Chapter Six
He sat in yet another hospital room, trying to remember how many times it had been now.
Five.
Almost two a year.
In three years he had received the call five times and all five he had rushed to her side, sat by the bed, and waited for the moment she would open her eyes.
He wondered when the time would come that he would be called for the last time, whether one day she would never open her eyes at all.
"Tell me something, Naina." He asked her, "Each time this happens, when you open your eyes and find that you're still alive… are you relieved or disappointed?"
Naina's expression was all the answer he needed.
"I managed to keep alive without you
And didn't kill myself for the shame of it."
She quoted to him.
At Aalekh's enquiring glance, she smiled sadly. "Ghalib."
"Since when did you start reading poetry?" he asked her. It was a stupid question. So he decided to ask an even stupider one.
"How many more times will I get this call, Naina?" he asked desperately, "How much longer will this continue for?"
Naina's sad smile faltered, and when her eyes met Aalekh's there was a quiet determination in them.
For the first time he really understood what the answer was.
As many times as it took.
/
In the twenty one years since Naina's death there has never been a moment that Aalekh hasn't missed her. In fact he's missed her even longer than that, he's missed her for twenty-five long years, because ever since Captain Rajveer died she was hardly Naina anymore, but only ever a shadow of her former self.
And in the twenty one years since her death, never once have the five of them who remained felt that they were only a group of five.
No, rather they were six minus one.
And there was never a single minute when they didn't feel her absence, like a great gaping hole in each of their hearts. The wound that had been caused by Rajveer Sir's death had only been widened by Naina's, and there was nothing that could ever heal it.
There had been times, not often, but still… when Aalekh would wake up in the morning and not remember that she was dead.
But then he would walk out of his room and see her photo hung in the most prominent position next to Captain Rajveer's and he would remember all over again.
Remember every single moment of her slow death, a death which had taken four long years to finally be complete.
Aalekh's first reaction when he had seen them both again was to want to call Neelu up and pour his heart out to her, tell her everything, tell her that they were back.
But something stopped him.
Aalekh doesn't doubt for even a second that they really are Captain Rajveer and Naina, there can be no other possibility no matter how impossible it seemed.
But he also knows that neither of them remember anything about their past, that they don't have any clue about who they really are.
And the more he thinks about it, the more he thinks that it would be best not to tell them.
How would they react if he was to come out and say it? He doubts that either would believe him, and the last thing he wants is for the tragedy of their past lives to have an effect on their present.
So Aalekh prepares to hide the secret deep in his heart, hide it from his best friends, from those who have suffered just as deeply as he has for the past twenty five years.
He just hopes that in the end they will forgive him for it.
/
For an entire day he doesn't even know what her name is.
She will always be Naina for him, just as Captain Rajveer can never be anything but that.
But just as Rajveer Sir's name has changed, he knows that Naina's will have too.
But how can he find out? How can he ask about her without seeming suspicious?
His dilemma is solved when he sees her heading out with Captain Shergill for a patrol. Aalekh has to force himself not to rush, instead he walks slowly to where the lists are, and trying to remain calm, checks them with a rapidly beating heart.
It is easy to figure out which one she is, as the only female officer apart from Captain Shergill in the group.
Lieutenant Asha Dutt.
He wonders if he will ever be able to think of her by any name other than Naina.
He wonders if he ill remember to call her by the right name when they finally meet.
And most of all, more than anything else, he just wants an opportunity to talk to her, to spend time with her.
But the patrol she has left on will take three days to return, and Aalekh knows that he will have to be patient.
And so, as often as possible, without making it seem too obvious, he tries to spend as much time with Rajveer Sir… with Dhiraj as he can.
Every time the young man speaks, the earnestness in his voice, the conviction, brings all of the memories flooding back. He is a true patriot, and Aalekh knows that in this life too, he would die for his country without a second thought.
