New LRL fic: ’Fated’ updt pg 14 - Page 8

Chapter 18

"Do you think that we only fell in love because of our names?" she asks him one day as they sit by the lake at the academy, their hands entwined. "Do you think that after hearing the stories for so many years, we just couldn't imagine ourselves with anyone else?"

"No," he tells her seriously, "Whatever else your name could be, I still would've loved you, I'm sure of that."

"Hussein, sometimes I get scared." She admits, "What if, just like with them, something happens one day, what if…"

"Naina, these names are not cursed." Hussein tells her, "And we'll be the ones to prove it, in this lifetime at least, Naina and Rajveer should live happily ever after."

She had nodded, laying her head on his shoulder as they had sat there holding hands.

And he had honestly believed that it could be true.

**

"Damn it, Hussein, do not close your eyes! Do you hear me, don't you dare close your eyes!" Asha screamed at him as she slapped his face to keep him awake, his eyes already half closing. "We're going to get you back to the base and you're going to be fine…. Nothing is going to happen to you, nothing!"

Amiya is sobbing, trying to apply pressure to his wound as Dhiraj drives the vehicle as fast as possible, whipping around corners. "How much longer, Sir?" she asks him, desperately.

"Just ten more minutes, just keep him awake, get him to hold on!" Dhiraj yells back, there is a medical team already waiting, all they need is to get him back in time…

Hussein is struggling to say something and Asha tries to make him rest but he's determined.

"Naina…" he finally says, "Tell Naina I love her, and tell her she has to be strong… at least she shouldn't let history repeat itself."

"We're not going to tell her," Amiya replies stubbornly, "If you die then I'm going to tell her that you were having affairs with at least five other girls on this base, so don't even think about it!"

Hussein wants to laugh but it hurts so much… the hole in his chest…

"Just ten minutes more, do you hear me Hussein?" Asha asks him, "Don't die… don't… I'll never forgive myself, do you think that we can do without you? Do you? Why the hell did you do this?"

"You won't understand," he tells her, his eyes closing again, "But Naina will…"

This time he doesn't reopen them, and Asha frantically searches for a pulse, finding one and realising that he's just passed out.

He can't die…

He can't….

Because if he does…

Naina…

**

Amiya is still screaming at Hussein as they bring him into the base, trying to get him to open his eyes, and as the medical staff take him away she begins sobbing, clinging to Asha.

Asha can't stop her own tears either. This is their first experience of what war is like, and to have one of their best friends wounded in this way, to possibly….

Dhiraj leans against the wall tiredly, passing a hand over his face and back through his hair as Samir places a hand on his friend's shoulder, his face also lined with worry. Noticing that Asha appears to still be in shock, Samir makes a sign to his friend and then steps forward to take Amiya's arm gently, supporting her and taking her to a seat. When she clings to him instead, crying onto his shoulder, he sits awkwardly for a moment before beginning to pat her back comfortingly.

Dhiraj similarly makes Asha sit, standing by her side as she places her head in her hands, he puts one hand on her shoulder and Asha reaches up to grasp it.

"Nothing can happen to Hussein," she tells him as she looks up, "It can't…"

And Dhiraj nods, blinking away his own tears, because he's always liked the young man, felt a strange kind of kinship with him that he is unable to explain.

He is about to reply when Colonel Sharma and Brigadier Chauhan run in, both of them panicked expressions on their faces.

"Hussein?" Aalekh asks desperately, waiting for somebody to tell him something.

"They just took him in to the operating theatre, Sir." Dhiraj tells Aalekh, "We don't know anything yet, but Hussein is strong, he'll…"

"He's exactly like his parents," Aalekh says as if trying to reassure himself, "Nothing will happen to him…"

"He was trying to save me," Asha announces, her guilt forcing her to speak up. "I would've died, and he distracted the soldier and…"

Aalekh's expression changes, and a look of understanding comes on his face.

"Hussein has always taken his duty very seriously…" he says quietly, as if to himself, "He's always taken his name very seriously…" Aalekh looks at Abhimanyu, as if seeking reassurance, comfort, and then sighs. "I'll have to go and call Ali and Pooja." He tells him.

"Sir…" Amiya finally looks up, her face tear streaked, "Hussein has a girlfriend, I don't know how you can find out her details, all I know is that her name is Naina…"

Abhimanyu's expression changes at this, and he looks at Aalekh as if to check something. Aalekh just nods as if in confirmation, a deeper pain appearing on his face. "I'll go and call her now as well." He says quietly, before walking away to make his calls.

"Thank god he knows her…" Amiya remarks, "I would hate for her not to find out that…"

"Oh he knows her," Abhimanyu remarks dryly, the sorrow evident on his face, "Naina is his daughter."

**

They wait outside for hours, everybody refusing to leave. At some point Amiya falls asleep on Samir's shoulder as he shoots worried looks at their commanding officers before finally relaxing, his eyes drifting closed.

Unable to stand the tension and her own guilt, Asha gets up, wandering just outside the hospital wing to stare up at the night sky.

When she feels a hand on her shoulder she immediately knows who it is, and turns to face him, unable to hide the tears in her eyes.

It only takes Dhiraj a second to make up his mind, and he wraps his arms around her, hugging her tightly. There is nothing of desire or passion in this hug, it is a simple gesture of friendship and comfort. Asha accepts his embrace gratefully, hugging him back, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Hussein will be fine," Dhiraj murmurs into her hair, "I can feel it… nothing can happen to him."

"I hope you're right," Asha whispers back, her mouth somewhere around the region of his collarbone. "I hope you're right…"

Neither of them know exactly how long they stand there, but eventually he releases her, standing slightly apart Dhiraj looks down at her face, and then raising a hand, smoothes her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear. Putting his hands to either side of her face, he briefly leans down to touch his forehead to hers, before he releases her, walking back inside.

