The Shot

Dipika is holding Aryan's hands... His eyes have closed, others are standing around absorbing the shock....

Dipika: Aryan, this can't be happening. Aryan please utho. No,no...(tears flowing automatically)

She mildly slaps him on face.. Immediately checks his heart beat, his neck pulse...

Ganesh and Shotgun come forward. Shotgun also checks his pulse and smiles.

Shotgun: (literally shouting) Dipika, Aryan zinda hai... Very feeble pulse... Hume jaldi kuch karna hoga. Hume ek chance mila he.

Ganesh also acknowledges him.

Everyone gets a ray of hope on their faces.

Ganesh: Dipika ji, hum Aryan ko pass ke GH tak le chalna chahiye.

Neha: Lekin Dipika lagta nahin us hospital me Aryan ka is serious situation me treatment ho sakta he.

Dipika: Neha hum atleast Aryan ka first aid to kar sakte hein. Phir hum Nasik ya Mumbai hospital chalenge. Pehle wound pe kuch cover karna hai....

She immediately remove her jacket and ties it around his wound...

Dipika: Paani nahi hai naa...

While others shakre their head... She decides...

Dipika: Abhi ke liye yahi sahi... Hume jald se jald Aryan ko hospital lekar jaana padega.Boxer jaldi jao, humara gaadi jungle ke bahar hai. Tum gaadi ko jitna jungle ke andar la sakte ho lao. Ajay, Shotgun Aryan ko sambhalkar uthana. Careful. Let him be in lying position... Don't make him upright... Ganesh tum hamare saath hi rehna. Jab hum Mumbai jayenge tumhe lekar jayenge.

Ganesh nods.

Everyone start walking out of the jungle.

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The atmosphere was really tensed. No one had the mood to talk anything. They had left the clearing and were walking in the trees, through a small path.

Ajay, Shotgun and Ganesh were carrying Aryan carefully with Dipika and Neha following.

Boxer had managed to get jeep as far into the path as he could.

Dipika:(opening the door) Aryan ko theek se yahan leta do.

Ajay, Shotgun and Ganesh make Aryan lie at a stretch at the back seat. Dipika gets in herself.

Immediately, all SS members get in the jeep. Ajay in the front. Shotgun, Ganesh and Neha at the back door.

Ajay:(Eyes glistening) 😭 Boxer bhai, dyan se chalana. Uska condition nazook hai.

Boxer turns for a second towards him. 😭 Pats his shoulders. He drives very carefully but fast towards the hospital.

Boxer: 😭 Ghabaraoo mat maamu! Humare Aryan ko kuch nahin hoga.

Dipika keeps looking at Aryan and checking his pulse. She has tears in her eyes.

She thinks of the phone call Aryan had made to her to get permission to go to Rajpur. (Replaying that scene)

Dipika requesting Aryan dearly to take care of himself.

Aryan:(smiling romantically)Haan haan bhai mein apna khayal rakhunga.

Dipika:(Pleading again) Please Aryan, please apna khayal rakhna.

Aryan: (His voice becoming soft and sentimental) Dipika, main apna pura khayal rakhunga. Jab mere saath tumhare Devi Maa ka ashirvaad hai toh mujhe kya hoga? Tum tension mat lo. Tum bas Commissioner saab se baat karo.

Dipika broods over his words. She is waken from out of his words by a call from the commisioner.

Dipika: (Wiping tears)Yes sir!

Commisioner: Dipika, kya hua Ganesh tho theek hai na?What is condition there?

Dipika:Yes sir Ganesh theek hai. Hume pata chal gaya ki Anna Kartoos koun hai....

Commisioner:Kya! Pata chal gaya? Koun hai wo?

Dipika:Sir, wo journalist ladki jisne Anna ke bare me kayi articles likhe hain, vahi he Anna Kartoos. Ye baat Rajapur me mile saboot se pata chalta hai.

Commisioner:Very good! Aap log Mumbai aa rahein na. Kal Ganesh ka court me hearing hei.

