HM was getting discharged today after spending a week at the hospital… AS hadn’t visited her after that morning… MPT team members kept taking turns to stay with her for the night while Ammi and Mansi accompanied her during the day… But HM was waiting for AS… Unknown to her, he would visit the hospital every morning and night… He would look at her through the tinted glass walls of the room and leave without getting noticed by anyone… Today as well, he was present in the parking lot when HM got into MP’s car with Ammi, Mansi and KS… He followed them till her house and left after seeing her walk inside… He was happy KS was with her… But also, sad as he knew she hadn’t forgiven him…
“KS…” HM called out to KS who was setting her things… “Ji MS…” “Anubhav Sir kaha hai??” she asked fearing KS would misunderstand her… “Nahi matlab… us din ke baad woh humse milne bhi nahi aaye… bas isiliye puch rahe hai…” she said… “Pata nahi MS… Aajkal kaha hote hai, kya karte hai koi khabar nahi hota unka… Humara phone bhi nahi uthate bohot baar… Chachi bhi pareshaan hai… na time pe ghar jate hai, na sahi se khana khate hai… Hum aaj jayenge HQ… thoda daant lagayenge toh sudhar jayenge…” KS said irritated at his irresponsible behaviour… But HM understood something was wrong with him… She had been expecting at least a message from him but now decided to drop one herself… She took her phone when, “MS… Ka kar rahi hai aap?? Abhi abhi hospital se wapas aayi hai… Aaram kijiye… Woh phone dijiye hume…” KS scolded her and took her phone away… HM gave her a pleading look but to no avail… She gave up and laid down to rest… She knew, if she rested enough, she could return to work soon…
HM was back at MPT… She entered to find the usual scene unfolding in front of her eyes… She had missed it badly… “Jai Hind…” she said loudly to attract their attention… “Jai Hind MS…” they saluted her… “Hum samajh nahi paa rahe yaha kaam kaise chalega agar hum nahi honge…” she said… “Aapke bina kaam chalega bhi nahi… Aap is thane ki aatma jo hai… Kyu Pushpa ji…?” KS said… “Bilkul sahi kaha KM ne…” PS responded… HM smiled… “Acha chaliye… Kaam pe lagiye sab… SS koi update??” “Yes MS… mere quarter ka naal thik ho gaya…” SS replied… “SS…” HM said sternly… “Pata hai MS… aap case ke bare mei puch rahi hai… Lekin mujhe laga aisa kuch bolungi toh aap smile karoge…” SS said… HM smiled… Her team was her extended family… “Ab case ka update bata dijiye…” “Ek naya case hai… Aap cabin mei jaiye mai aapko uski file laake deti hu…” SS said… HM smiled and went to her cabin… SS took the file and went in behind her… HM was shocked at SS had not committed any mistake today and got the correct file… She smiled and went through the details… “Yeh chor jis tarah se chori kar raha hai… uska tarika kuch jana pehchana lag raha hai…” HM said trying to remember… “Aap jaiye SS, hum dekhte aage…” “Ji MS…” SS left and HM sat down thinking…
Suddenly she remembered something and went to the store room to look for a file… When she couldn’t find it there, she realised it was in her cabin… She went back to her cabin and her eyes travelled around the files… She identified the file she needed but it was on the upper rack… She got a ladder and climbed up… She had just touched the file when she lost her balance and fell backwards… She had braced herself for the impact and closed her eyes… When her back didn’t hit the ground, she opened her eyes and found AS holding her in his arms… She smiled at him, so did he… He helped her stand and looked away awkwardly… When he had entered, he wasn’t expecting such intimate encounter with her… “Jai… Jai Hind Sir…” she broke the silence… “Jai Hind…” “Aap kab aaye sir?? Hume pata hi nahi chala… Thank you hume bachane ke liye…” “Koi… koi baat nahi… Hum bas abhi aaye… Waise aap kya kar rahi thi??” “Hum woh file nikalne ki koshish kar rahe the…” “Hum nikal dete hai…” he said and stepped ahead… She took a step behind when her back hit the rack… He was inches apart from her, she could smell his cologne… He stretched his hand above and, “Yeh wali??” he asked and looked at her… She was staring back at him and he too got lost in her pretty eyes…
He soon realised their position and took a step back wondering why she did not object his closeness… She too recovered and looked in the direction of his hand, “Uske side wali…” she said casually… “Ji…” he said and pulled it out for her… He quickly stepped back creating comfortable distance between them… She frowned but was unnoticed by him as he was looking at everything but her… “Waise aap ye file kyu khoj rahi thi…” he asked… “Woh ek case hai sir… yeh dekhiye…” she showed him another file… “Is chor ka modus operandi, yeh purane case ke suspect se match karta hai…” He looked at both the files and found the similarity… “Yeh case pehle bhi close nahi ho paya tha kyunki koi arrest nahi ho paya tha… Abhi 2 saal baad dobara same tarike se chori ho rahi hai…” she continued… “Lekin agar gaur kare toh pata chalta hai ke dono alag hai…” “woh kaise??” he asked… “Pehle case mei chor uska trademark sign chod ke jata tha… lekin abhi wale case mei woh sign chodta toh hai lekin ghar ko pani se bhar deta hai…” she said smiling… “Aapke kehne ka matlab hai ke woh hume gumrah karne ki koshish kar raha hai…” “Ji Sir…” “Well done Haseena ji… Bohot khoob…” he said proudly… “Thank you sir…” she said with a smile… His heart fluttered but he controlled his emotions… “Aap jari rakhiye… Hum chalte hai… Jai Hind…” he said and left before she could reply… “Jai... Hind…” she mumbled ‘Hind’… What is wrong with him?? Why was he behaving so distant?? He wouldn’t miss a chance of flirting with her and now he was not even looking at her properly, she thought… Only to realise what the problem was… She smiled to herself thinking a plan…
AS was in his study room trying to work on a file… But he couldn’t concentrate as today’s incident was bothering him… He was already sad as HM had not forgiven him… He had been avoiding a confrontation with her as he would not be able to handle her ‘No’… But duty comes first and foremost… He had to visit MPT for routine visit and she being the SHO, he could not avoid an encounter with her… He had unknowingly evaded her personal space, but what had surprised him was her indifference to the awkward situation… Suddenly his doorbell rang… He wondered who it could be so late in the night and hurried downstairs to avoid disturbing Maa… He was shocked would be an understatement when he saw HM standing at the door in her full glory… “Haseena ji aap yaha?? Iss samay?? Sab thik hai na??” he asked… “Ji nahi Sir… kuch thik nahi hai… Hume aapse bohot zaruri baat karni hai…” she replied… “Kahiye…” “Yaha?? Darwaze pe?? Andar chale??” she asked… “Jjj… ji… aaiye…” he said and welcomed her in wondering what was wrong that she had rung his doorbell so late…