Asha feels as if some of her strength and hope has finally returned, and waiting for a few moments she follows him back inside.

As she walks back into the corridor where they're all waiting, she sees Colonel Sharma hanging up his phone, obviously having just finished a phone call.

"That was Neelu," he informs Abhimanyu, "The academy just called to tell her that Naina has run away, apparently with the help of Roshni and the rest of her friends."

"Well what are cousins for anyway?" Abhimanyu comments dryly, "I don't think that there could be any doubt that Naina has taken after you."

"I think you're forgetting that Neelu used to be quite good at running away from home too," Aalekh tells him, "And then she might have taken after her namesake as well…"

He suddenly becomes serious at this again, and Abhimanyu crosses over to put a hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe I should've named her something else," he whispers, "Maybe…"

"Don't be ridiculous Aalekh, this hasn't happened because of what you and Ali and Pooja named your children." Abhi tells him, "And you'll see, Hussein will be fine."

"I just hope that by the time Naina arrives we have some good news to tell her." Aalekh says worriedly, "I don't know how she'll cope if he hasn't recovered…"

Waking up finally from her doze, Amiya stands up unsteadily, looking exhausted. Asha goes forward to help her even as Samir stands as well, gripping her arm to steady her.

"I'm just going to go and clean myself up, and then I'll go and pray." She announces, "At least it's something that I can do."

"I'll join you." Samir says quietly, still holding her arm to help her as they walk out.

Asha and Dhiraj both sit back down, prepared for a long wait.

**

It is five hours later, Hussein's operation has been successful and he has been transferred to the ICU, when dawn is starting to break.

Asha and Amiya both keep drifting off to sleep, barely able to keep their eyes open. Asha has just opened hers again when she sees a soldier approach Colonel Sharma and tell him something quietly, only for him to nod, replying in an undertone.

"Sir, is there some news?" Asha asks him worriedly, straightening up in her chair.

"Not about Hussein, no." Aalekh tells her, "But…"

His sentence is interrupted by the arrival of a young woman escorted by several guards. As soon as she sees him she runs to him, throwing her arms around him and bursting into tears and Aalekh kisses her hair and hugs her back.

"Dad, is there any news?" she asks him desperately, "Hussein… is he alright? Is he…"

"His operation is successful and he's currently in the ICU," Aalekh tells her, "He should hopefully wake up within a couple of hours, we're all hoping…"

She nods, wiping her tears, attempting to be brave and then suddenly seems to realise where she is. "Ah, dad, you're not angry are you?" she asks him, "I know I shouldn't have run away, but…"

"I'm not angry, Naina." Aalekh tells her kindly, "I would've done the same thing, your mother would've too. Just don't tell that to any of your teachers…"

She gives him a small smile at this, before her face falls again. It is then that Naina Sharma turns around to see the rest of the people waiting in the hallway. She tries to hide the look of recognition on her face at the sight of two of them, before stepping forward slightly.

"Hi Uncle Abhimanyu," she tells him, and he gives her a brief hug.

Aalekh watches her, wondering why she hasn't shown any surprise or shock on seeing Asha and Dhiraj there. It is a few moments later that he realises the answer, Hussein must have told her, shared the truth with her.

"Hi," Amiya says, standing up a bit uncertainly, "We're Hussein's friends, I'm…"

"You must be Amiya," Naina tells her, "And that will be Asha, and you two must be Captains Dhiraj and Samir." She nods slightly at them, "Hussein has told me about all of you, he writes so many letters that…" she looks like she might be about to cry again and impulsively Amiya crosses over to hug her.

"We always teased Hussein about his love letters," she admits, "He wouldn't tell us your name, we only found out the other day, but he loves you so much."

"It's all my fault," Asha tells her, coming over to stand in front of her, "He got shot saving me, and now…"

Naina reaches out and takes one of Asha's hands, squeezing it, "I know my Hussein." She tells her, "And I know… that he did the right thing." And then unable to let the opportunity go past she hugs Asha, hugs her tightly. Because in the end, everything in Naina's life has been because of her, from the beginning, right up until now.

And then Naina turns to her father once again. "Dad, can I see him?" she asks, "Can I sit with him?"

Aalekh nods, "I'll check with the doctors, but it should be fine. Do you want me to stay with you?"

"It's okay…" Naina tells him, "I know that you'll have a lot of work to do after this, you should all go and get some rest, I'm here now."

Aalekh smiles at her affectionately, finding it funny that his own daughter is telling him to go and get some rest. But then, she's always been like that.

"Alright, everybody go and get a few hours sleep." Aalekh orders them, and then turns to Naina again, "Go and sit with him for awhile… I'll be back with you soon."

**

Asha and Amiya only manage to sleep for about three hours before they both wake up.

"I think we should go and check on her," Amiya suggests, "She can't be having an easy time right now, she could definitely use some support."

Asha nods, and they head back towards the medical wing, gaining permission before they enter the ICU where they see Naina still sitting there, one of Hussein's hands in hers.

"Has there been any change?" Asha asks her quietly, and Naina shakes her head.

"I think he's sleeping," she tells them, "He's heavily medicated… they say it's not a coma, that he just needs rest." She reaches out to brush his hair back tenderly.

"Before he passed out, he told us to tell you something." Amiya tells her, suddenly remembering. "He said that he loved you and that you should be strong, that you at least shouldn't let history repeat itself."

Amiya has been wondering about that line ever since he said it, and since then the comments that Colonel Sharma and Brigadier Chauhan had made about names….

