for my husband." "This is Michael's first deployment" "Since Amanda's death, huh?" "Uh, yeah." "And Emmalin graduates this year?" "Yeah, she does." "That's a lot of loss." "Look, we've known each other for a while now, Claudia joy." "You're one of the most capable people I've ever met." "But you can't control everything..." "What happens to your husband, for example." "I know that." "You know it, but like a lot of strong people," "You have difficulty accepting it." "These nightmares..." "They strike me as visions of helplessness." "You want to protect Michael, but you can't." "I'm so worried about him." "And you feel alone," "Which is why you're here." "God never promised us a road free from strife," "But in our darkest moments, it's important to remember" "That he did promise never to abandon us." "You're not alone." "dad." "Hey, kiddo." "Hey." "What are you doing here?" "Thought I'd catch your workout one last time." "there's not much to see." "Oh, I disagree." "I'm really proud of you." "Thanks." "I can't believe" "You're graduating High School so soon." "I know." "I can't believe you're not gonna be there." "Well, mom will take video." "I know it's not the same," "But we'll make the best of it, like we always do." "Hey." "I haven't had to say good-bye to you in forever." "I know." "It's been a long time." "Everything's gonna be so different when you're back." "I mean, I'm gonna be in college," "Living in a dorm," "Playing hockey, I hope." "You will be." "You won't be there to see me get back on the ice." "I'll be here in spirit." "It's not the same." "Look, I know that I'm doing this for myself," "But..." "I couldn't be doing it without you." "I wouldn't be doing it without you." "You're gonna do fine." "but I'm gonna miss you so much." "Thanks for taking care of that survey." "Uh, no problem." "The kids are with their dad tonight." "Wanna grab dinner?" "Thanks, Bui got a survey to fill out?" "Aw, come on." "You gotta eat." "And what's at home, microwave dinners, box of wine?" "Let's hit taco boy." "I don't know." "You know, if we move, we can still make happy hour... 2-for-1 margaritas." "You'll be home in plenty of time to do your homework." "After margaritas?" "Come on, Moran." "Vamonos!" "so Michael dropped by?" "Yeah." "For encouragement." "That's nice." "Yeah, he wanted to talk before deployment." "Uh, thought I'd be at the airfield tomorrow." "Wait." "You're not going?" "Nope." "Why not?" "Roland, do I really need to explain it to you?" "If you want me to understand, yes, you do." "Okay." "I'm on convalescent leave." "Mm-hmm." "It'd be embarrassing." "Why?" "What do I say to someone" "When they ask me why I'm not deploying?" "You tell them the truth." "You were injured in combat." "What injury?" "When I had stitches in my face, it was easy to understand." "But now..." "now what?" "Well, it's not like I can put my brain in a sling." "Hey, people understand t.B.I.S" "A lot better than they did before." "Still, it doesn't look good." "So what, you're afraid of looking weak?" "It is still the army, Roland." "I am a senior officer without a visible injury" "Being held back." "I get it." "I do." "But you have an opportunity here, Joan." "I mean, you've always encouraged your soldiers" "To get help if they needed it, right?" "Isn't that the attitude the army wants to promote?" "Yeah, but..." "Look, I know the culture's more complicated than that." "But going tomorrow, you have a chance to show everyone" "That there's no shame in having a t.B.I. Or p.T.S.D." "Or any kind of mental injury." "And if you don't go," "What kind of message does that send?" "I'm gonna have a sister?" "that's awesome." "Um, I don't know much about girl stuff," "But I can teach her how to throw a perfect spiral." "Yeah, Roger that." "Wow." "A sister." "We're gonna name her Molly." "Molly." "You like it?" "Yeah." "I'm just, um, thinking about ways kids could make fun of her." "you know, like "Anna banana," "smelly Ellie."" "Jeremy." "But