They managed to bring down 4 people
He was glad he had huda and Ali present there at the moment....
It would have been difficult otherwise.
As the backup got late.

Just one more to handle and then he is done
While he saw from his peripheral vision another one coming towards him with a gun, and in a blink he is tackled down ..... May be it was ud he guessed.....

Huda came forward and both managed to get over with the man in the hand.
The backup came and started cuffing the men already down on the floor.

Rajveer sat down breathing heavy.....
Thand god for making it over without anyone getting injured.

When he heard a loud shreik from alekh.....
And he saw huda and Ali running towards left direction.
He turned to see a cadet lying on the floor.
He ran too and as he went close with a clear vision
He felt life leaving his body

It was her ....

She was the one who tackled the man with the gun down.
His legs left all the strength as he fell down beside her
She was bleeding from the waist
She was half conscious her head resting on Ali's lap .....
She saw him with doe like eyes....
His face was as white as a ghost .... He kept looking at her ... Not breaking the eye contact, afraid that if he even tear his sight away even for a sec she will close her eyes.

He took her in his arms lifting her from Ali 's lap.... Securing her in his embrace, keeping one hand on the cloth which alekh had kept on her wound.

He can't hear anything else ....
Who is around them, what are they talking
He heard from distance alekh shouting for Medical aid.

Huda panicking and Calling Dr. Shalini.
Puja running towards them shouting naina 's name .

Orderly reporting him about the arrest.

All this falling in his deaf ears.
His stunned lifeless face... Just kept looking at her
He is not sure when the stretcher came to fetch her
How he went and sat in the ambulance
Who else is sitting with them...

It looks like eternity.
He just knows one thing
If he keep holding her hand she will not go anywhere.

Only if he had been more aware around him
He would have seen huda and alekh worried themselves
And how they were overlooking the fact that he is almost bend over her
Holding her hand , patting her head and murmuring words of assurance under his breath.

Sheilding her protectively.
Trying to give her strength to fight and survive
As she has now started loosing consciousness.

________

Once she was inside the operation theatre
He lost his will
He sank on the chair... Unable to process a single thing.

He can't understand a single word nurses are saying to them
When alekh asked him to make a call at the acedmy
He took his cell phone out and just couldn't comprehend how to fetch a contact or dail number.

He kept scrolling aimlessly when alekh gently took the phone from his hand , while looking at his condition.

"Main call karta hun sir"
He said softly

And huda kept looking at this man whom he once had hated so much as he use to believe that he has snatched his chance away with Naina.

_____________

Alekh came with a two coffee cups making him take one
He came and sat adjacent to him
Keeping hand on his shoulder to support him

"Naina fighter hai sir.... Apko pata hai
Aj ka Sara plan usi ne execute Kiya tha."

Rajveer is too exhausted to react .

"Sir Ali ka academy se call aya tha....
Cl. Chandra shayad apke CO hai.
Wo report mang rahe hai aj ke operation ki.
Apko khud ko sambhalna padega thoda
AP ye to nahi chahenge na ke jo bat ap itne waqt se daba rahe hai , ek bar phir uchali Jaye."

Rajveer saw alekh with astonishment.
Alekh knows, but how.

"Main yaha rukta hun AP jayiye please
Apka Jo bhi paper work aur reporting hai complete kijiye."

_____________

She opened her eyes after 3 days
To see Pooja beside her .

Pooja grinned and ran to call the nurse

_________

"Did anyone else got hurt "?

"Nope just you"
Pooja replied

"Are you sure"
She asked again and Pooja knew why she is asking again and again.

"Rajveer sir thik hai "
Pooja gave her the news she needed and she can't help but gave a sigh of relief. ... Later saw Pooja smirking.

"You took a bullet for him
It's so romantic "

"Pooja you are nuts
And you have a weird notion of romance"

"Tune sir ki halat nahi dekhi thi jab tujhe goli lagi.....
For two days he behaved like walking dead
Pata hai kitna cover up Kiya humne sir ko"

"Pooja please don't read too much on this
He has a habit of taking care of everyone around him."

"Tujhe samjhane ka koi fayda nahi hai"

______________

She woke up few hours later to see him leaving the room when he stopped as he saw her awake.

He came back

"Did I woke you up"
He sat on the stool after adjusting her pillow

"I slept well
Was the operation successful"

"Don't even talk about it....
I had told you specifically not to get hurt
And hence you did exact opposite.
You must have been an odd kid."

She laughed and then winced in pain as it put pressure on her wound.

"Relax....."
He put his hand on her shoulder.....

As she saw him gently.

"You shouldn't have done that "
He said with seriousness

"He would have shot you "

"I am already living with one burden on my conscience
Why do you wana add more
If something would have happened to you what would I have said to neveen....."

"What happened with him, was not your fault
And bhaiyya would have done the same for you.....
You were his dear friend "

"When you say that
You don't really mean it"

"I mean every word i say, believe me, I understand "

And she reached out for his hand.
His hands went cold with her touch

___________