Naina brushes a tear away angrily at this. "How could you even think of breaking your promise, Hussein?" she addresses him, "Well I hope you're listening, if you die then I am damn well going to let history repeat itself. In fact I'll even break her record, I swear I won't last a day more than three years without you."

She begins to cry again, and Asha and Amiya both go to move forward to her when Hussein finally stirs, perhaps woken by her loud voice.

"Hey pagli," he tells her, "Where do you think I'll go without you? Even I remember the promises that we made."

They all stare at him for a moment in surprise before Naina moves, showering his face with kisses before hugging him, careful not to touch his wound.

"Don't ever do this to me again!" she tells him, "Do you have any idea what I went through when I found out, what I feared…"

"I promise I'll try never to do it again, it's certainly not a pleasant experience." He tells her, trying to joke to cheer her up. "But how did you get here?"

"How do you think?" Naina asks him, now a bit more cheerful, "Roshni and the gang helped me escape then I managed to find some transport here."

"You do realise don't you, that by now my parents must be on their way?" Hussein asks her, still slightly groggy from all the medication.

Naina pales a bit at this, "Maybe I should ask dad to send me back to the academy." She suggests.

"No," Hussein tells her, "I know we were waiting, but I think that now it's time."

"So you haven't told your parents about Naina yet?" Amiya asks him, and Hussein looks in their direction, realising for the first time that there's someone else in the room. "But Colonel Sharma seemed to know about you two."

"Dad always knows everything," Naina replies, "I never had to tell him, he just knew."

Asha and Amiya both pull chairs up to the other side of Hussein's bed.

"Thank goodness you're alright," Asha tells him, "If something had happened to you…"

"Then it wouldn't have been your fault." Hussein replies, "I made my own decision to do what I did. You weren't responsible for it."

"But why did you do it?" Asha asks him, "Why put yourself in danger in that way?"

A look of understanding passes between Hussein and Naina before he answers Asha.

"Because that's what friendship is." He tells her, "Just as you went to save Akash not thinking about your own safety, similarly I tried to save you."

"At least everything has worked out…" Amiya says thankfully, "It looks like our prayers were answered."

"Believe me," Naina tells them, "Fate shall never make such a mistake again, it has learnt its lesson."

"Now that's something I've been wanting to ask you both," Amiya tells them, "What is it about your names? You keep talking about history repeating itself and I've never been able to work it out."

"Hussein never would've told you who it was that we're named after, would he?" Naina asks them both. Asha and Amiya both shake their heads and Naina is just about to speak when the door to the ICU opens and a couple enters, followed by Colonel Sharma and Brigadier Chauhan.

Amiya guesses immediately that they must be Hussein's parents and is already standing, she tugs on Asha's hand in order to get her to stand up too, but Asha is staring at both of them with the expression of somebody who has found what was lost after a very long time.

"Oh Hussein, how could this happen?" Pooja asks him, rushing to his side immediately, and not having noticed anybody else yet, "Thank goodness you're alright, I haven't been able to breathe properly since I heard the news, oh my son, my brave son…"

"I'm fine, Ammi, really." Hussein tells her reassuringly, and Pooja finally looks at those standing by the bed and freezes, staring, because, because…

No.

She's imagining things.

It's the shock of almost losing her son that has brought a ghost in front of her eyes.

"Naina, what are you doing here?" Ali asks, and she turns to stare at him, wondering how he can be asking so calmly when it's Naina…her best friend Naina… Naina who has been dead for twenty one years.

Then turning to the other side, Pooja sees Naina Sharma standing there nervously and realises that Ali hasn't actually seen their Naina yet, from where she's hidden behind the other girl.

"Oh… oh you meant…" she starts to say, but on top of the worry, and panic and exhaustion of the day it's all too much for her.

And Pooja faints.

Thanks for a back-to-back update Andrea 😛 - double treat for your readers! Love spunky, quick-witted Amiya's character. Pls. don't make us wait long for the next update - esp. since now all of "Naina" and "Rajveer's" friends are at the same place - I'm expecting something big is about to happen.

hey thanks for the update dear...
awesome update...
plz post the next part soon....
waiting..

So 2 biggie updates back to back ......ur great sweety....thanks a lot....sorry I commented late ....actually net was not working.....(I know ...no need to make excuses as long as I turn lazy & stop commenting )

Oh ...thaaanku ...thaaaanku .....U liked my comments ...but u deserve more than that ....such a great writer u are...(see....flattery always works with me ..lol)...no Seriously man ....ur awesome

& bout the part ....oh sorry ....parts ....they r really well written ...7 the situations r really getting ..uh ...what van I say ...well ...interesting ...poor POOJA ...got the shock of her life ....
cant wait ...what the next part holds ....r they going to know the truth ....(well I think Andera is not going to get them know this so easily 😆 )....whatever ...yaar do update soon... 👏

N yeah!!!!!!!.....some more ...WO WAALE SCENES please...(u understand naa ...what I mean 😉...kidding lol...but update soooooooooooooooon ...& do have some good scenes between Dhiraj -Asha....its a request 😛 )

👏
👏

Luv,
Akankshha 😛

jane kahan gaye wo din... 😭 😭
jab tum update roz karte the... 😭 😭

sorry aage nahin aata... 😆 😆

plz plz cont. soon..... 😊

hey i m back
i just read last 2 parts , they r fabulous
👏

please please update soon. please
😭

*Holds ears in apology*

I'm very sorry for the delay everyone, actually I've been away travelling so haven't had much net access. To make up for it, I'm once again posting two chapters today!

Chapter 19

She had seen them talking together, smiles on both their faces, a trace of shyness, a trace of hesitation, and she had struggled to hide a smile of her own.