Molly..." "Good golly, miss Molly." "yeah." "I approve." "Well, that's a relief." "Nice." "You want some more pie?" "Yes, ma'am." "Here." "I have some news, too, actually." "I changed my will." "It's..." "Nothing big." "You guys still are my beneficiaries," "But, um," "Once the baby comes along," "Once Molly comes along," "It'll be her." "I hope you guys are okay with it." "Yeah, of course." "Nah, that's very thoughtful." "I'm just gonna say it once..." "Come back safe, both of you." "Yes, ma'am." "You really made this?" "Mom." "She did." "Wow." "it's a vast improvement" "Over the very first meal you ever made me." "You remember that?" "Not again." "Mm." "You sat me down" "At your plastic, pink tea party table" "And served slices of American cheese" "And a tower of saltines." "I had to eat the whole thing, and then you charged me for it." "And you paid. 10 cents." "And a quarter tip." "Mm, yeah." "Mm." "I did." "You want seconds?" "Twist my arm." "thank you." "Mm-hmm." "I, uh, I didn't think to furky would cut it" "For your farewell dinner." "I don't know." "Nothing says "good-bye" like to furky." "mom?" "Claudia joy, I gotcha." "Mm." "Sit down." "Um, glucose, honey." "Yeah, I got it." "Um..." "I'm okay." "78 on the glucose meter." "I told you I'm fine." "That's still low, Claudia joy." "Oh, it's within my normal range." "I'm feeling much better, really." "I don't know why Michael called you," "Especially on Frank's last night." "He shouldn't have." "Mm." "Oh, he understands." "We were all concerned." "You haven't had an incident for a long time." "I checked my levels today." "They were fine." "I just... guess I didn't eat enough this afternoon." "I didn't have much of an appetite." "I knew something was bothering you" "When we were shopping." "What's going on?" "I don't know." "I've never felt like this before." "I'm having these nightmares about Michael," "About him being hurt." "Oh." "Why didn't you say anything?" "Oh, I couldn't." "Why not?" "Because I don't want to put my problems on you." "You have Jeremy and Frank, yourself to look after." "Claudia joy..." "No, we are all worried enough as it is." "I don't need to make things worse." "We have to rely on each other." "If you're not feeling strong, you can say so." "You can always tell me anything." "I'm feeling scared." "Oh." "I feel like I'm..." "I feel like I..." "Might never see my husband again." "I am..." "Oh." "Your mother's gonna be fine." "I know." "Just a little hypoglycemia, that's all." "Right." "Doesn't take much to get her levels out of whack." "And she's had a busy week." "That's right." "If you could just do me a favor while I'm gone..." "I'll keep an eye on her, dad." "I promise." "Thanks." "The only downside is Lucy is a cover hog." "Sometimes I want to just kick her out of bed." "So do it." "Aw." "How could I say "no" to a face like that?" "I think it'd be pretty easy." "I take it you didn't grow up with dogs." "Not unless brothers count." "What do I owe?" "Uh, forget it." "Oh, come on." "What do I owe?" "No, it's on me." "I mean it." "Okay." "Thanks." "You are welcome." "That wasn't so bad, was it?" "What?" "First date." "This is not a date." "Well, I asked you out, you said "yes,"" "We talked about ourselves, I paid... that's a date." "You didn't even have to shave your legs." "Okay, you know what?" "You needed to get rid of that lame excuse, Moran." "Now you've been out, you survived." "On to the second date." "Not me." "I'm over you." "I think we should see other people." "All right, good night, sleep tight," "Don't let the..." "Don't let the..." "Bedbugs bite." "Bedbugs bite." "Jinx." "Jinx." "You owe me soda." "Hey." "♪" "Just hold me." "Babe?" "Mm." "Okay." "♪ makes all the difference ♪" "♪ sometimes you find your own way ♪" "♪ without interference ♪" "♪ it's not all darkness ♪" "♪ it's not all light ♪" "♪ you don't have to fix this ♪" "♪ sit with me tonight ♪" "♪ oh, oh, oh ♪" "♪ oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪" "Well, what