Chapter 43

CHAPTER 43

A LAXER DAY

Karan rubbed his arm slightly, the stiffness prohibiting his movements. He had forgone the sling the day before almost entirely, with riding his bike from Deolali to Pune and then investigating and then coming back and it had taken its toll.

He ignored the pain, instead grabbing his ID and attaching it to the belt of his drill uniform. His fingers halted when they reached for the handkerchief, his gaze falling on the tablets.

'A-Agar li h-hoti, toh aa-aaj s-subah d-drill par n-nahi aate. Aur i-itna alert toh b-bilkul n-nahi dikh r-rahe htoe. P-Painkillers h-have a d-drowsy ef-effect.'

"Ab nahi lunga toh daantegi", he said to himself. He sighed. He took one out, staring at it. He shook his head, before popping it in his mouth, and gulping it down with water. He stuck his tongue out in distaste. "Kadwi", he complained quietly.

He grabbed the handkerchief, folding it and putting it in his pocket. He took the diary Monami had given him, opening the drawer and carefully keeping it in.

"At least, woh mujhe daantegi nahi ab", he said. "Warna phir se kahegi- 'Dhyaan nahi rakhte', 'time nahi hai aapke paas.' Who knew woh taunts mein itni fluent hai?" He looked into the mirror, setting his hair before moving out.

'Jo bolna hai, aise bolegi ki log gussa bhi naa ho paaye', he thought, continuing his conversation with himself. He opened the door to the training room. 'Par... jo jaanna hai, woh bolegi nahi. Uske trauma se Bhaiya ka kya relationship?' He heaved a sigh.

The door opened behind him and he glanced up. Faizi walked in, typing something on his phone. "Humne kaha tha, na, ki tumhe set karne ki zaroorat nahi hai. Haath abhi bhi tumhaara theek nahi hai." He pocketed his phone. "Tum side par baitho. Tumhaare chakkar mein tumhaari waali tumhaare saath hume bhi daant degi."

He rolled his eyes slightly. He sat down on the tire, flexing his arm slightly. "Database mein naam check kara?" He asked.

Faizi hummed. "Koi nahi hai. Sanju se baat kari humne. Use lagta hai ki deputy heads aur heads mein se koi hai."

"Access codes ki wajah se?" He asked. Faizi nodded. "Strong possibility toh woh hi hai. Minor chance hai ki kisi ne kisi deputy head ya head ka password chura kar access kara ho."

"Map ka kuchh samajh aaya?"

He shook his head. "Nahi. Kal zyaada kaam nahi kar paaya." He sighed. "Kal kaafi log ghar jaa rahe hain. Paperwork bhi hai."

"Humaare paas bhi." He sighed.

The door opened, and the two men glanced up, seeing Monami walk in. She glanced up, offering the two a sweet smile. "G-Good m-morning."

"Morning", Karan said, smiling slightly at her. She glanced him over. She sat down next to him, looking him up and down. "Kya hua?"

"Aa-Aapne k-kal r-raat ka d-dose miss k-kar diya?"

His eyebrows shot up. "Tum kya antaryami ho? Aaj toh liya hai. Tumhe kaise pata kal raat nahi li?"

She gave him a disapproving look. "M-Main ek d-doctor hoon."

"Doctor ho. Stalker nahi jo sab pata hoga."

She shook her head. "You l-look a l-little p-pale, probably b-because you d-didn't sl-sleep well. P-Plus, a-agar k-kal r-raat li h-hoti toh a-abhi t-tak th-thoda a-asar hota. B-But you d-don't l-look d-drowsy or w-well r-rested. Aa-Aap th-thake hue l-lag r-rahe ho. I s-suppose aa-aapne y-yahan aa-aane se p-pehle li h-hogi. Aa-Aap b-baar baar a-apna arm n-nahi r-rub kar r-rahe, m-matlab it's n-not in p-pain. M-Matlab a-abhi li aur k-kal raat ko n-nahi."

His jaw dropped open slightly. His eyebrows flicked up in surprise. "Wow."