Now as Naina walked into the room, happiness clearly written on her face, Pooja couldn't help but give her a knowing smile.

"What?" Naina had asked self consciously, and Pooja was sure that she could see the faint traces of a blush.

"Theek hai, maat batao." She had replied, still smiling, "I've received the sms loud and clear by the smile on your face."

Naina had shaken her head slightly as if trying to tell Pooja she was wrong, "Aisi koi baat nahi…" she had said, blushing even more.

Pooja had been content to let Naina keep pretending that they both didn't know, and had tapped her friend's head lightly as they smiled at each other.

She had prayed at that moment, that they should always be this happy, that they should never be separated.

How was she to know that only the second part of her prayers would be answered…


**

Pooja woke up with a start to find Ali sitting by her side, holding her hand while Aalekh and Abhimanyu stood behind him with looks of concern on their faces.

"Ali… I had a dream." She tells him, "That Naina was back, our Naina… That she was here."

She knows that she's babbling slightly but the dream had felt so real that she had thought…

"Pooja, that wasn't a dream." Ali tells her, his eyes speaking volumes of both pain and hope. "Naina really is…"

It had all happened so fast, as soon as Pooja had fainted, Ali had dashed forward to catch her, managing to do so before she hit the floor. It was then that he had looked up and saw her eyes. Those same eyes…

It took only that for him to know without any doubt.

He wanted to speak… to confirm… to hear her voice…

But then Aalekh had stepped forward, a worried look on his face, telling Ali that they needed to take Pooja somewhere to rest and had rushed them both out the door as quickly as possible.

Now that Pooja is awake, Aalekh begins telling them the whole story, from the moment he set eyes on Dhiraj to when Hussein was wounded. It takes more than an hour, and when he is done, they all sit silently for a moment.

"Alhamdulillah…. Such a miracle…" Ali whispers still stunned.

"Wahe Guru…" Pooja adds, as hot tears slip down her cheeks. "All this time… and you never told us, Qaidi, you never told us. You too, Abhimanyu Sir… How could you have kept something like this a secret? Our Naina… our Rajveer Sir… who we thought had gone out of range forever…"

"How could I have told you, Punjaben?" Aalekh asks desperately, slipping back easily into old nicknames, "Do you think I didn't want to… that this hasn't been hard on me? I honestly wanted to, but what could I have said, how could I have explained? I thought that for now at least it was for the best, until…"

"Until what?" Pooja asks, "I want to go and see her, I want to see both of the, I want to see them both right now." She repeats stubbornly.

"Pooja you can't let her know," Aalekh tries to advise her, 'You can't give her any clues or suggest anything. She doesn't know who she is and perhaps it's best if she doesn't find out just yet."

Pooja looks like she wants to protests but sighing, gives in. "How can I argue… when after all these years we finally have them back?" she asks, "Take me back to Hussein, I promise I won't reveal anything."

They help her to stand up from the bed and with Ali supporting her arm, they make their way back to Hussein's room. As soon as she sees him, Pooja embraces him tightly, before kissing his forehead.

"I'm so proud of you." She tells him, and he nods, understanding exactly what she means.

Ali comes forward too, hugging his son as tightly as Pooja had. "For a moment I thought that I had lost my life…" he tells Hussein, "Never scare us like this again."

"Ammi, Abu, I'll introduce you to my friends." Hussein tells them meaningfully, "This is Amiya, and this is Asha."

As soon as he says Asha's name, Pooja bites her lip, struggling not to cry, but she smiles at the two girls instead.

"We've heard so much about you both from Hussein," Asha tells them, "When he told us your love story, I don't know why, I became so emotional I almost started crying. It was as if I was living it myself."

Asha has no idea the effect her words have on both Ali and Pooja, Ali clutches his wife's hand tightly, knowing that she'll need support right now. To have her best friend in front of her and yet not recognise her…

"Hussein has become our best friend in such a short time," Amiya tells them brightly, "You have such a wonderful son, he looks after both of us just as if he was our brother."

"Actually, Hussein was injured saving my life," Asha interrupts, "If it wasn't for him…"

"But you're alive… and well…" Pooja tells her emotionally, "And Hussein is fine too…"

"It is all Allah's will," Ali says quietly, "Whatever is meant to happen, will be so. Hussein was meant to save you."

And he wonders, whether after all there is a plan, whether everybody has a destiny to carry out, and if Hussein has just fulfilled part of his.

It is then that the door opens, and Dhiraj and Samir walk in.

Pooja once again feels faint and it is only Ali's tight grip on her hand that stops her from losing consciousness.

"And so… our other missed call has arrived." She whispers, almost to herself, knowing that the only one who will hear her is Ali.

She watches, as Dhiraj's gaze immediately settles on Asha, staying there for a moment before he turns to Hussein. She watches, as Asha glances at him from the corner of her eye, pretending not to.

It is all so familiar, so very familiar.

"It's a relief to see you awake," Dhiraj tells Hussein, "How are you feeling?"

"Well I'm on so much pain medication at the moment that I'm not feeling much of anything, Sir." Hussein jokes with him and Dhiraj smiles back. Hussein looks at his parents standing there, their white faces, and gestures in their direction.

"Sirs, these are my parents, Colonel Ali Baig and Major Pooja Baig. Ammi, Abu, this is Captain Dhiraj Kapoor and Captain Samir Hassan."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir, Ma'am." Dhiraj tells them politely, "It's easy to tell where Hussein has gotten his principles from."

And Ali wishes that he could tell the truth, that if Hussein has any principles at all, that if he and Pooja have any principles, then it was all because of Captain Rajveer. He wants to tell the man in front of him that he should not be calling them 'Sir' and 'Ma'am' but 'Cadet Baig' and 'Cadet Ghai'. He wants to tell him so many things and knows that it's not possible to say any of them.

