Chapter 61

CHAPTER 61

POISONED

Param leaned against the door, closing his eyes. His brother's pained croons echoed immediately in his ears and his eyes snapped open.

He peeked through the window. Monami was moving around the room, barking orders to the other doctor. He didn't blame him for obeying like a scolded little boy. She was glowering with worry.

Karan was bleeding. Internally. How did he not realize that? Why the hell was he bleeding in the first place? Was he in a fight? Will he be okay?

Monami opened the door, inspecting the file in her hand. Param looked at her expectantly. "Does he take any medicines?" She asked. His eyebrows furrowed. Medicines? He shook his head.

"Bas thodi painkillers", Faizi said. "Jab use chest mein kal subah pain zyaada ho raha tha."

Her face tightened a little. She looked down at the file before up at the three agents. "His blood has a lot of warfarin." Param tilted his head. What was that? "Warfarin ek type ki drug hoti hai. It's used in medicine as an anticoagulant. Matlab, blood ki clotting properties ko kam karne ke liye use hota hai. Par... isko bahut controlled amount mein diya jaata hai and under doctor's guidance. Jitni amount mein Sir ki body mein hai, it's extremely high. Isliye yeh side effects. His body is bleeding at every little injury and woh blood clot nahi kar raha hai. Isliye itne saare aur itne extreme bruises and internal bleeding. And internal bleeding ki wajah se chest pain."

Param slowly nodded, taking in the information. "Will he be okay?"

She paused. "He's stable. I have put him on some coagulants, taaki woh dheere dheere anticoagulants ka effect reverse kare. Internal bleeding multiple sites se ho rahi hai but there is not an extreme injury inside toh isliye wait karte hain. If surgery can be averted, woh hi best hai. Itni anticoagulants blood mein hone ke baad, surgery is a very dangerous option." She leaned closer. "Agar yeh koi bhi type ki medicine nahi lete hain, you should figure out ki inki body mein itna saara warfarin kahan se aaya hai. It's not natural to have this."

"Tum kehna chahti ho ki Karan ko kisi ne drug kara hai?"

"Ek baar nahi. Thode thode amounts mein build up hua hai", she corrected. "Ek baar mein hota, toh the effects would have been immediate aur itna dragged out nahi."

'There is a spy in the academy?'

'Mujhe ek parcel mila tha. Us mein kisi ne uska haath kaatkar mujhe bheja tha. Saath mein, death threat.'

Param's jaw clenched. This was an attack. Someone poisoned his baby brother. Someone tried to kill him. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Someone was going to pay with their life.

"Yeh jo drug hogo... yeh kis cheez mein milto hai? Matlab... dawaai ke alaawa bhi kisi tarah se milto hai?" Sanju asked.

"Rat poison", she said.

Param's eyes narrowed. Rat poison. Were they taunting? "Monami, do you think we should move him to the hospital ya tu yahan uska dhyaan rakh sakti hai?"

She looked at him, and her hands tightened around the file. She was uncomfortable around him. He didn't quite care at the moment. "I need some m-medicines", she said. "But agar s-surgery ki zaroorat nahi padhi, toh iss fl-floor par I have all the e-equipment I need."

"Medicines ki list bana, aur Ustaad ji ko de dena. You'll oversee his treatment." She nodded. "Do you need more doctors?" She shook her head. "Good. Tere alaawa, no doctor will see him. Uske andar, jo bhi medicine, jo bhi injection, jo kuchh bhi jaa raha, you should know."

"Yes Sir."

"Sanju, tu Monami ke saath reh. Main, tu, Faizi, Monami aur Batra Sir, inn paanchon ke alaawa tu Karan ko kisi ke saath akela nahi chodegi. Aur Monami ke saath, jitna kam ho sake, utna kam chodhna", he said.

He gave her a look. She nodded. Monami wouldn't be able to handle if the spy decided to make a move. "Ji, Sir ji."

"Faizi, figure out karne ki koshish kar ki kis ke through poison kara hai ise." Faizi nodded. "Main Batra Sir ke paas jaakar aaya." He quietly made his way from the fourth floor- trauma floor- to the colonel's cabin. He took a deep breath, slowly exhaling.

He needed to think their next moves now. Too much anger was going to get someone else killed. He looked at his clenched fist, slowly flexing his hand. First step- figure out how he was poisoned and try to trace the spy's footsteps.

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

Monami gently cleaned his skin before injecting him with some morphine. Her gaze lifted up to his face. Even unconscious, his face was contorted with pain. She checked the drip of coagulant in his hand before sitting down next to him. She ran a hand through his hair, brushing it away from his sweaty forehead.