She smiled slightly. "Papa k-kehte hain ki p-post s-surgery p-painkiller in-intake k-kitna r-rakhna hai woh f-face se bhi j-judge k-karna aana ch-chahiye. You c-can't always r-rely on the p-patients' w-words and th-there is al-always r-room for h-human e-error. S-Skipped d-doses, d-decreased d-doses, sab n-notice karna aa-aana ch-chahiye." She looked down at her boots, fidgeting with the laces. "P-Papa kehte h-hain ki I am n-not very g-good at it y-yet."

"Not good?" Faizi echoed. "Tumne Karan ki medicine intake bata di ise dekhkar. Ab aur kya chahiye tumhaare Papa ko?"

"Ek d-doctor ke l-liye sab sy-symptoms ko n-notice k-karna z-zaroori hai. T-Tests are o-only for c-confirmation. W-Warna your b-body is c-capable e-enough to c-communicate what's w-wrong with it if s-someone kn-knows how to l-listen w-well enough. Ek t-time par, in an-ancient I-India, woh l-log d-disease b-bina tests ke hi b-bata d-dete the, and it w-was a-accurate m-most of the t-times." She shrugged. "I h-have a l-lot to learn." She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Par i-iska yeh matlab n-nahi hai m-main bh-bhool g-gayi hoon."

"Kya?" Karan asked.

She scowled at him. "Aa-Aapne k-kal r-raat dawaai k-kyun n-nahi li?" She demanded. "Ek d-dawaai bhi n-nahi le s-sakte aap? B-Bacche ho ki k-koi aa-aapke aage p-peechhe gh-ghoome aur d-dawaai khilaaye?"

He blinked a little. "Abhi toh li, na?" He protested. "Daant kyun rahi ho?"

"Aur k-kaise s-sunoge aap? M-Maine aa-aapko p-pyaar se b-bola tha, na? P-Par nahi!" She scowled at him. "Ab m-mujhe hi dh-dhyaan r-rakhna padega. Aa-Aapse toh k-kuchh n-nahi h-hoga."

The door opened and Karan stared after her with a dropped jaw as she stood up, standing midst the rest. Faizi slapped his back and he looked up at him. "Janaab ji, apni waali ki baat sun liya karo. Gussa ho gayi, toh peechhe peechhe ghoomna."

He glared at him. "Tu use yeh bulaana band karega?"

Faizi smiled at him. "Drill ka time ho raha hai", he said, ignoring his words. "Chalo."

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

"Tu kal jaa raho hai, na?" Sanju asked, after taking a long swing from her bottle.

Sid nodded. "Sab hi jaa rahe hain. Monu ke alaawa. Aap?"

She shook her head. "Hum jaane waalo the. Par kuchh kaam aa gayo. Hum chodkar naa jaa sakto hain. Monami kaahe ke laane naa jaa raho hai?"

He shrugged. "Uska mann nahi hai", he said vaguely.

She frowned, but let it go. "Tu toh badha khush hogo ghar jaane ke laane? Hogo, na?"

He smiled slightly, nodding. "Usually, Diwali par Daddy ji idhar udhar hote the. Ya business associates ghar aate the. This time... unhone mujhe promise kara hai. He'll spend a lot of time with me." He grinned. "I am excited."

She smiled at him. "Kaa karega tu unke saath? Kuchh socha hogo?"

He nodded excitedly. "Video games. I love it aur Daddy ji bhi pehle mere saath khela karte the." He chuckled. "It's been a long time. Ab mujhe naye waale unko sikhaane padhenge, but I think he'll like it."

"Tere saath hogo toh pasand hi aayego unhe", she said.

"And you? Aapka kya plan hai? Don't tell me aap Diwali par bhi kaam karengi?"

"Karan Sir ji ne kaho tha ki hum bhi unke saath Diwali par unke ghar chalein. Hume Bhaiya Bhabhi se mile bhi bahut time ho gayo."

Sid's smile faded slightly. "Param Sir?" He asked.

