FF: Ishq-e-Watan *Chapter 78 Posted* - Page 96

CHAPTER 72

THE AFTERMATH

"I am sorry", Faizi said softly. Koel looked at him wordlessly. "Jaise... Jaise humne tumse kal baat kari thi. Hume maaf kar do."

She took a deep breath, sighing. She turned to him, offering him a small smile. "Tum theek ho?"

He sighed. "Pata nahi." He rubbed his face. "Yeh nahi samajh aa raha ki ab Mridul ke baare mein sochte hain toh... Mridul ko dekhein ya Sayed ko."

"Woh Mridul nahi tha. Kabhi nahi tha. Jhooth tha woh sab", she said firmly. "He was always a spy, always Sayed, always a terrorist."

He closed his eyes, nodding. He grabbed her hand, interlocking his fingers with hers. "Sayed", he said softly. "That was who he was. Not my friend."

"That's right", she said gently. She glanced at the closed door, before crawling closer and settling on his lap. She leaned closer, kissing his lips. "You didn't do anything wrong. You did what was necessary. You know that, na?"

He gently kissed her lips, nodding. "Haan", he muttered softly, snaking his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. "Thank you."

"Girlfriend ko bhi koi aise thank you kehta hai kya?" She muttered, resting her head on his shoulder. He smiled slightly, leaning down and kissing her head affectionately. "I love you."

"I love you too."

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

"Humaara mann kar raho hai hum use waapas zinda karke phirse maar daalein", Sanju growled. Sid swallowed, leaning back slightly as he watched her pace around angrily from her bed. "Hum uski khaal noch daalte."

Sid looked at the bedside table, hesitantly grabbing the bottle. She paused in her pacing, turning to look at him. He offered the bottle. "Paani peena hai?" He asked softly.

She snatched the bottle from his hand, gulping down a big swallow before sitting down next to him. "Hume toh uske baare mein soch sochkar gussa aa raho hogo. Jitna yaad karte hain utna zyaada gussa aato hai. Pata hai tujhe? Hume keh raho tha Abhi ki shaheedi ke baad ki use kitna dukh raho hogo, kitna sadma lago. Hume pehle pato hoto toh aisa haal karto ki sadma lagne ke liye bhi naa bachto. Badhi achhi maut milo hai use ki bas ek goli se mar gayo. Humaare haath aa jaato toh..."

He looked down at her hands, who squeezed the bottle tightly. He felt bad for the bottle. It was punished for no reason. Should he try to save it? He glanced up at her face. No. He wasn't ready to die. He hadn't even said goodbye to his Daddy ji and Monu. Tsk tsk. Not today.

"Kaa soch raho hai tu?"

"Uh... main bhi soch raha hoon ki agar Mridul zinda hota, toh tum uska kya haal karti?"

"Hum kaa haal karte? Agar woh zinda hoto, toh tu kuchh naa karto?"

He paused. "Main... Main tumhe paani deta." She tilted her head. "Uski aisi haalat karne ke baad, paani toh chahiye hi hoga, na? Toh... main woh kar dunga."

She stared at him, before shaking her head. She stood up, keeping the bottle down and Sid quickly took it, muttering a silent apology to it. "Tu bhi ek number ka boranta hai, Chirkut. Khayalon mein bhi sab hume hi karna padh raho hogo." She sighed. "Hum kahan the?"

"Mridul ki khaal nochne par."

"Haan. Toh hum uski..."

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

Param stared at the transparent sheet. What were those dots? Was it just meaningless scribbling? It was in Mridul's cupboard. Could it be a clue? A hint? A lead to what was coming?

"Bhaiya", Karan said quietly. The older man looked up, finding his brother finishing the last of his whiskey. "Main thodi der mein aata hoon."

"Kahan jaa raha hai?" He asked gently. "Tu theek hai?"

He hummed, falling quiet for a second. "Monami ke paas", he admitted. "Woh, uh... mujhe... mujhe thodi der..."