Instead all Ali can say is 'Thank you', as he struggles not to keep on staring at the man who was once their mentor and the girl who was once their friend.

"Hussein, we'll leave you alone with your parents for awhile." Asha finally says, as the silence stretches on. She and Amiya stand, and she turns towards Ali and Pooja and smiles. "It was wonderful to finally meet you," she tells them, "Even before now I felt as if I already knew you… Hussein talks about you so much."

"Oh and Major Baig, I forgot to tell you!" Amiya says suddenly as they're leaving, "Thank you very much for sending the sweets back with Hussein when we were suspended. They're some of the best I ever tasted, and Asha loved them too!"

Pooja just nods, because she can't speak, not right now. Because Naina… Naina had always loved laddoos, and when she had sent them, she hadn't realised that she would be feeding her friend once again.

"We'll take your leave now too," Dhiraj announces, "We just came to check on Hussein, so make sure that you rest Lieutenant Baig because we need you to recover as soon as possible."

Hussein smiles at both Dhiraj and Samir, and it is only after they have left and the door is closed that Pooja allows herself to break down in tears.

"Oh Hussein," she tells her son, "You didn't tell us anything when you were at home… that the one you actually went to rescue was Captain Rajveer, that you went with Naina…"

"I wanted to Ammi, I really did." Hussein tells her, "But Uncle Aalekh asked me not to and I agreed with him… it's something that can't be explained, that you wouldn't believe unless you saw it for yourself."

Pooja and Ali both nod, agreeing with him and thankful that they've managed to raise such a sensible son.

Hussein then worriedly turns towards Aalekh, "Uncle Aalekh, who else did you tell about me being wounded? You haven't informed HJ have you?"

"Actually I did tell his father, so it's possible that he knows by now." Aalekh replies, "Why? I would've thought you would want him to know."

"He's taking part in the joint training exercises at Multan right now," Hussein replies, "I don't want him to be distracted from his training at such an important time."

"Don't worry, It will be considerably harder for HJ to run away from a training camp in Multan than it is to run away from KMA." Abhimanyu points out humourously. "And besides, he's probably finding Punjabi girls across the border just as charming as those here."

They all laugh at this, and Hussein smiles, thinking of his best friend's incorrigible flirting style.

It is then that Ali realises the first question he had asked after arriving still hasn't been answered yet.

"Aalekh, what is Naina doing here?" he asks suddenly, "Did she really run away from the academy?"

Hussein and Naina suddenly both look incredibly embarrassed, colour coming to Naina's cheeks as she tries to avoid both Ali and Pooja's eyes.

Aalekh just sighs, shaking his head slightly. "Osool, you're still as hopeless as you always were." He informs Ali, looking towards Pooja for support.

Pooja suddenly understands, wondering how she could've missed this fact for so long. However her son has always been quiet, never indicating that he was interested in any girls to them.

"Ah," she says, and then nudges Ali. He still appears to be completely clueless. Finally she nudges him again, whispering to him. "Actually I think that their networks have made a connection." She says quietly, slipping easily back into her old mobile language now that she's surrounded by so many old friends.

Ali looks from his son, to Naina, and back again, a slight expression of disbelief on his face.

"Hussein, how could you do this?" he finally asks him, "You never told us… I'm sure that you've never gone to Aalekh to ask for his permission." He then turns to Aalekh, looking quite embarrassed, "Aalekhbhai, I'm very sorry about this, really Hussein should've asked for your permission."

Aalekh just stares at him in disbelief, "Osool… your son almost died in battle, you've found out that Naina and Rajveer Sir have come back from the dead… and you're apologising to me for your son dating my daughter secretly?"

Ali realises that when Aalekh says it like that, it does sound a bit ridiculous.

"I'm happy," Aalekh continues, "That Naina and Hussein have chosen each other. I couldn't have found anyone better for her." And he places his hand on Hussein's head almost in a symbol of blessing.

"Abu, Ammi, I'm very sorry." Hussein tells them, still very embarrassed, "When we were at the academy together… actually we had decided that we would tell you all once Naina had graduated and I had managed to prove myself."

"Why are you sorry, Beta?" Pooja asks him lovingly, "I'm glad you've saved us the trouble of finding you a girl, and you've chosen such a beautiful, sweet daughter-in-law for us." She beams at Naina, and after Aalekh gives his daughter a slight push forward she goes to touch Ali and Pooja's feet, both of them giving her their blessings before hugging her.

"And so we're going to be relatives eventually, Osool." Aalekh tells him with a grin, happy that it's finally out in the open.

"We've always been family, Aalekhbhai." Ali tells him emotionally, and they hug each other, tears coming to Pooja's eyes while she watches them.

"How long are you both able to stay for?" Abhimanyu asks them, "We'll get one of the guest quarters ready."

"I'm afraid that we'll have to leave by tomorrow now that we know Hussein is going to be fine." Ali announces regretfully, "The situation is quite tense at the moment as you know, we're not able to take any more time off."

"Then when you return tomorrow you can take Naina with you." Aalekh informs them, "And Naina, whatever punishment they give you at the academy for this, you're not to complain."

"No dad," she says quietly, "I'm ready to face any punishment."

Because no matter what the punishment is, it has all been worth it.

**

Pooja and Ali sit with Aalekh and Abhimanyu at dinner, while Naina goes to join Asha and Amiya.

Pooja can't help but keep glancing towards the table, drinking up the sight of her best friend, alive, happy and laughing with the two other girls. She feels guilty when she suffers from a pang of jealousy, that she's been replaced as her Naina's best friend, that she can no longer laugh with her, joke with her, share her worries with her.