But there are differences too; Dhiraj has an edge to him that Captain Rajveer didn't, he's far less diplomatic and far more likely to speak his mind. He's also less serious than Captain Rajveer was, happy to joke around with his best friend Samir. And Aalekh wonders whether that's what Rajveer Sir used to be like… before Navin died, before he lost somebody to laugh with.
While Captain Hassan leaves for a patrol the day after Naina's patrol has left, Dhiraj is going to be on base for the rest of the week helping with planning and official tasks.
But there is one thing, that no matter how long it takes, Aalekh will never become used to.
And that is Dhiraj saluting him, behaving respectfully around him.
God knows that Aalekh wishes that it was the other way around instead.
But for now… he will bide his time, he will keep the secret to himself.
And as much as he can, he will try to ensure that no such tragedy ever happens again.
/
The day after she has arrived back from the latest three day patrol they had been sent on, Asha waits for Amiya to return. While their schedules match most of the time, there are times when one will be off base while the other remains. Asha is just glad that she isn't scheduled to leave on patrol again for another week, rostered onto duty on base instead. It is exhausting to be constantly alert, on the look out for anything out of the ordinary. For the moment everything in the border region is still calm, and she is thankful for that.
Asha has just left her room and is walking towards the mess when she smiles, spotting her friend in the distance as she climbed out of the jeep they had taken to reach their patrol spot.
As soon as the officers have all climbed out, Asha sees Captain Hassan dismiss them from a distance, and the other two walk off while Amiya remains, appearing to be asking him something. They begin to walk, and Asha notices that Captain Hassan is limping slightly.
Concerned, she walks towards them, saluting him before she asked the question. "Are you alright, Sir? What happened to your leg?"
"Nothing, I'm perfectly fine." Samir replies, gritting his teeth as he takes yet another step on it.
"You know Sir, now that Asha is here, I'm sure that we could both support your body weight." Amiya offers helpfully, but Asha notices the small smile on her face she is trying to hide, "We could help you to the infirmary."
"Thank you very much Lieutenant Chatterjee, but I'll be fine to reach the infirmary on my own." Samir replies, "You can go now."
"But Sir, we can't let you walk like this by yourself, you'll end up injuring yourself even worse." Asha protests, "What happened, anyway?"
"Captain Hassan tripped over a tree root." Amiya explains, not bothering to wait for Samir to reply himself.
Samir turns to glare at her slightly, "Yes, thank you very much for letting Lieutenant Dutt know that, Lieutenant Chatterjee."
"Well it wasn't your fault, Sir, you were trying to explain something to us at the time." Amiya reassures.
"Like what?" Dhiraj asks, having spotted them standing there and walked up to join in the last part of the conversation. "That a soldier should always be alert?"
And he gives a definite smirk in Samir's direction.
"Great, Dhiraj, here I am in pain and you're making jokes at my expense." Samir tells him, "You really are a wonderful friend, aren't you?"
Grinning, Dhiraj moves forward, and slinging Samir's arm over his shoulder, supports his weight so that he can move it off his foot.
"I'm just wondering…" Dhiraj comments, "If you're falling over tree roots then how do you ever expect to be able to defeat the Chinese Army?"
"Oh I don't know," Samir replies sarcastically, "Maybe I'll grab their ankles while I'm lying on the ground."
And before she can stop herself, Amiya lets out a short laugh, while Asha tries to hide a smile. For a moment, Dhiraj grins at her, and Asha becomes distracted, finding herself smiling back. She probably would have continued to stare at him if Samir hadn't chosen to speak again.
"Lieutenant Chatterjee, stop laughing, and Lieutenant Dutt… please don't think about starting. You're both dismissed." Samir tells them, trying to sound as strict as possible as he begins to limp towards the infirmary, supporting himself on Dhiraj's shoulder.
"So what had you so distracted that you began tripping over tree roots?" Dhiraj asks, eyebrows raised, "Or should I be asking who?"
"Don't even start with me, Dhiraj." Samir tells him, "Before you start accusing me of things, take a look at yourself first."