She had nearly cried. He was suddenly coughing and bleeding, groaning in pain before he had crumbled to the ground, pawing at his chest with trembling hands. He had been whimpering. In pain. He was always so stoic, so... so tolerant of pain. Even shot by a bullet, the most he had done was wince and groan a little. And now, he had been whimpering. Almost crying. His eyes were filled with misery. He was in agony.

She stared at him. Warfarin. He was poisoned.

'Keh de Karan Shergill ko ki peechhe rahe. Ek minute ka chain nahi milega use. Marne se pehle sau baar marega. Aur jab maut aayegi toh khushi ke aansu royega.'

Was it related to all that? What was the mission that they were working on? How they did continue to poison him? And how could he not realize something was wrong?

She gently pushed his shirt up, staring at his torso. It was riddled with bruises, just a teeny bit swollen that had confirmed her suspicions. How in the world did he not notice it? Her eyes narrowed. Was he just ignoring the signs?

The door opened and she looked up. Sanju. She walked in, pausing at the base of the bed and staring at Karan. Her gaze flickered with something but Monami couldn't guess what it was. It was too fleeting. She walked closer. "Sir ji ko hosh kab aayego?" She asked.

She shook her head. "Abhi t-time l-lagega", she said. "Maine h-high dose of m-morphine di hai. He'll sl-sleep for s-some time. His b-body n-needs some r-rest." Sanju nodded. "Ek b-baar baaki m-medicines ka th-thoda asar aa-aana shuru ho j-jaaye and he sl-sleeps a-achhe se, main m-morphine ki d-dose kam k-kar dungi."

Sanju stared at Karan. "Monami... chinta karne ki koi baat hogo kaa? Sir ji... theek ho jaayenge, na?"

"He'll t-take s-some time to r-recover. But... he will." 'Hopefully' hung in the worried silence between them, neither daring to utter it.

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

Faizi looked around their room. He usually pawed at Karan's food, sneaking off bits and pieces and gulping it down before he could snatch it back. But he didn't even have traces of warfarin in his own body. Then how was Karan poisoned?

It was hard to poison mess food or even the utensils. Who knew who would pick what? It was impossible to predict and plan. Something was poisoned that only Karan used. It has to be in their room.

'Humaare kamre mein koi aaya tha.'

'Meri desk aisi nahi thi.'

Faizi walked to his desk, inspecting it. He eyed the bottle. It was so close to the edge. Karan didn't like that. It had the chance to fall off. He glanced behind at the door. Did someone come? He looked at the bottle again, grabbing his gloves and opening it. He sniffed it. It didn't smell weird. He never really shared water with him. And Karan drank plentiful of it. Could it be the water?

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

"Tum log ki trainers se baat hui?" Suman ji asked, looking at Koel and Sid. "Ya Monami se?" They were all sitting in Sid and Bala's room, quiet and lost in their worried thoughts. It had been a solemn mood since the morning meeting, and their ignorance about Karan's health had only aggravated their anxiety.

They shook their heads. "Sanju aur Monu dono hi nahi dikhe subah se", Sid said.

"Faizi dikha toh tha, par bahut busy lag raha tha. Aur Param Sir se baat kar raha tha. Mujhe jaana theek nahi laga", Koel said.

Chitra traced the pattern on Sid's bed absentmindedly. "Koel, tum toh nurse thi, na? Karan Sir theek ho jaayenge, na?"

She hesitated. She didn't know everything. She didn't know the facts. And even if she did, she was a nurse. She may have had her fair share of medical knowledge but she wasn't a doctor. "Mujhe nahi pata", she admitted quietly. Bala gently patted Chitra's arm in comfort and she leaned closer.

Parikshit tapped the desk. What was the meeting about? EFR? He grabbed his laptop, typing in the name. He scrolled through. Eastern Frontier Rifles. He shook his head. Not that. He modified the search- EFR Terrorist organization.

He clicked on a link, reading it through. Terrorist organization, separated by a parent one in the late 80's. Their preferred mode of terrorism was bomb blasts, mostly in schools and public places. His lip curled up in distaste. Targeting children? Utter cowards.

But... why were they going to be briefed about the organization? It wasn't a case study. There was no reason to call a meeting for it and absolutely no reason to have Param Sir and Batra Sir there, and even all three trainers. One was enough. No, the meeting was important.

Was EFR related to whatever was going on with Karan's health?

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

"Karan theek nahi hai?" Barkha asked. "Kya hua?"

"Bas... thoda bimaar hai", Param said. "Tum chinta mat karo. Theek ho jaayega thode din mein."

There was a pause. "Param, bimaar matlab? Kya hua use? Mujhe baat karni hai usse. Phone do use."