do you think?" "I think she's gonna love it." "♪ oh, oh ♪" "♪ we pray for acceptance ♪" "♪ Ba Ba Ba ♪ ♪ we pray for deliverance ♪" "♪ Ba Ba Ba ♪" "♪ we pray for understanding ♪ ♪ Ba Ba ♪" "♪ like it makes all the difference ♪" "♪ it's not all the way left ♪" "♪ it's not all right ♪" "♪ you don't have to fix this ♪" "♪ sit with me tonight ♪" "♪ the sound of our breathing ♪" "Feeling better?" "♪ in the TV light ♪" "I'm sorry about tonight." "Don't be." "♪ just sit with me tonight ♪" "I don't want you to worry about me while you're gone." "I'll be fine." "I know you will." "You take care of yourself," "Michael James holden." "♪ oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪" "♪ oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪" "♪ tonight ♪" "♪ oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪" "♪ oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪" "♪ tonight ♪" "♪" "So who wants a hot dog?" "I do." "Me, too." "Not me." "My stomach's doing backflips." "Okay." "None for you." "Can we bring lucky?" "No, he'd better stay here." "Give it to me." "I got him." "All right." "Let's go, men." "Come on." "It's okay." "They'll be back, boy." "hey, Mrs. Leblanc." "Hey, Jeremy." "Uh, Trevor and the boys just went to get a hot dog." "Okay." "This is, uh, private Riggs, specialist Giron." "Hi." "How do you do, ma'am?" "Mrs. Leblanc." "How you doing?" "Hey, nice to meet you." "How ya doin', boy?" "Riggs, here's that dog we were talking about." "Seriously, man?" "This is lucky?" "it's him, all right." "Saved my skin in Iraq, didn't you, boy?" "now you take care of the Leblancs" "And everybody else while I'm gone, okay?" "Gentlemen." "sergeant." "These are my boys." "This is Finn and t.J." "Where'd you get those hot dogs?" "Over there." "Yeah, we can show you." "Sounds good." "See you around, boy." "Rub his head for good luck." "I keep hoping for a delay." "Even a day or two." "The sooner I leave, the sooner I can get back." "Okay?" "You know, it's just not, so..." "That's great." "That's great." "Yeah." "Excuse me a second, Frank." "Uh-huh." "Fine day for flying, general." "So they tell me." "It's good to see you here, Joan." "Thank you, sir." "It's good to be here." "And I'll see you over there." "Yes, sir." "Colonel Burton." "I've been keeping eye out for you, ma'am." "Great to see you." "Same here, sergeant Larson." "You remember my wife Ann?" "Hi, Ann." "And who's this beautiful little girl?" "This is Shelly." "She's a little shy." "She's having a rough day." "it's okay." "You remember my husband, Dr. Burton?" "Sir." "Good to see you, sergeant." "A pleasure." "Say hi, Sara Elizabeth." "Hey there." "hi." "How are ya?" "yeah, she's a little shy, too. (chuckles) so you all squared away?" "Things are good, ma'am, but we miss you." "Well, don't get used to it, 'cause I'm coming back." "Yes, ma'am." "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have some soldiers to wrangle." "Hop to it." "Excuse us." "Larson." "Stay safe." "You do the same, ma'am." "Hey." "Hey." "Thank you for coming." "Of course." "Oh." "mm." "So is little Molly doing okay with all this commotion?" "Mm-hmm." "Yeah, she's quiet for now." "Oh, that's good." "That's good." "So I guess this is it." "Yeah, I guess so." "Here." "Ah." "soldiers of the 23rd," "For those of you who have stood here with me before," "Thank you for continuing to serve" "When your country needs you most." "For those on your first tour," "Welcome to the company" "Of the best-trained, best-led soldiers in the world." "Trust in your training," "Trust in your leaders" "And trust in the soldier to your left and right." "To our family and friends," "Some who have traveled great distances to be here..." "You are who we fight for." "You give us the strength to carry on," "And we thank you for seeing us off today." "We leave with heavy hearts" "But with heads held high," "And we will come back" "With the satisfaction of a job well done." "♪" "♪" "♪" "♪" "♪" "♪" "♪" "♪" "♪" "♪"