She nodded. "Haan. Hum kaafi saalon se jaanto hain unhe. Bhaiya aur Bhabhi sabko apne parivar mein le leto hain. Faizi Sir ji, hume." She smiled. "Humaare apne Bhaiya Bhabhi jaise lagto hain."

Param smiled at the two kids as they happily licked away at their ice cream. 'Ho gaya tum logon ka?' He asked. 'Ya kuchh aur chahiye?'

'Kuchh nahi, Bhaiya', Sid said. He bit his tongue. 'Sorry. Sir', he corrected sheepishly.

'Arey, Sir bolne ki zaroorat nahi hai. Bhaiya chalega.'

A 8 year old Monami grinned. 'Really?' She asked excitedly. 'Bhaiya chalega? Main toh aapko kabse Bhaiya bulaana chahti thi. Ab se aap mere Bhaiya. Theek hai?'

Param smiled. 'Tujh jaisi behen toh pray karke maangi jaati hai.' Monami giggled.

'Aur main?' Sid asked.

'Bhagwaan ji se pray karte hain ki please, bas aisa bhai mat dena. Kuchh bhi chalega, bas yeh nahi', Monami teased. Param laughed as Sid pouted.

'Moti Billi', Sid said. He leaned over, eating some of her ice cream.

Monami gasped. 'Tune meri ice cream khaayi?' She asked in affront. Sid stood up, running around the room, the younger girl right on her heels.

Sid forced a smile on his face. "Param Sir sounds nice", he forced out.

Sanju eyed him. "Chirkut... tu theek hai? Kaa hogo?"

"Nahi. Nahi. Kuchh nahi." He looked at her. "Aap... Aap apne parents ko miss nahi kar rahi? Woh bhi aapse milna chahte honge?"

She inspected his tight smile, before letting it go. "Haan, par kaam hogo, na? Hum kabhi aur chale jaayenge."

"Aapke gaon mein Diwali par kya karte hain?" He asked.

She smiled slightly. "Humaare poore gaon mein bahut..."

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Koel opened the door to her room, smiling at Faizi. She let him in, closing it behind him. She smiled slightly, as he snaked his arms around her waist from behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Kal tum jaa rahi ho", he whispered. "Hum miss karenge tumhe?"

"Main bhi", she said. She looked up at him. "Are you sure tum mere saath nahi aa sakte?"

He shook his head. "Kaam hai. It's... not just about not wanting to leave Karan anymore. Hume kuchh kaam karne hain jinhe hum chodh nahi sakte."

She turned in his embrace. Her arms looped around his neck. "Is it related to the death threats?"

He paused. "In a way", he said carefully. "Koel... humse kaam ke baare mein mat puchha karo. Hume tumhe mana karna achha nahi lagta aur hum tumhe kuchh bhi bata nahi sakte."

"Sorry. I try not to but I can't resist", she muttered softly. She leaned forward, gently brushing her lips against his. His eyes closed, and he leaned forward, their lips meeting in a sweet kiss.

The door opened behind them and the two pulled away quickly. Koel turned around, squeezing her eyes shut. The rest of her subgroup stared at the two with an open jaw.

"Holy shit", Sid muttered.

"Yeh kya chal raha hai?" Chitra shrieked. "Koel!?"

"Faizi Sir ji?" Bala said, jaw dropped. "Yeh... Aap... Aap dono ek saath ho?"

"Koel?" Prem ji asked, tilting his head.

Koel looked at Faizi with wide eyes. He shrugged helplessly. "Uh..."

"Kamini", Sid said. He slung an arm around her shoulders, pushing some of his weight on her. "Tune bataaya bhi nahi?"

She pushed him away in annoyance. "Kamina", she spat back. She smoothed her hair out. She glanced around. "I just... didn't want ki tum log mujhe 'Faizi Sir ki girlfriend' ki tarah jaano", she admitted quietly.

There was a beat of silence, as the subgroup stared at her. "Arey, Doctor Madam, ilaaj karo inka", Bala said. "Lagta hai paagalkhaane ki zaroorat hai."