He glanced at his brother's unconscious body. "So raha hai woh. Suno, I have put some commandos ghar ke bahar, okay? Tum Baby aur apna dhyaan rakhna."

"Okay. Tum Karan ka dhyaan rakhna. Aur apna bhi."

He cut the call, pocketing his phone. He turned around, finding Monami staring at him. She immediately averted her gaze, fiddling with the blanket draped on his brother.

"Khaana kha liya tune?" He asked. She shrugged, nodding. He sat down on the chair, staring at his brother. "He'll be okay, na?" She hummed lightly. "So jaa thodi der. Main jaga hua hoon. Kuchh bhi change hoga, main bataata hoon." She hesitated. "Monami, kisi aur ka dhyaan rakhne ke liye, khud ka dhyaan rakhna zaroori hota hai."

She looked at the monitor. "Agar BP 110/70 se k-kam h-hota hai, toh w-wake me up i-immediately. And agar h-heart r-rate 120 se z-zyaada h-hota hai, toh bhi. Yeh d-drip g-glucose ki h-hai. B-Band nahi h-honi ch-chahiye r-raat bhar. Waise toh h-he sh-should sl-sleep th-through the n-night, par if h-he sh-shows e-even signs of w-waking up, m-mujhe utha dena. B-Body mein k-kahin bhi s-swelling ya p-puffiness lage, toh bh-bhi. F-Fever dekhna. H-Haath l-lagaakar dekh lena. Th-Thermometer ki z-zaroorat nahi. Har aa-aadhe ya ek gh-ghanta mein ch-check kar l-lena."

He nodded. "Okay. BP dekhna hai, heart rate dekhna hai, drip dekhni hai, swelling dekhni hai, fever dekhna hai aur yeh so raha hai, yeh dekhna hai. Kuchh reh gaya?" She shook her head. "So jaa tu ab."

She stared at the couch as she laid over it, her mind on Karan. How had she not realized sooner? She met him every day, talked to him. The bruises. She had even noticed his neck and then... just dismissed it? What sort of doctor was she? Her grip tightened on the edge of the blanket. She was a bad doctor.

She closed her eyes, the day's stress and exhausting lulling her to a sleep, unbothered by the stagnant beep of the monitors.

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

Monami opened her eyes, several realizations overpowering her senses. The place stank. Something weighted down her arms. Chains. She knew the feeling. The cocking of a gun. Her eyes snapped up.

Her mother.

'Mumma!' She said, trying to crawl her close. No. No! Her mother's gaze didn't flicker from the man. He was holding a gun to her forehead. 'Mumma! Mumma!'

A gunshot rang out. She flinched, her eyes screwing shut and warm liquid splattered on her face. No. Oh God, no. Her heart pounded. She pried her eyes open. Her eyelids were heavy.

Karan knelt on the ground, hands pawing at his chest. She froze. 'S-Sir?' He lifted his face. She gasped, crawling back in horror. He was bleeding. His eyes, his nose, his mouth. He was bleeding from everywhere. 'Sir!' She crawled closer. The chains restrained her. She looked down, trying to strain against them.

'Monami!'

She looked up. Her... Her house? How did she get there? She was in... in the cell. She looked around. Param. 'Bhaiya!' He stared at her. 'Bhaiya!' She walked closer. She wanted him. He would keep her safe. He would protect her. He turned around. A door appeared, and he opened it. 'Nahi. Bhaiya!' He walked out, closing the door behind him.

The room was shrouded in darkness. She was... She was alone.

Her knees stung as she fell down to the ground. She stared into the darkness. She couldn't even see herself. There was nothing. No one. She was... alone.

Param looked up. Monami had shot up on the couch, panting. So... she still had nightmares. He stood up, filling up a glass of water. He held it out to her. She looked up at the glass and then up at him. He nodded to it wordlessly. She accepted it, taking a sip and then keeping it aside.

"Tu theek hai?" He asked.

She closed her eyes, taking in a shaky breath. She laid back down, curling up and staring at the back of the couch. He sighed, sitting down on the chair again. He tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling.

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

It was the bottle. The edge was coated with it. As far as Faizi knew, Karan washed his water bottles once in a couple of days with soap, and mostly just rinsed it out before each fill. So, it must be coated every couple of days at least. Should he watch the cameras? Was it even worth the try? The spy seemed to know how to avoid it.

He looked at Karan's bed. How did he not see it? His face was pale, his movements were sluggish. Why didn't he drag him to get a checkup the day before yesterday when he had first missed the drills. He never missed drills. Why didn't he scold him into getting a checkup? He should have been the first one to figure something was this wrong. They lived together.