"Chhote, jaa. Explain karne ki zaroorat nahi hai. Teri dost hai."

The younger agent offered him a small smile, standing up and walking quickly outside- almost as if he couldn't get out fast enough. Param followed him with his eyes till he was out of sight, heaving a sigh. He was disturbed.

He grabbed his phone, pulling up the call log and staring at the number for a brief second. He dialed the number, listening to it ring before a click sounded.

"Hello?"

"Barkha... tum aur Baby kal academy aa sakte ho?"

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

"I don't even know ki main kya feel kar raha hoon iss point par", Karan said, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "And... I am worried about Faizi. I don't know woh yeh sab handle kar paayega ya nahi."

"He's st-strong", Monami said softly. "D-Don't underestimate h-him."

"I am not. But woh mera best friend hai. Thoda concern toh hoga hi, na? And aise poora din chabar chabar karta rahega, par jo cheez tang kar rahi hai, woh nahi bolega."

Monami stared at him quietly. "He will be ok-okay. Are y-you?"

"Haan", he said immediately. She titled her head, narrowing her eyes a little. He sighed. "I... I guess. I am fine, bas... these things, they stay on your mind. But main theek hoon. Thoda time chahiye bas."

"Do you w-want some d-distraction?"

He glanced at his watch. "Tumhaare therapy ka time ho raha hai." He offered her a small smile. "I'll take up on that offer raat ko." She scrunched her nose up. He frowned. "Kya? Tumhe therapy nahi pasand?"

She looked down at her lap, sighing. "Does it m-matter? Agar m-mujhe a-academy mein r-rehna hai toh m-mujhe th-therapy karni p-padegi."

"Haan, but... it matters to me agar tum therapy se khush ho ya nahi. I, at least, wanna know."

She sighed. "It's... n-not the w-worst thing in the w-world. But... I d-don't like it."

He hummed. She hopped down from the slab, and he straightened up, falling in step alongside her. "Can I do anything to make it better?"

She shook her head, offering him a smile. "It's okay. B-But it's sweet aap ch-chahte ho." They paused outside the door and Monami waved to him. "I'll s-see you r-raat ko?"

"Of course. I'll wait."

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

Faizi walked quietly through the darkened walls of the academy, almost lost. Where was he heading? The corridors seemed endless, their other side shrouded in pitch black darkness. He turned his head. No doors. No windows. Just an endless corridor.

He has been walking for eons. Just walking. Pointlessly. He couldn't quite figure anything out. Where was he? How did he get here?

A sound. His feet paused. He turned around. No one. He turned around again.

Mridul.

He flinched, taking instinctive steps back. He was bleeding. From his forehead. His skin was pale, almost clammy, and the blood leaked from a hole, dripping down his nose, his lips, his neck and finally disappearing into his t-shirt.

"You were my friend", he said. "You killed me. You murdered me."

'I wasn't your friend', he wanted to scream. 'You were a traitor. A deshdrohi. A terrorist.' But no words escaped and he could only watch in horror as the man tipped forward, his bleeding, pale face rushing towards him as he fell.

Faizi jerked awake. Blood pounded in his ears, his insides heating and his body slightly cold from the cool air suspended in the air. He couldn't move. Not for a minute. Until he slowly realized his limbs. He quietly turned to his side, staring at the floor as he tried to comprehend his dream.

He wasn't the one plagued with nightmares- that was Karan's department. He had never been big on dreams, a rare occurrence for him. Has this really seeped into his mind so deep?

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. When he opened them, he was staring at Karan's sleeping body on the bed across. He was a light sleeper. If he called just a little louder than a whisper, the man would crack his eyes open, stare at him groggily for a few seconds and then sit up, asking if he was okay. Was he okay? He should be. He had killed a terrorist. That was it. He had killed dozens.

But... that terrorist had pretended to be his friend. Someone who had betrayed him.