But no matter what her name is now, no matter who her friends are, she's alive.

This has to be enough for both Ali and Pooja.

It must be.

**

Naina enjoys chatting with both Asha and Amiya, laughing with them as they exchange stories about Hussein. She tells them about how she had liked Hussein for ages before the year at the academy when they finally fell in love properly, realising that they wanted to be together. In return, Asha and Amiya tell her stories about their own academy, and about their time at Tawang.

"I wish you didn't have to leave so soon," Amiya tells her regretfully, "I just hope it's possible that we might all be posted together after you graduate."

Naina nods, agreeing with her. "I hate to go back," she tells her, "But I'm already due to receive punishment for this, the longer I'm away, probably the worse it will be."

"You still haven't told us," Amiya finally says, "Who it is that you and Hussein are named after."

Naina hesitates, not sure whether she should be revealing it or not, unable to decide what she should or should not tell.

"It's a very long story," she finally tells them, "Ask Hussein to tell you once he's recovered."

"Can't you at least give us a hint for now?" Amiya asks her, unwilling to let a mystery simply rest.

"We were named after two people that our parents loved very much…" Naina finally says, "Both of whom were in the army and both of whom were martyred at an early age."

"And they loved each other too?" Amiya asks, guessing the last bit, and Naina nods.

"Yes," she says almost in a whisper, "They loved each other more than they loved even their own lives."

The words send a chill up Asha's spine, and she stares at the girl sitting in front of her, wondering why it is that she's so reluctant to tell them the whole story. Because suddenly she gets the feeling that this story is incredibly important, that it's something that she should hear, needs to hear…

However she is distracted from asking by the sight of Dhiraj walking in as always, accompanied by Samir.

And as Amiya watches Asha watching Dhiraj, she realises with a start, that Naina is watching them too, a look of such understanding and sorrow on her face that it shocks Amiya.

Dhiraj and Samir make their way to the table, joining the three girls.

"We stopped by to check on Hussein again, but he was asleep." Samir informs them, "However the doctors told us that he's making good progress."

"Then I can at least go back to the academy with no worries," Naina says, sounding relieved, "I know that you'll all be here to look after him."

"Don't worry," Dhiraj tells her, "I won't let anything happen to Hussein, I owe him a debt, for…" he stops speaking, wondering how it is that he had been about to say that but Naina pretends that she hasn't noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Instead she just nods, because she knows that just as Dhiraj will be trying to protect Hussein, Hussein will also be trying to protect the two of them.

And she has faith, that now nothing can go wrong again.

**

As Ali, Pooja and Naina say their goodbyes to Hussein the next day, they are joined by Asha and Amiya who have also come to bid them farewell. The two girls hug Naina, promising to keep in touch with her, before they turn to Hussein's parents.

"I wish you didn't have to leave so soon," Asha tells them, struggling to control her emotions and wondering why it is that she feels this way. "We've only just met you and…"

"We'll meet again," Pooja says, a tone of such surety in her voice that nobody would be able to doubt it. "And when we do… it will be in better circumstances."

Pooja wants to hug Asha… wants to hug her Naina… but knows that she can't, that such a gesture would seem out of place. Instead she touches both Asha and Amiya's cheeks lightly, trying to content herself with only this much.

"You take care…" Ali tells his son just before they leave, "Of yourself and of…" He doesn't need to complete the sentence, Hussein has understood.

Hussein has always understood.

On the journey back, Pooja cries on her husband's shoulder. But they are not the tears that she allowed herself to shed twice a year before now, tears of despair and anger. Instead they are tears of hope and yet also of longing.

Because finally, after a long time, her hope has returned, and she thinks that Asha's name could not be more appropriate.

Because Pooja hopes that one day it will finally all work out as it was meant to, before everything went horribly wrong.

And she hopes, that one day she will be able to embrace her best friend again as she wishes to.

But for now she will wait.

And Pooja smiles, because she feels that her Rajveer Sir's new name is quite appropriate too.

Because it is only with hope, that you can have patience.

And now after a very long time, Pooja once again has both.

Chapter Twenty

He had placed a blindfold over her eyes, leading her down, and when they got there and he removed it, she couldn't help but smile, honestly surprised.

"Aalekh, this is…" she had said, but he had shushed her, as if to tell her not to dare thank him.

All of her friends were there, gathered around a cake with candles, with Suriji, Lolitaji and Dr Shalini there as well.

Her eyes searched for him, and finally found him near the back of the group, arms crossed over his chest, an expectant look in his eyes.

He had known that she would look for him.

And when she cut the cake, she had offered the first piece to him… just as he knew she would.

He had closed his fingers around hers, as she had brought the cake to his lips, and it had taken all of his self control to take the piece out of her hands and raise it to his own mouth.

"Happy Birthday Naina…" he had told her, "May all your wishes come true."

And although she had denied it… although she had never admitted it even to Pooja…

What she had really wished for was him.

**

It has been only four days since Hussein had regained consciousness, and while he had been moved out of the ICU the day before, he was still confined to his bed. He had an almost constant stream of visitors, whether it was Aalekh and Abhimanyu or Asha and Amiya or Samir and Dhiraj.

He had woken the night before to find Dhiraj sitting by his bed, watching him, and as Hussein had opened his eyes, he had been surprised at first, wondering what he was doing there.

"Did I wake you?" Dhiraj had asked him, pouring water into a glass and offering it to Hussein who gladly accepted, sipping it.

"No, I generally wake a few times throughout the night when the pain medication is running low," Hussein tells him, "What are you doing here so late, Sir?"

"Actually I had wanted to talk to you, but hadn't realised it was so late…" Dhiraj tells him, "And then I thought I would sit with you for awhile."

