Javed naam hai mera phir se

Chapter 23

There was no sound of a breaking glass and it should've been there because there was no other place to go for a bullet except for a big French window on the first floor. Unless…

Javed turned to Anjali who was kneeling behind him and shook her. Anjali was in shock but in few moments she focused on his face and he knew he got her attention. Javed said quickly:

- Stay here! Don't try to get out of here, no matter what you hear or see! Don't stand up until I come and get you, do you understand me? Will you stay down?

Her expression was incredulous; she couldn't believe this was happening to her… in her house… But Javed wanted something of her, he was asking something… what was it? Oh, right!

Anjali shook her head and hid herself behind the concrete flower vase.

Then Javed stood up and in one swift motion jumped over the handrail to the ground. He landed right next to Arnav who was lying on the floor, covering Khushi with his body…

The next two shots hit the glass and million of tiny shards pierced through Javed's jacket. He felt the stinging pain all over his body but had no time to focus on it – there were more pending issues like a loud commotion inside the house. Javed shouted in the general direction of the common room:

- NK, get everybody away from the windows! Now! Akash, get the ambulance!

With that he turned Arnav face up and asked gently:

- Where is it?

Arnav groaned through clenched teeth:

- Ribs hurt…

That was a moment Khushi noticed a bloodstain spreading over Arnav's polo shirt:

- Arnav-ji! Arnav-ji, there's blood! Arnav-ji, you were hit!

Javed hear a muffled whimpering sound from above which meant that Anjali has heard this too. He tried to pacify both women:

- Shh, Khushi-ji, it's going to be all right. Can you please go ask Akash to help me get Arnav back inside?

He wasn't even finished talking when Khushi sprinted inside the house looking for Akash.

Arnav chuckled and grimaced in the same time – it was painful to laugh now:

- Why, can't lift me up by yourself?

- Pft, I can lift you AND Akash in the same time, but this was the easiest and fastest way to get Khushi away from the street and channel her hysterics into something she would deem useful.

Arnav looked behind Javed into the house where his wife's dupatta marked her fast and sporadic movements.

A thought crossed Javed's mind and he hollered:

- Akash, bring me the dining table! And turn off all the light in the house!

Arnav protested:

- No need, man, I can get up by myself, no need for a stretcher.

Arnav tried to do so but was stopped by Javed's firm hand that pinned him down to the floor:

- The hell you will! The table is not for a stretcher, it's gonna be your camping tent to shield you from possible shooting! Because I'm not moving you until doctor says you have no internal injuries.

Arnav tried protesting that he was feeling normal – all things considered – but Javed would have none of it.

In a matter of minutes everything was arranged as requested – Shantivan went completely dark, Arnav's laying body was hidden from the plain view and all the women and Aarav were safely placed in the Nani-ji's bedroom – NK was keeping them company.