His eyes darkened. He should be okay. Mridul- Sayed- was just another terrorist. The fact that he betrayed him should only lessen the horror of killing a person.

Sayed was a terrorist. There should be no guilt. He wouldn't feel guilty. He refused.

He closed his eyes, slipping into a deep sleep, this time thankfully with no dreams.

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

"Papa", Baby squealed happily, running up into his embrace. Param smiled, kissing his daughter's head affectionately before letting her go. He looked over to his wife, offering her an affectionate smile.

"Hi", Barkha said softly, taking a step closer.

"Papa, Papa, main Chachu se mil aaon?" Baby said eagerly, bouncing on her feet. Param nodded, watching her as she ran into the academy. That was exactly what he had called the two over for. Karan needed some relaxation time.

"Baby, bhaago mat", Barkha called out after her.

Baby hopped around happily, walking down the familiar halls. She paused, staring up at the door that was supposed to be Karan's room. It was open. And empty. She peeked in, her frown deepening. It didn't even have clothes in. She took a step back, looking around. It should be here only.

She retraced her steps, wandering into another hall. Still nothing. Where was she? Did she get lost?

A six year old Baby ran up to her Chachu, tears on her face. 'Baby', Karan said, gathering her up into a hug. 'Kahan chale gaye the aap?'

'Chachu, main kho gayi.' She burst out into sobs.

'Baby, agar aap kho gaye the, toh kisi se puchh lete Chachu ke baare mein', he said gently. 'Woh log aapko le aate mere paas. Okay?' He gently wiped her tears and she nodded, burying her face in his shoulder.

She looked around. The corridor was empty. Quiet. She paused outside a door, faint sounds of music seeping through the closed door. She paused for a moment uncertainly before reaching up and knocking on the door.

The door opened a moment later and a curly haired man, wearing a grey tracksuit looked down at her. He blinked, staring at her. She stared back, taking him in. He didn't seem to be an agent. That wasn't their uniform. He offered her a small smile, bending down to her height. "Hi", he said. "Aap kaun ho? Aap yahan kaise aaye?"

"Mujhe Chachu ke paas jaana hai", she said.

He tilted her head. "Aapke Chachu ka naam kya hai? Aapko pata hai?"

She tilted her chin up. "Special Agent Major Karan Shergill", she said proudly. The man's smile slid off a little and he stared at her. Baby tilted her head. "Kya hua? Aap mere Chachu ko nahi jaante kya?"

"Aap Param Shergill ki beti ho", he said softly. She nodded happily. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He opened it again, offering her a smile. "Hello. I am Sid. Aapke Chachu mere trainer hai. Main aapko unke room tak lekar chalta hoon. Okay?" She nodded, grabbing his hand.

The two walked in silence to Karan's room and the young girl was a tad bit confused at the repetitive glances down at her. Both of them stared at the lock on the door before turning in sync and looking at each other.

"Ab?" Baby asked. "Chachu kamre mein nahi hai. Aap unhe phone karo, na?"

"Mere paas phone nahi hai", he said, looking at his watch. "Cadets ko phone rakhna allowed nahi hota hai. Ek kaam karte hain, mess chalet hain. Aapke Chachu shayad wahan honge. Theek hai?"

She nodded obediently, following him again in another comfortable silence as they walked to the mess. Sid was... quiet. But he seemed nice. After all, he was wandering around the academy, looking for Karan with her.

He opened the door to the mess, and Baby followed, looking around. Her eyes lit up. Karan. He was sitting with some people, Faizi and Sanju along them. "Chachu", she squealed.

Karan's head snapped up, hearing the familiar voice. Baby? Faizi, beside him, quickly retracted the arm from around Koel, straightening up. Baby ran up to him, Sid following her close behind. "Baby", he said happily, opening his arms and letting her jump into them. He pressed an affectionate kiss to her cheek. "Aap yahan kaise? Mumma lekar aaye aapko?" She nodded. "Mumma aaye hain?"

