Frankie regained consciousness amid blinding light and disorientation, realizing she was restrained and suffering from a severe headache and withdrawal symptoms. Henry appeared and reassured her he would help get her out when possible, while staff referenced detox and medications. After orienting herself in a sparse room and hallway decorated like a school, she met counselor Jill Landis, who scheduled her for mandatory group therapy.

In Henry’s office, Frankie learned she was in an inpatient drug and alcohol treatment unit at the medical center that he directs. He explained her withdrawal and that her use of diazepam (Valium) and alcohol had become an addiction, warning she would likely lose her nursing license. Henry also revealed he is engaged to Natalie. He acknowledged their history but said he would not be her primary therapist. He identified her longstanding symptoms as consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder and emphasized that her trauma from serving as a surgical nurse in Vietnam was valid and not comparable to others’ experiences.

Prompted by Henry, Frankie admitted recent crises: nearly killing a bicyclist while driving drunk, the miscarriage, her affair with Joseph “Rye” Walsh and his lies, and her spiraling shame. Henry reframed the problems as originating in Vietnam and urged treatment focused on her wartime memories. He then introduced Frankie to Dr. Alden, a colleague specializing in Vietnam veterans.

With Dr. Alden, Frankie began recounting specific traumatic events from Vietnam: traumatic amputations, children burned by napalm, expectants dying on makeshift sawhorses, surgeries during mortar attacks, and patients like Mai. As she talked, previously suppressed memories of camaraderie and soldiers’ selflessness also surfaced. The structured days of group and individual therapy left her exhausted but increasingly expressive; she began journaling extensively about shame, anger, and self-blame.

On a visitors’ day weeks into treatment, Frankie, jittery and still headachy, prepared for family but was instead visited by Barb. Frankie confessed her collapse after seeing Rye with his family and resuming contact, and acknowledged that while she had wanted to confront him, she now saw he was not the root problem. She apologized for hiding her struggles and assuming she alone was broken.

Barb revealed she also has nightmares and lingering memories of Vietnam, and the two women finally shared their war stories, validating each other’s pain. Barb affirmed Frankie’s skill and impact in the operating room, and Frankie allowed herself to accept that truth. When Barb asked about the future, Frankie kept her focus on recovery, admitting she was not yet okay but beginning to believe she could heal if she stayed the course.