I do not own The Winds of War/ War and Remembrance. All rights belong to Herman Wouk, who wrote an amazing story.

Chapter Two

Hours slipped by and Pug didn't stir. But after a time, his eyes flickered open and he sat up fully, looking around.

Warren looked over, saw his father slowly wake up. Sitting beside him, Warren asked, "How do you feel?"

"Alright, considering," Pug said, looking towards his son when Warren sat down beside him. "Have you heard anything new while I was out?"

"Yeah..." He nodded, really didn't want to mention what was going on. It was all so terrible, the destruction well beyond what many could think. "We have this for you." He reached out, handed him the letters that had found there way there. One of the few things they had been effective in today was getting a few items back to him.

Thank you." Pug took the letters and flipped through them, wincing slightly as the wound on his shoulder felt stiff from not being moved for hours. Finding a letter from Rhoda, he selected that one and started to open it.

Warren watched him, nodded as his father went through each letter. Seeing him stop at one to read, he got up to give Pug some privacy.

Pug opened the letter and started to read, put then he froze, staring in shock at the piece of paper in his hand. The words he'd just read were a sharp blow to his heart as he reread the words Rhoda wrote in her usual style, telling him that she'd fallen in love with another man.

Warren watched his father for a moment, trying to see what could be going on. Slowly he walked back over, sat down beside his father and looked at his face. "Dad...everything alright?"

"Yes, everything's fine." Pug folded the letter and stood up, not having any intentation of telling his son the contents of the letter he held in his hand. Leaving the rest of his mail unopened on the table next to the couch, he grabbed a bottle of wine, and disappeared up the stairs, shutting himself into the spare room which had become his for however long he decided to stay with his son and daughter in law.

Putting the letter down on a table, Pug drank the entire bottle, before collapsing on the bed without taking off his uniform, out cold.

Warren sat there, knew something wasn't right. He watched his father leave, could hear it in his voice. Turning to Janice, he said, "I know something's wrong...I know it."

Janice was silent for a moment. "He was reading his mail, something there must have upset him."

She looked at the mail Pug had left on the table.

He watched her for a moment, almost wanted to say that she shouldn't do that, going through his private mail. However, curiosity got to him, making him want to read the letter as well.

Picking up the letters from the table, she flipped through them. "None of the ones here are open."

"He must of taking it with him." Nodding, he looked at the stairs, then looked down.

"Go upstairs and check on him," Janice suggested, "See if you can figure out what happened."

Looking over at her, he thought for a moment. "I don't want him to feel pressed...his got enough to think about." Nodding, he looked up at the stairs again.

"I'll go see if he's alright," Janice said, heading towards the stairs and going up. She knocked on the closed door of the room, but upon getting no answer slowly opened the door and looked inside. Looking the room over, she saw Pug was out cold on the bed, and she also saw the wine bottle on the floor and went to pick it up.

On her way out, Janice noticed the letter on the desk and picked it up, scanning it quickly before her eyes grew wide and she took that and brought it downstairs as well to rejoin Warren.

"He drank the whole bottle... he's out cold," she said, putting the bottle down on the table and then holding out the letter to Warren. "And I found this."

He watched her, looked at the letter in her hand. It was too personal for him to look at, yet he still wanted to know what it said. "Did you read it, Janice?"

Janice nodded. "I read some of it, enough to figure out what's bothering him."

"What'd it say?" He didn't want to read it, felt uncomfortable with the idea.

She was silent for a moment, unsure of how to put what she had read into words. "Why don't you just read it, Warren?"

"I...I can't read my dad's mail. It's too awkward...can you read it too me?" Honestly it made no difference, but in his mind he felt if it wasn't him actually reading it nothing was hurt.

"Alright."

Janice looked at him for a moment before looking down at the letter and starting to read it out loud.

"Dear Pug,

I know this is the worse possible way to break this news to you, in a letter which will reach you in a fareaway place. I know how unfair it is. Pug, my love, you've always had my doubts that I was cut out to be a Navy wife. After all these years, I suppose I've proved it. Ever since Berlin, during your long abstances, I've been seeing a lot of Palmer Kirby and the fact is..."

She trailed off then and looked up at Warren for a moment before continuing. "The fact is, I've fallen in love with him. For months I have been in such turmoil over what to do and I couldn't bring myself to tell you. But Palmer has offered to marry me. I have decided that I want to accept, and now write to you to ask for a divorce. It's not that I don't love you, Pug. I do. But..."

Once again Janice trailed off, deciding against reading anymore.

He sat there, stared off into space. It...wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible. How could this have happened?

She stared at him for a moment, putting the letter down before putting a hand on his arm. "Warren, are you alright?"

"No...'m not alright..." He sat there, didn't say anything else. He blinked several times, trying to process it all.

Not sure what to say, Janice wrapped her arms around him. "It's getting late Warren, why don't we get some rest?"

He hugged her back, simply sat there. "I...I don't know what to think right now, Janice. I just...just want to think for a moment."

Janice kissed his cheek, then stood up. "I'll leave you alone then. Goodnight, love."

He nodded, kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Janice...I'll be up in a while."

With a nod, Janice went up the stairs and into their bedroom.

Warren sat there for some time, simply stared into the darkness. Deciding to go to bed, he walked upstairs. Stopping beside the room where his father slept, he stared at it, thinking for a second. Opening the door, he entered it, watched his father sleep. Laying down beside the bed, he slowly drifted asleep, trying to feel comforted by his father's presence.