This chapter I wrote Rhoda and Madeline. My friend has continued to write Warren.
I do not own The Winds of War/ War and Remembrance. All rights belong to Herman Wouk, who wrote an amazing story.
Chapter Eleven
For a while, Pug Henry didn't stir, was fast asleep as the Devilfish started back towards port and slept for hours as they sailed without incident back home. They were almost back to Pearl Harbor when finally his eyes flickered open.
Byron had been sitting there, had been relieved of duties for the moment. "Hey...you're awake..."
It took Pug a moment to get his bearings but he smiled faintly at his son. "Hi Byron. Was I out long?"
"Couple of hours. You needed the sleep, don't worry about it."
Pug raised himself on one elbow, glanced around the small quarters. He couldn't think of anything to say, but was saved the trouble when another officer stuck his head into the room. "We'll be in port in a few minutes."
Byron turned, nodded. "Well...You heard that."
"Yes, I did." Pug sat up, glanced at his still untreated leg. He knew that he was not getting off the submarine without help, but was glad to just be arriving back in Pearl Harbor.
Byron nodded, glanced at the leg. "I couldn't get anyone in here... How does it feel?"
"It's alright." The leg was still very painful, but he didn't mention it. "How am I going to get out of here?"
"Either a stretcher or a wheel chair, whichever one we can get."
The officer who had come in a minute ago came back after the submarine made port. "We're back," he said, glancing from father to son.
Nodding again, Byron said, "Could ya get us a stretcher, Dave? We need to get him off this ship."
Dave shrugged. "I could get one, but I don't know about getting it down the hatch. I'll find one and have it waiting outside of the submarine for you. Does that sound alright Lieutenant?"
"Probably the best we can do..." Byron sighed, nodded. "Alright, thanks, Dave."
Pug watched Dave leave the room, then looked back towards his son in silence.
"We'll have it taken care of, dad... Wonder if Warren will be home..."
"We'll soon find out," Pug said, slowly moving his legs over the side of the bed, despite the pain. He wasn't sure exactly how he was going to get out of the submarine, but he didn't want to just sit there.
"Yeah..." He nodded, glanced around. "How's everything with mom? I haven't heard anything from her lately."
Pug glanced down at the mention of Rhoda, trying to decide whether he should tell him. Warren already knew, should he just tell Byron too? He decided that breaking that news could wait a little while. "Let's get off this submarine, Briny."
"Alright." Byron nodded, stood. Looking at his father, he stood, thinking. "Uh...not sure how we'll do this..."
Carefully, standing up on his good leg and holding onto the frame of the cot with the other, Pug looked at him, hesitating for a moment as he thought about their options. "I could hop..."
However, it was then that the officer, Dave returned. "Lieutenant, you can get on one side of him, I can get on the other and together we should be able to get him off."
"Absolutely." He nodded, walked over and took hold of his father arm. Wrapping it around his shoulder, he said, "Alright, dad, I've got you."
Pug didn't say anything as they slowly began to help him off the submarine. It took them a while, especially when they got to the hatch but they finally made it out into the fresh air, where like Dave said, there was a stretcher waiting.
Helping his father to the stretcher, he laid him down, said, "Alright, can you take the other end?"
Dave nodded, and picked up the other end. Together they carried Pug from the dock and brought him to the nearest hospital where a doctor immentatily took him into a room to treat him.
Once they were at the hospital, Dave glanced at Byron. "Well, I guess I'll be going now. See you around."
"Yeah, dad...see ya." Byron nodded, waved as they moved his father away.
Dave left and for a while no one said anything to Byron until the doctor returned from the room and approached him. "Your father's going to be fine," he said, "His only injury is a broken leg which I've set and which should heal just fine. He's awake if you want to go see him."
Byron nodded, walked into the room. Knocking, he said, "Hey..."
Pug smiled faintly at him when he came in. "Hi Byron."
"How are you feeling?" He stepped in slowly.
"Just fine," Pug replied, "I see no reason for me to stay here, I want to go see Janice and Warren. I can stay there."
"Dad, you need to rest for a while. You just got rescued from the ocean and broke your leg..."
"I'm a lot better off then many of the people in this hospital," Pug said.
"Don't start with that." Byron shook his head, wouldn't hear that. "You need to rest here for a while. I'll go and find Warren and Janice."
The doctor who had treated him came back then, hearing the end of the conversation. "Actually, if Captain Henry wants to go home," he said, "I don't see any reason to keep him here, as long as he stays off of that leg and comes back so that we can make sure it's healing right."
"I'd like that," Pug said, glancing at Byron for a moment, before looking back at the doctor.
Sighing, Byron shrugged, smirked. "It seems no one agrees with me..."
Going into another room for a moment, the doctor came back with a set of wooden crutches which he handed to Pug. "Take care of yourself, Captain," he said, before going to take care of another patient.
"Let's go," Pug said to Byron, wanting to get out of the hospital.
Byron smirked, followed his father as the man began to move. "Dad... We need to get you off your feet, you need to rest."
"I rested in the submarine," Pug said.
"Dad..." Byron stared at his father, slightly serious.
And I'll rest when we get to the house," Pug added as they left the hospital behind them.
Byron stepped forward, called a taxi that was passing by. "Alright, Dad... alright."
Together they got into a taxi and headed towards Warren and Janice's house.