Faizi laughed. Koel hit his arm lightly, and he pursed his lips. "Tu zyaada bak mat", Koel said to Bala. "Yeh kyun bol raha hai?"

"Bilkul sahi bol raha hai", Sid said. "Tujhe sach mein hum par itna hi bharosa hai?"

"If anything, hum Faizi Sir ko tera #boyfriend ke naam se bulaayenge", Chitra said. She looked at him. "Don't mind, Sir. Par Koel #sister hai. First relation uska."

Faizi smiled. "Hume koi dikkat nahi hai."

"Ek shan", Prem ji said. He turned to Suman ji. "Suman ji, aapne abhi tak Koel ko kuchh kyun nahi bola?"

She paused. "Suman ji ne? Suman ji bolne waali thi."

"#No way. Aapko already pata tha? #Haww", Chitra said. Her gaze zoomed to Monami. "Monami?"

Monami smiled nervously. She shrugged. "S-Sorry. Par K-Koel ne m-mana kara."

Faizi laughed slightly as there was another momentarily disbelieving outrage at the new information before the subgroup turned back to Koel, prodding her for details. He leaned closer to her ear. "Hum baad mein milte hain. Tum inke saath raho. Raat ko?"

"Oh no, sorry sorry. Aap toh #personal time spend kar rahe the, na, saath mein?" She teased slightly.

"Awww", Sid drawled. Koel glanced away awkwardly, a slight blush on her cheek. "Blushing and all, Koel? Not bad."

Faizi chuckled. "Tum log baat kar lo. Hume waise bhi kaam hai. Hum baad mein milte hain." He moved out, shaking his head slightly. He smiled slightly, moving back to his own room.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Karan stared at the map. There wasn't anything written on it in any type of invisible ink. What was he supposed to do with this? This was essentially just a map of Maharashtra, which can be bought from stores or printed.

But it wasn't that simple. If it was, it wouldn't have been hidden. Not in a terrorist safe house. If Laxman went there, he must have had an inkling of what this was about. How did he get to this? Where did he go after this?

He opened the map he had made, patting the location of another spot he had frequently visited along with the one in here. He pulled out his phone.

Gurmeet se kuchh pata chala? He texted Faizi.

Abhi nahi. Interrogate kar rahe hain. Hume nahi lagta ise zyaada pata hai.

He paused in thought. Sayed ke baare mein koi clue?

Nahi. Abhi toh nahi. Humaare paas ek idea hai par. Sanju ko lagta hai ki heads aur deputy heads mein se koi ho sakta hai. Unke backgrounds ek baar khud dobara check karte hain ki kuchh suspicious mile.

Dekh le. Par I doubt bahut kuchh milega. Phir bhi, worth trying.

He kept the phone aside. He looked back at the map of Laxman's location, studying it a little. A knock sounded on the door. "Come in", he called out, marking another spot he had visited. He glanced up, his eyebrows raising slightly. "Monami?"

"D-Dressing ka t-time", she said.

"Main aane hi waala tha."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Sure."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Tum jab doctor mode mein hoti ho toh taane saath mein khud hi flow karne lag jaate hai, na?"

She smiled slightly. "Only f-for you." She gestured him to sit on the bed. He got up from the desk, sitting down on the bed. He whipped off his shirt, and Monami gently unwrapped the gauze. She inspected the wound. "Aa-Aap k-kal o-official kaam se g-gaye the?"

He hummed, nodding. "Haan. Kyun?"

"K-Kal raat aa-aap c-coffee ke liye n-nahi m-mile, na?"

"Main late aaya tha raat ko." He looked up at her face. "Tumne wait kara?"

"Of c-course. B-But I f-figured aap n-nahi aa-aaye h-hoge w-waapas academy mein." She smiled at him lightly. He glanced down at his arm, when her fingers brushed the skin, almost sending shivers down his spine. "Ho g-gaya." She pulled away, keeping the things back in her kit. She smiled at him. "Ab aa-aap apna k-kaam k-kar s-sakte hain. I w-won't d-disturb."

