Chapter 33

EPISODE-33

 

Rajveer and Naina were in Narowal. He asked her to follow him and took her outside the dispensary. He took out a swiss knife from his pocket and slit his wrist. Spurt of blood came out.

"Oh my God! Raj yeh kya kiya tumne."

"Don't you think I need a doctor."

"Of course you do... lekin injuries ka nahin dimaag ka. Have you lost it? What the hell do you think you are trying to do?" She panicked.

"Good.... ab isi tarah panic karti raho and you should look natural."

"What? Raj I am not getting you dammit."

"Maine kaha tha na I have a plan."

"Yeh kaisa idiotic plan hai Raj. Tum pagal ho gaye ho kya?"

"Shhhhhhh.... koi aa raha hai. So just shut up and come with me."

 

An old man of around 65 years was coming out from the dispensary. Naina was getting anxious to see the blood and she dragged him inside to get his wound bandaged. She was so much in hurry that she bumped into that old man and all his medicines fell on the floor. Naina ignored that and moved ahead but Rajveer insisted to help him pick up his medicines. Thereafter they hurried inside.

 

They told the doctor that he accidently got hurt with the sharp edge of an iron rod as he bandaged his wound. Meanwhile Rajveer looked around carefully. He saw that it was a moderate sized room with a bed on one side, and three cupboards to keep medicines. As the doctor turned to get some medicine from one of those cupboards, Rajveer took the sphygmomanometer from the table and hit the doctor on his head. He conked out instantaneously.

 

Rajveer unlocked the cupboards and started looking for something.

"Raj for heaven's sake.... please tell me tum kya karna chahte ho. Mujhe kuch samajh mein nahin aa raha hai. Tum dhoondh kya rahe ho?"

"Medicines. Bullet wounds waale patient ko bahut hi heavy painkillers aur strong antibiotics diya jaata hai. Generally itni stong medicines itni choti dispensaries mein nahin hoti hain. They have to be ordered specially."

"Matlab ki job hi doctor Bhaiyya ki treatment kar raha hoga uske paas woh medicines hongi aur doosre ke paas nahin."

"Exactly."

Naina understood the situation and started looking around for such medicines. They checked each and every corner of the dispensary but could not find any such medicine.

 

"Yahan to nahin hai. That means Posrur."

"Let's go then."

They both hurriedly left the place. They always parked their car at a little distance from the village. They came out of the village. Their destination was Posrur. Rajveer was about to get inside the car when Naina stopped him.

"You are hurt. So let me drive."

"I am fine Naina."

"Lekin isi tarah zid karte rahe to zyada der tak fine nahin rahoge. So move. Let me drive."

 

Naina was on the wheels and Rajveer sat next to her. She drove towards the village.

"Tumhein kya zaroorat thi apna wrist cut karne ki. Hum uske bina bhi to ander jaa sakte the na."

"Jaa to sakte the but just in case doctor wahan akela nahin hota aur uske saath kuch villagers hote to? Hum problem mein aa sakte the agar hamara excuse jhootha lagta to."

Naina  kept quiet to that. Hurting oneself to protect oneself was something still new for her. She was still to adapt to the hostile situations and extreme reactions. Suddenly she stopped the car with a screech.

"Gaadi kyu rok di tumne?"

"Raj yeh bhi to ho sakta hai na ki jab hum wahan pahunche tab medicines out of stock ho gayi ho. I mean he can't pile up the stock of those medicines. He can get caught because of them."

That made Raj pensive. She had a point.

"Possible. And in that case, hamari saari mehnat pe paani phir gaya."

"Not really."

"What does that mean?"

"Raj remember hum log jab dispensary mein enter kar rahe the I bumped into that old man."

"Haan toh?"

"Raj uski medicines.... It was some antibiotic. Usi group ki jiski tum lete the when you were in Srinagar Army Hospital."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course Raj.  I know about those medicines. Hospital mein tumhein woh medicines main hi diya karti thi. Us waqt jab maine unhein woh medicines utha kar di thi tab maine dhyaan nahin diya but I am sure about it."

"Great. Matlab Navin ke baare mein unhein pata hoga."

"Lekin ab hum unhein kahan dhoondhenge? Kal subah tak ka wait to hum kar nahin sakte."

"Right. Abhi saadhe saat baje hain. Agar hum aaj hi kisi tarah unhein dhoondh le aur woh bhi jaldi to aaj raat hi hum Navin ko yahan se nikaal sakte hain."

"Raj... Get real. Hum na itni jaldi Bhaiyya tak pahunch sakte hain aur na hi unhein is haalat mein yahan se nikaal sakte hain. Unka wound ab bhi fresh hoga."

"Navin ko nikaalne ki baat baad ki hai sabse pehle humein us tak pahunchna hoga. Let's go back."

 

They went back to the Dispensary at Narowal. The doctor was still unconscious. Naina brought a glass of water and Rajveer sprinkled in on his face. It took him not more than 10 minutes to regain his senses. But he was scared to see them both.

"Please dekhiye don't be afraid... Humara iraada aapko nuksaan pahunchane ka nahin hai. Hum aapse sirf thodi si madad chahte hain." Rajveer tried to explain him.

"Madad?"

"Ji haan....madad. Hum yahan kisi ko dhoondh rahe hain aur humein pata hai ki agar yahan koi hamari madad kar sakta hai to aap."

"Kise?"

He showed him Navin's picture. Doctor got all the more scared when he saw the picture.

"Ma...main.....main nahin janta ise."

"Dekhiye hum jaante hain ki aap hi inka treatment kar rahe hain. Hamara in tak jald se jald pahunchna bahut zaroori hai."

"Mujhe nahin pata yeh kaun hai."

Naina came to him and showed him few of her old pictures with Navin.

"Main inki behen hoon. Please mujhe bataeeye yeh kahan hain."

"Aur waise bhi aaj nahin to kal Army inhe yahan dhoondh hi legi. Aur uske baad aap bhi phans jaayenge aur woh bhi jinhone inhein panaah di hai."

 

That made the doctor thoughtful. He had a point. He has been living under the same fear for a couple of days now.

"Aap please hamari madad kijiye and I assure you, hum jitni jaldi hoga unhein yahan se le jaayenge."

He wanted to protect Navin. He has been lying to the Army people but Rajveer and Naina appeared to be genuine well-wishers.

"Theek hai." He finally gave in.

 

He asked them to come along and guided them to a small house nearby.

He knocked the door and the same old man appeared.

"Aap is waqt yahan. Sab theek hai na." He asked the doctor.

"Yeh log yahan us ajnabee ki talash mein aaye hain jo aapko us raat ghayal haalat mein mila tha."

Initially he was too reluctant and susupicious to let them inside his house but on doctor's insistence, he let them in.

Naina felt too relieved and happy to be at a distance of just a few steps from Navin. She rushed inside to the small room backside and saw Navin lying there.

 

Her legs freezed, her voice choked and all the joy disappeared as she saw Navin. She was shocked to see her brother...so much that she even blacked-out for a few seconds...........