"Tell me, Sir." Hussein says, struggling to sit up as Dhiraj leans forward to assist him, "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Actually I wanted to thank you…" Dhiraj says quietly, "For… for risking your life. If it wasn't for you then…"

Hussein knows that Dhiraj won't be able to complete the sentence, and taking pity on him, nods to let him know that he understands.

"As long as I'm there I won't allow anything to happen to her… to either of them." Hussein says, "I've taken them as my sisters, and it is a brother's duty to protect his sisters."

Dhiraj nods, looking as if he longs to say something but can not find the words.

"I can never repay you for this." He finally says, "Never. If she had died…"

If she had died then the world would've been empty, without meaning.

If she had died then there would've been no point at all in him continuing to live.

If she had died then he would've torn this world apart at the seams, set fire to it.

But how can he say all these things to the young man in the hospital bed in front of him? How can he possibly say them to anyone?

Hussein is his junior officer, and there's no way that Dhiraj should be telling any of these things to him.

"It's alright Sir…" Hussein finally replies, "I understand."

And Dhiraj does not doubt for a moment that he actually does.

He stands, feeling a bit lighter after having finally thanked the young man. "Is there anything I can do for you before I go?" he asks, "Should I send the nurse?"

"It would be good if you could do that," Hussein agrees, "Have a good night, Sir."

As Dhiraj walks towards the nurse's station, Hussein wishes that he could call out to him, say something to him.

But it is still not the right time.

And Hussein must continue to be patient.

**

He wakes up again the next day after drifting off shortly before lunch to find that Asha and Amiya are there, whispering to each other, Amiya giggling.

"Hey," he tells them both groggily, "What are you two doing here?"

"Shhh," Amiya tells him, holding a finger over her lips, "Whatever you do, don't attract the nurse's attention."

"But why?" Hussein asks them, starting to wake up a bit more now but still feeling confused.

"Because they'll kick us out if they know!" Amiya hisses at him, "We've brought you something to eat!"

"Brought me something to eat?" Hussein asks, confused. "Why are you bringing me things to eat?"

"Because you must be sick of hospital food by now," Asha tells him sensibly, "So we bribed the kitchen staff to allow us in to make you something."

"You made me something?" he asks bewildered.

"What else were we going to do on our day off without you?" Amiya asks him shrugging, "Captains Samir and Dhiraj are off doing important army things so we can't bug them, Rajesh hasn't dared to show his face yet and Vijay and Akash are currently out on patrol. So you see, cooking for you was the most fun thing we could come up with."

"So what did you make me then?" Hussein finally asks, beginning to smile.

"Kheer!" Amiya announces enthusiastically, bringing a container out of her bag that they've obviously smuggled in secretly. She takes out a spoon too, before removing the lid and giving both to him.

Hussein leans down to smell it and then grins.

"You two are the best!" he tells them, "Why don't I get injured more often?"

"Don't even joke about that." Asha tells him strictly, "When we thought you were about to die… you have no idea what it did to the two of us. Neither of us could stop crying, stop thinking about…"

"Although I think that for Hussein's sake since he was unconscious at the time, we should share the news that you definitely had somebody ready to comfort you." Amiya announces mischievously, pulling out two more spoons, and using her own to start eating some of the kheer.

Hussein tries very hard not to look amused for Asha's sake, since she's currently looking as if she's very annoyed at Amiya's comment.

"Well thank you very much for the news flash for Hussein's sake, Amiya," Asha tells her, "If you're so concerned about him knowing these things then perhaps I should inform him about you first crying on Captain Samir's shoulder and then going to sleep on it." Asha suggests, digging her own spoon into the container with a raised eyebrow.

This time it's almost too much for Hussein to resist and he tries not to laugh, gulping down another spoon of kheer again.

"That was different," Amiya says defensively, "Captain Samir and I have no such scene between us."

"What? And I do?" Asha asks her, sounding a bit offended.

They both turn to look at her at this comment, and even Hussein raises his eyebrows this time.

"Why are you both looking at me like that?" Asha asks them, leaning forward to get more kheer, "I don't… I mean we don't… I mean…" she suddenly gets flustered and gives up.

"I think it's time you stopped pretending, Asha." Amiya tells her, "At least around us. Both Hussein and I know perfectly well what's what. Let's face it, you definitely have a love life to comment on… even Hussein has a love life to comment on." She suddenly frowns, "This is very unfair, why am I the only one with no love life to comment on?"

"Well if what Asha says is true, it certainly seems like you were making a good start on one while I was on my death bed." Hussein remarks, trying to pull the container away as Amiya once again attempts to put her spoon in. "I thought that this kheer was for me?"

"It is…" Amiya tells him, "But we thought we should at least taste it to check if it's okay for you to eat. And I was certainly not getting started on a love life while you were on your death bed, Asha has completely misrepresented the situation!" she glares at Asha slightly, "Captain Samir is way too bhadro for all that."

"What's 'bhadro'?" Hussein asks, confused by the Bengali word she's slipped into the conversation.

"Does that mean that if he wasn't so bhadro, you would have a love life by now?" Asha asks her teasingly, "Just keep on hugging him like that more often and I'm sure he'll get the message eventually."

Amiya actually blushes, the first time that Hussein has ever seen her do so.

"Would somebody please tell me what the meaning of 'bhadro' is?" he asks desperately.

"Bhadro means polite," Asha finally informs him, and Hussein finally laughs, almost choking on his kheer.

"I think that's an absolutely perfect description of him…" Hussein comments, glancing at Amiya and looking amused, "However it's a perfectly different matter that it couldn't be used to describe you…"

Amiya goes to hit him and then remembering his wound stops, and they all start laughing as she glares at both of them.