"Haan, woh Papa ke saath hain."

"Aww, Sir", Chitra cooed. "Yeh aapki niece hai?"

He hummed, looking up at the cadets. Almost all of theirs was there. Monami wasn't. He had looked around for her, but eventually gave up and asked about her to the rest of them. Apparently, she wasn't hungry. "Hi", Baby said, waving at them. "I am Soumya. Soumya Shergill."

"Siddharth", Sanju said and Karan looked up, finding him walking back. "Baith, na?"

He paused, looking between Baby and Sanju. Baby looked at him, gesturing enthusiastically. His face tightened a little. Karan's hold tightened around her. He wouldn't dare to take any resentment he had towards Param out on her, would he? He liked Siddharth enough but when it came to his brother, he had enough anger and resentment that he kept close enough to his heart that he didn't quite trust him. But the man merely offered her a small smile, sitting down on the table nearby.

Karan relaxed, his mind calming down after the whole turmoil, his niece settled comfortably on his lap as she talked happily to his cadets.

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

"Param Sir ki ek beti hai", Sid said quietly.

Sanju looked up from her gun that she was cleaning. "Tujhe yeh baat naa pato tha?"

"Pata thi", he said. "But... aaj dekha use. Pehle, it was just a fact. Ab... it's kind of different." She kept it aside, turning to him expectantly. He sighed. "It was weird. Mujhe... Mujhe bahut... bahut ajeeb laga. Ek point par hum log itna close the that hume laga tha Bhaiya ki life ki itni badhi baat mein, itni badhi happiness mein, ho hi nahi sakta hum naa ho. But... nahi the hum. We weren't there."

"Siddharth, tujhe yeh sab toh pehle se pato tha."

"I know. Par..." He sighed. "Chodho."

"Nahi", she said firmly. "Hume bataa. Kya soch raho hai tu?"

He sighed, turning to her. "I know he had a lot of things jo hui after Juhi Aunty. Unki life ruki nahi. He had a daughter. His legs got amputated. Unhe army chodhni padhi. Bahut kuchh. But... it all seemed like... facts bas. Just facts. Aaj jab Baby ko dekha and... I saw the way he was with her, it all seemed so real. Jaise... Jaise it wasn't just facts. It was his life. He had built a whole life after."

"Siddharth, kisi ke jaane se, kisi ke zindagi mein naa hone se, zindagi rukti thodi naa hogo. Ab tujhe aur Monami ko hi dekh lo. Tum dono ne toh koi aisa khoyo tha jo tumhaare laane usse bhi zyaada keemti tha. Par tumne jeena thodi naa chhoda."

"I know. I am not miffed about that." She blinked. "Miffed matlab... naraaz, I think. Mujhe koi naraazgi nahi hai. I am just... thinking. Itna sab kuchh hone ke baad, kya unhone uss sabke baare mein kabhi dobara socha? Kabhi humaare baare mein dobara socha? Aur agar ab sochnenge ki unhone kya decision liya tha, kya unhe abhi bhi sahi lagega?"

Sanju tilted her head. "Tu unse yeh baat jaakar kyun nahi puchhta?" He turned his head away. She sighed. "Tu apne aap se yeh sab sawaal puchhega, toh koi jawaab naa milego. Sirf ek insaan yeh jawaab de sakto hai, aur woh hai Param Sir ji."

Sid looked at her quietly, as she picked her gun again, beginning to clean it again. She was right, wasn't she? He had avoided talking to him. Even seeing him. But all these questions, this anger... it would simmer down only if he talked, right? He closed his eyes.

'Main aaj ke baad kabhi nahi aaunga aur Monami se milne ki koshish bhi nahi karunga.'

His eyes snapped open. He will talk to him one day. But that day wasn't today. He didn't quite have the strength to look at him and not burst into anger. He sighed, looking at his girlfriend quietly as she cleaned her things. He smiled when she picked up the little, boxer girl figurine.