Dipika:(Choking on her words) 😭 Par sir, vo vo, Aryan.....

Commisioner:Aryan!?(shocked), Aryan ko kya hua?

Dipika:(Looking at Aryan)Sir 😭 shoot out ke dauran Aryan ko goli lag gai hai. He is in a critical situation. We are taking him to the hospital.

Commisioner: Theek hai Dipika. Dyan rakhna. Wahan ke haal ka mujhe indicate karte rehna. Koi help chahiye to phone karna

Dipika: Theek hai Sir. Me try karti hoon ki Ganesh ko........(looking at Aryan shocked calls loudly) Aryan.....

Everyone turn around.

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Boxer:(worried) Kaya hua maamu?

He slowed down the car.

Dipika: (Gasping) Boxer gaadi chalathe raho. Aur jaldi karo.

Ajay:Boxer, Aryan ko saans lene me dikhat ho rahi hai. 😭 He is struggling. (sadly to himself) Aryan man, thoda tho sabar karo.

Shotgun and Ganesh look from the back.

Dipika: Aryan, Aryan..

She continously keeps pressure on the wound... Lift up his left kneetowards his chest.... She keeps tapping on his cheeks, trying to keep him responsive... He struggles to breathe, put his pulse is still feeble...

Dipika: Aryan, please.. Come on. Breathe.. Aryan... Suno... Hum sab yaheen hai... You are fine... Kuch nahi hoga....

Ganesh: Dipika ji..Aap PMR kyun nahi try karti?

Dipika: Nahi... He still has pulse... But breathing is erratic... Maybe few seconds of rescue breaths is ok....

Neha: Haan Dipika, try karne me harz nahi he?

She wasn't sure if mouth to mouth respiration would come handy in such a situation like a bullet hit.

Dipika: Fine.Kaali maa. Aryan ko shakthi dena.

Boxer is in frustration that he is not able to know what was happening.

Boxer : (Watching the road and glancing timely at Ajay) Kya hua? Aryan theek tho hai?

Ajay: Dipika PMR try karne waali hai.

Boxer: PMR! Kya PMR?

Ajay: PMR matlab pulminary resuscitation. Jisse ek muh se dosre wale ke muh par rakhkar breathe kiya jaatha hai. Isse uski saans lene ki takleef kum hota hai.

Dipika was started trying PMR. She was giving pressure on Aryan's abdomen and also trying PMR.

Dipika: Aryan, come on breathe. (Feverishly trying) You can do it. Aryan please.

Shotgun: His airway is clear... Tilt his head a little up... He should be fine...

Dipika did the same... Just then Aryan took in a long breath and his breathing become normal.

Dipika leaned on back on the seat and closed her eyes for a second.

Dipika:Thank god.

She immediately checked his pulse....

Everyone sighed a big sigh of relief having tears of happiness now on their faces.

But the happiness was short lived as they knew Aryan was still not out of danger.

Ajay: Boxer, Aryan ab theek hai. Lekin gaadi jaldi chalana, please.

Dipika: Boxer, aur kitna door hai?

Boxer: Thodi he door hai. Kuch pandrah minute. Aryan tab tak theek sambhaal sakega naa.. 😕 ?

Dipika: Uska pulse rate feeble hai. Lekin he can manage. But please jaldi karo.

Boxer: Haan I'll do it.

This fifteen minutes was like hell to SS people. They felt it really took too long to reach the hospital. But finally it did and thanks to Boxer's excellent driving they had reached within 10 minutes.

Boxer stopped the jeep in front of the hospital and immediately went inside.

Ajay, Shotgun and Ganesh carried Aryan out of the jeep. Boxer had managed to ask a compounder for wheeling stretcher and brought it. They placed Aryan on that and wheeled him inside.

Boxer: (To the receptionist) Please jaldi se doctor ko bulaiye. Its an emergency.

Receptionist: Sorry sir lekin, doctor abhi tak nahin aaye hain.

Everyone: 😲 (Shouting) Kya?

Everyone looks shocked at the receptionist worrying more about Aryan.