"What's so funny?" Samir asks them, as he walks into the room with Dhiraj, obviously having arrived for their daily check of Hussein's condition.

Amiya turns bright red, and Hussein and Asha just start laughing even harder.

Dhiraj stands transfixed to where he stands, watching Asha laugh because it feels as if it has been a lifetime since the last time he saw her laugh like this, carefree, happy, and so excruciatingly beautiful that it brings a pain to his heart.

If only he could see her like this always, untouched by any pain…

Samir gives Dhiraj a nudge, breaking his trance and they walk into the room.

"What's so funny?" Samir asks them once again good naturedly, wanting to share in the joke. This just makes Amiya turn even redder and Asha and Hussein laugh even harder.

"Nothing at all, Sir." Amiya says hurriedly, "It was just a joke." And then she glares at the other two, as if warning them not to say anything.

"Would you like some kheer, Sirs?" Hussein asks to distract them both, not wanting Amiya to get even more embarrassed or murder him and Asha.

"Wow, I didn't know that the cooks were making kheer today." Samir says, "Now I really am looking forward to dinner."

"They're not," Amiya remarks with a grin, seeming to forget her earlier embarrassment, "It was these two cooks right here that made it." And she indicates herself and Asha.

"And don't worry, you're not going to get poisoned if you try some," Hussein jokes with them, "It really is quite good."

"How did you manage to make kheer in this place?" Samir asks with a frown, "As far as I know, the only stoves are in the kitchen."

"It's called bribery, and it's a long and proud tradition in our country." Amiya informs him, offering him her spoon.

Samir tries to hide a smile at this statement and look disapproving instead, but takes the spoon and tries some kheer, nodding slightly as he eats it.

"This is really good!" he tells them, "The next time you feel like making some more tell Dhiraj and I… we'll be happy to sponsor the bribery if we can have some." He jokes to them both before turning to his friend "Dhiraj, aren't you going to try some?" he asks, and finally, Asha holds out her spoon solemnly to him as if nervous of the reaction, and he takes it just as seriously, brushing his fingers against hers.

He tastes it just as solemnly, while Samir watches with an amused expression on his face, and finally Dhiraj smiles. "Yes, definitely worthy of bribery." He tells them, before handing the spoon back to Asha. "Now Samir, I think we'd better get back to work before there's no kheer actually left for Hussein."

Samir nods at this, and they prepare to leave.

"See you later," he tells them all, and Dhiraj with only one last look at Asha, follows him out as well.

"Oh wow," Hussein comments in an undertone, "Mr 'Bhadro' liked your kheer… maybe there's hope yet for your love life."

Asha starts laughing again and Amiya glares at them. "Shut up, both of you…" she tells them, "How many times do I have to tell you that there's no such thing…" and pretending to be offended, she goes to get up

Asha grabs her hand and tugs her back down, "Stop it," she tells Amiya, "You know we're only teasing you… although judging by the shade of red you're turning…"

Amiya tries to get up again, and laughing, Asha tugs her back down again.

"I'm never complaining about not having a love life to comment on again," Amiya grumbles, "I swear I've never teased either of you this much before."

"Accha baba," Hussein tells her, "Enough teasing for the day, now sit down and help me eat some more of this."

"Well… if you insist." Amiya tells him with a grin, and sits back down again.

Because really, she had asked for it.

**

It is late at night when Aalekh is called into Abhimanyu's office, only to see a worried look on his mentor's face, a look which indicates that something has happened, something that shouldn't have…

"What is it, Sir?" Aalekh asks him, knowing that it's important to find out as soon as possible.

"I've just received news…" Abhimanyu tells him, "We need to call all of the officers together for a meeting as soon as possible."

"What has happened?" Aalekh asks, "Have they broken through our defenses? Is there an impending attack?"

"It seems we were wrong about their immediate intentions…" Abhimanyu comments, "Or perhaps what they're doing now is meant to help them to invade us later. Anyway, I won't delay telling you for any longer. One hour ago we received word that the Chinese Army has just invaded Bangladesh through the border they share with Burma."

Aalekh turns pale, absorbing the news quickly. Yet another invasion… and this one… would give them even greater access to India's border, enabling them to now attack on two fronts if they chose to.

"And the Bangladeshi Army?" Aalekh asks him desperately, hoping for good news.

"Is fighting bravely, but are no match for the strength of the Chinese army." Abhimanyu informs him, "They're already headed towards Chittagong. The Bangladeshi government has requested immediate assistance, it has called on its allies… called on us."

"And will we answer that call?" Aalekh asks him.

"Our superiors are still deciding…" Abhimanyu informs him, "But I think that yes, we will."

"I'll go and organise the meeting, Sir." Aalekh tells him, and leaves to do so.

Because while the war had not yet come to them… It seemed entirely likely that they were about to go to the war.

Really enjoyed both your updates. Especially the part about [quote=andreamcl]"Hussein, how could you do this?" he finally asks him, "You never told us… I'm sure that you've never gone to Aalekh to ask for his permission." He then turns to Aalekh, looking quite embarrassed, "Aalekhbhai, I'm very sorry about this, really Hussein should've asked for your permission."

Aalekh just stares at him in disbelief, "Osool… your son almost died in battle, you've found out that Naina and Rajveer Sir have come back from the dead… and you're apologising to me for your son dating my daughter secretly?"[/quote]What father, except a self-effacing conscientious man like Ali, would say that?

Asha and Hussein subjecting Amiya to ribbing session - that was so enjoyable too. I really love Amiya's character.

Thanks Andrea - and hope this toime the wait won't be too long 😉 (at least give us a warning if it's going to be)