He had gifted it to her.

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

"I am sorry", Karan said softly. "Kal raat ko mujhe time dhyaan nahi raha. Main Baby aur Bhabhi ke saath-"

"It's o-okay", Monami interjected. "Aapko s-sorry bolne ki z-zaroorat n-nahi. Aapki f-family aapse m-milne aa-aayi hai. You sh-should spend t-time with them. Main toh y-yahin hoon, na?"

He hummed. "Thank you." She smiled at him. "How was therapy kal?" Her smile slid off. "Not good?"

"K-Kab a-achhi hoti hai?"

"What did you talk about?"

She looked at her fingers, gently watching them trace the rim of the plate. "Anxiety a-attacks." She shook her head. "Aap... Aapne kya b-baat kari apni... apni bh-bhatiji se?"

He accepted the hint. No more talking about therapy for now. He opened his mouth, pausing when said niece squealed his name. He looked up, his Bhabhi following with a small smile on his face.

"Oh", Barkha said. "Tum busy ho, Karan? Hum baad mein aate hain?"

"N-Nahi", Monami said before Karan could even open his mouth. "Woh b-busy nahi hai. Hum bas... aise hi b-baat kar rahe the. Aap b-baitho." She stood up. "Sir, main aa-aapse b-baad mein m-milti hoon." He blinked. What? She was going?

"Aap ruk ruk kar bolte ho", Baby said when he opened his mouth. He closed his mouth, looking down at her niece, his eyebrows creasing slightly. He looked at Monami. Was she offended?

"Baby", Barkha said sternly. "Aise nahi bolte hain. Kisi ko bura lag sakta hai." She looked up at her. "I am sor-"

"Koi b-baat n-nahi", she said, smiling at her. Karan relaxed slightly. He grabbed his juice, taking another sip of the liquid. "Kuchh g-galat th-thodi naa b-bola hai." She smiled at the child. "Haan, main... main k-kabhi kabhi a-atak jaati hoon."

She tilted her head, offering her a toothy smile. "Koi baat nahi. Mujhe asthma hai. Main kabhi kabhi saans lete lete atak jaati hoon. It's okay!" Monami chuckled a little. "Aapka naam kya hai?"

"Monami."

Baby frowned, inspecting her. "Monami", she muttered to herself. She had heard that name before. She tilted her head back, looking at her mother who was studying the girl too. Where had she heard that name before?

'Monami? Yeh kaun hai? Aapki girlfriend hai? Aap unko pasand karte ho? Meri Chachi banegi? Mujhe bhi milna hai Chachi se!'

Was she the same Monami? She looked her up and down. She was so beautiful! And sweet too. Why didn't her Chachu like her?

"Kya hua?" Monami asked. "Naam achha nahi laga kya?"

Baby shook her head. "Aapka naam Miss Beautiful hona chahiye." She looked at her Chachu. "Kyun, Chachu? Woh bahut beautiful hai, na?"

Karan choked on his juice, coughing. "Huh?" He forced out, reaching for the napkin and wiping his face. He ignored the chuckle her Bhabhi let out, running a hand through his hair. He looked at her, glancing at Monami and then at Baby, giving his Bhabhi a pleading look.

"Baby, bas", Barkha said softly, shaking her head when she glanced up at her. "Aise questions nahi puchhte hain Chachu se sabke saamne."

Monami cleared her throat, gulping down the rest of her juice. "I have a cl-class, Sir", she said. "I'll m-meet you l-later." He nodded. She smiled at Baby and Barkha before quickly grabbing her bag and walking out. She paused outside the door, turning around and glancing back inside. Karan was talking to Baby, a small smile on his face.

'Maine... Maine tumse zyaada sundar ladki apni zindagi mein nahi dekhi hai.'

Barkha looked up, tilting her head at the girl that had paused at the door. She followed her gaze, a small smile appearing on her face. Did she have a crush on Karan too?