The chapter opened with a December 20, 1972 letter from Frankie to Barb revealing that she was pregnant and engaged to Henry, asking Barb and Ethel to stand up for her at a small wedding. On Christmas, Henry gave Frankie his grandmother’s ring and they set a February 17 date. They eagerly prepared a sunny yellow nursery together, assembling a crib with a rockets-and-stars mobile to symbolize their hopes for a daughter’s future, and Frankie felt calmer and more herself during pregnancy.

In early 1973, Frankie and Henry began weekly dinners with her parents. Henry talked about his soon-to-open addiction clinic, and Bette offered to fundraise. Connor approved of Frankie’s conventional path into marriage and motherhood; Bette pushed for a club reception that Frankie declined. During one dinner, Henry discovered Connor’s “heroes’ wall,” which honored male family service. Connor offered the deed to the Ocean Boulevard cottage as a wedding gift but dismissed Frankie’s Vietnam service, insisting women’s pride should come from family. Their tense exchange ended when Henry rushed in with breaking news that Nixon had signed the Peace Accord.

As news shifted to Operation Homecoming, the League of Families transitioned from advocacy to preparing for POW returns. Frankie attended a party at the San Diego office where wives discussed Navy guidance warning about the men’s potential physical and emotional scars. Joan thanked Frankie for her help. Feeling separate from the wives, Frankie took this as a closing of her Vietnam chapter as she stepped toward marriage and motherhood.

Watching television coverage with Henry, Frankie saw POWs land in Manila and then recognized Navy Lieutenant Commander Joseph Ryerson “Rye” Walsh among the returnees. Overwhelmed, she excused herself, told Barb by phone that Rye was alive, and confessed her turmoil: she was pregnant, days from her wedding, and still in love with Rye. She resolved to be on the San Diego airfield when he arrived; Barb and Ethel booked a red-eye to support her.

The next morning, with her wedding dress hanging at home, Frankie removed her engagement ring before leaving, not wanting Rye to see it without an explanation. With permission from Anne Jenkins, Frankie, Barb, and Ethel reached NAS Miramar and joined the waiting crowd of families and press. As POWs deplaned and reunited with loved ones, Frankie waited anxiously to see Rye.

When Rye appeared, thinner and limping, Frankie tried to reach him, calling his name through the noise. Instead, Rye turned toward a tall blond woman holding a little girl with a “WELCOME HOME, DADDY!” sign. He embraced and kissed the woman deeply and lifted and kissed the child. Ethel quietly noted he was married, and Frankie, stunned, felt her hopes collapse just days before her planned wedding.