Karan grabbed her arm when she stared to turn away. She looked down at it, and then back up at him, blinking a little in a silent question. "Coffee?" He asked. "Abhi? Kal ka compensation?"

She smiled slightly. She nodded. "C-Class se p-pehle t-time hai", she agreed. He smiled back, standing up.

She glanced down at her hand, that was still in his hold. He glanced down at it. He let her go. He gestured her to lead, following her out of the room.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Sanju chewed on her lip as she stared at the security document. The room was shrouded in darkness, owing to the late hour and Monami slept quietly on her bed.

'Agar yahan camera lage, toh yeh blind spot nahi rahego', she thought. 'Log lagaane ki zaroorat naa padego.' She typed in the suggestion, before going back to study the defense plan.

Monami stirred a little on the bed. Sanju glanced at her, finding her turning to her stomach, the blanket falling down to her waist. She shook her head fondly. She slept like a child at times.

Sanju stood up, grabbing the blanket and pulling it back up to her chin. Monami clutched her hand in her sleep, hugging it close. She chuckled, sitting down next to her.

Her peaceful expression faded a little, her eyebrows furrowing. "Nahi", she whimpered a little. "Nahi!"

"Monami", Sanju muttered softly. "Sapna hai bas." She ran a hand through her hair. "Sapna dekh rahi hai tu. Tu theek hai."

Monami clutched her hand tighter, curling up closer to her. She patted her cheek in comfort for a few minutes before she started to relax. A small smile appeared on her face. "Mumma", she whispered. "Mumma... I... I love you."

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Karan knocked on the open door. Sid glanced up from his bag, straightening up when he saw him. "Sir", he said, smiling at him.

He walked in. "Mujhe... kuchh puchhna tha tumse", he said carefully.

"Of course." He eyed him. "Monu ke baare mein?"

"Haan. Mostly." He fidgeted with his fingers awkwardly. "Monami aur mere Bhaiya ek doosre ko kaise jaante hain?"

Sid's smile faded. His jaw clenched slightly. He turned away, putting some clothes in his bag. "Aapko yeh kisne kaha ki woh ek doosre ko jaante hain?"

"Monami ne." Karan took another step closer. "Dekho, Siddharth, I know yeh sab tumhaara aur uska personal matter hai. Par jahan mere Bhaiya involved hain, wahan main bhi hoon."

Sid paused. He took a deep breath, turning to him. "Juhi Aunty, Monami ki Mumma, woh aapke Bhaiya ki commander thi, for a very long time. Juhi Aunty unpar bahut trust karti thi. Unhe apni family ka part maanti thi. Main aur Monu bhi unhe kaafi time se jaante the. And we trusted him. That's how we know him."

"Woh... Woh ek saath kaam karte the? Toh... toh phir? Kya hua uske baad? Tumhe aur Monami ko Bhaiya se ab problem kyun hui?" Karan questioned.

He shook his head. "Monu ko Bhaiya se koi problem nahi hai. Kyunki woh logon se expect karna chodh chuki hai. But main waisa nahi hoon. Aapke Bhaiya ne mujhse ek promise kara tha, and he didn't keep it. Jab Juhi Aunty shaheed hue the, when we needed him, he walked out and he never came back. Yeh problem hai meri unse. That he said ki woh hume apni family ki tarah maante hain par... he turned his back." Sid zipped the bag up. "I need to go. Warna late ho jaayenge sab. Excuse me."

Karan turned his head, watching him stalk out. He tilted his head.

'Yeh itna simple nahi ho sakta hai. Agar Juhi ma'am aur Bhaiya close the, agar yeh log close the, toh aisa nahi ho sakta ki Bhaiya bina kisi wajah ke aise hi chale jaaye.' He shook his head slightly. 'This cannot be the whole tale. Kuchh toh aisa hua hoga beech mein, jo yaa toh Siddharth ko pata nahi ya woh bataana nahi chahta. Par... kya?'