He wandered through the halls, trying to ease his anxiety through the pacing. He found himself outside his girlfriend's room. It was 5. She should be sleeping. The morning drills were cancelled for the day in light of the trainers working. He raised his hand, knocking firmly on the door.

Silence. He shook his head. He should let her sleep. He turned away.

The door opened. "Faizi?" She asked sleepily. He turned around. She rubbed her eyes, looking at him groggily. "Faizi? Kya hua? Itni subah yahan kaise?"

He stared at her. He took a step closer, wordlessly wrapping his arms around her waist. She froze in surprise before her arms stretched around him, hugging him back. He nuzzled his face in her neck, clutching her tightly. He closed his eyes, basking in the comfort of her arms.

"Faizi? Are you okay? Do you want to come inside?"

He let out a shaky breath. "Tum thodi der humaare saath reh sakti ho?"

"Of course", she muttered softly. She let him guide her back to his room, and he closed the door behind himself. He pulled her on his lap, hugging her close. "Is this about Karan Sir? Woh theek hain?"

"He'll... He'll be okay", he muttered. "Thode din mein." He closed his eyes. "How could I not see it? Hum uske saath rehte hain. Hume pata hona chahiye tha uski tabiyat theek nahi hai. Kuchh gadhbadh hai. Hume pata hona chahiye tha! Hume use doctor ke paas kheenchkar lekar jaana chahiye tha."

She pulled back a little, running a hand through his hair soothingly. "Faizi... tumhaari koi galti nahi hai. He is not a kid."

"I don't want to lose him. Woh humaara bhai hai", he muttered. He buried his face in her neck, clutching her close. "Hum tum dono mein se kisi ko khona nahi chahte. Hum mar jaayenge agar tum dono mein se kisi ko kuchh hua toh."

"He'll be okay. Karan Sir bahut strong hain. He'll be okay." She rubbed his back soothingly, a hand tangled in his hair. She kissed his cheek in comfort, sitting quietly in his arms.

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

Beeping. Something was beeping.

Karan tried to pry his eyes open. His eyelids were glued shut. Where was he? What was beeping? It took a few seconds but he was able to open his eyes.

They immediately screwed shut again. Too bright. Did he look directly into the sun? It was so bright. He took a breath. He coughed, feeling his chest tighten. Something was pushing against his insides. It was discomforting.

A hand touched his cheek. He pried his eyelids open again. The light was still bright but it was blocked by the person. Who was it? The hand trailed up to his hair, gently brushing the locks away from his forehead.

"It's okay", a voice soothed. "You're okay."

He exhaled, closing his eyes again. Monami. It was okay. Everything was okay. She was here.

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

"Are you okay?" Sid asked softly.

Sanju hummed, resting her head on his arm. She was tired. Her night had been spent, mostly awake, staring at the ceiling. She had devised approximately 48 different ways to kill the spy. All with her bare hands.

The plans had branched into anxiousness and then to helplessness. She just wanted Karan to be okay. She wanted him to wake up and give her an assuring look, gently patting her head affectionately. He had to be okay.

She closed her eyes when Sid pressed his lips to her forehead gently. "Tum bahut tired lag rahi ho."

"Hum hain. Raat ko neend nahi aayi", she muttered.

"Karan Sir kaise hain?"

She sighed, lifting her head. "Stable hain", she said. "Monami keh raho hain woh theek ho jaayenge. Thode din lagenge par chinta ki baat naa hogo."

He tilted his head. "You don't... look very happy. Kya baat hai?"

'Agar yeh koi bhi type ki medicine nahi lete hain, you should figure out ki inki body mein itna saara warfarin kahan se aaya hai.'

She stared at his face quietly. She can't tell him yet. "Kuchh baatein hogo jo tujhe naa pato. Naa hum tujhe bata sakto hain. Bas... woh hi baatein jo thoda tang kar raho hain."

He hummed. "Kal jo meeting thi... what was that about? Parikshit kaafi curious tha."

"Faizi Sir ji aur Param Sir ji sab cadets ko ek saath hi batayenge", she said. "Hum tujhe abhi naa bata sakto hain." His eyebrows furrowed but he nodded. She glanced at the time. "Siddharth, hum jaana chahiyo." He nodded, following her as they both walked down from the terrace.

Sid paused on the entrance of the fourth floor- trauma floor. It was the medical floor, holding their more complex equipment. It was usually open to everyone but now, commandos lined up the hall.

"Siddharth", Sanju said. "Tujhe jaana chahiyo. Yahan par tera rukna theek na."

He nodded, raising a hand in a goodbye before hopping down the stairs. He paused almost a floor down, looking up. 'Karan Sir ke liye thi itni security?' He blinked. 'But... academy ke andar kaisa khatra? Kuchh theek nahi hai.'