"What are you talking about?" Dhiraj pretends not to understand his friend's statement, for some reason suddenly becoming nervous.
"I'm talking about your distraction," Samir tells him, "I think it might be some sort of a record if you could go for five minutes without staring at Lieutenant Dutt while in the same room with her."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Dhiraj replies, trying to pretend that he really, really doesn't.
Seeing the look on his friend's face, Samir decides that it's best he drops the topic for now.
"And anyway, it seems like you're determined to embarrass me in front of our junior officers." Samir continues, shaking his head slightly.
"Are you afraid of being embarrassed in front of all the junior officers or one in particular?" Dhiraj teases him.
Samir just shoots him a look that says he doesn't find the comment very funny, and laughing, Dhiraj continues to help him towards the infirmary.
/
"I can't believe you actually laughed at your senior officer." Asha tells Amiya, shaking her head, "I know you love teasing people, but really…"
"Yes, poor Captain Hassan," Amiya says, attempting to look serious. "Actually he was trying to explain some tactics to us in detail at the time and I think he was just a bit too involved in his explanation, he really was quite embarrassed at it happening… he wouldn't accept any of our help to get to the infirmary."
"Well at least it's not too serious." Asha replies, "He's probably just twisted his ankle, they should be able to fix that up easily."
"So how was your patrol?" Amiya asks her, "Less eventful than mine?"
"Much less, Captain Shergill is a great officer," Asha tells her, "She was also giving us tips and advice. I just keep wondering how much longer this calm will continue for, because if hostilities start properly then we'll really miss these days."
It is at this moment that turning a corner, they run into Aalekh.
"We're really sorry, Sir!" Amiya exclaims after they both snap him a salute.
Aalekh's eyes are glued to Naina's face, and for a moment he sees an expression pass over it, a mixture of recognition and confusion, but just as quickly as it has come, it disappears.
"That's quite alright," he reassures them, forcing himself to stop staring at her. Wanting to continue the conversation, he thinks of something else to say. "You're both recent pass outs, aren't you?"
"Yes Sir," Asha replies seriously, "Lieutenants Asha Dutt and Amiya Chatterjee, graduates of Barrackpore Military Academy."
"I've heard that it's quite a good academy." Aalekh comments, for the first time he is able to observe her properly, and it's not just the dedication and spark that he can clearly see in her eyes, it's the tone of her voice, it's the pride with which she mentions her academy.
She is his Naina, there can be no doubt about it.
And yet… now she is Asha, and he needs to remember that.
And really, in so many ways she does represent all the hopes that he ever lost.
"Which academy did you pass out from, Sir?" Amiya asks him.
"Kanchanjunga Military Academy in Ambala." Aalekh says, unable to keep the pride out of his voice.
"It's the best academy in India." Asha says, almost automatically, and then looks surprised at herself.
"It definitely is," Aalekh agrees.
"I wanted to go there but my parents wouldn't allow me to," Asha tells him, "They preferred me to attend an academy closer to home."
At that moment Aalekh can't help but think her parents made the right decision. Because he wonders what Asha's reaction would have been the moment when she saw Shahid Naina Singh Ahluwalia's photo on the wall of fame, or the way everybody else would've reacted to her when she turned up.
"Well I'm sure that you've received a more than adequate training at Barrackpore," he assures them, "I've heard good things about both of your performances from your senior officers."
"Thank you very much, Sir," Asha tells him, and the fact that she calls him Sir… for a moment Aalekh can't respond. "I heard that there are some new soldiers arriving today, is that true?"
"It is," Aalekh confirms, "I haven't checked the list yet, but I believe we have about a hundred more transferring here today. I was actually just on my way to welcome them."
That is the exact moment when the vehicle which has been transferring the soldiers from the landing field arrives. The three of them turn to watch as the newest batch of soldiers climbs out, chatting amongst themselves.
And it is then that Aalekh spots a familiar figure, who waves cheerfully and hurries over.
He curses himself for not checking the transfer lists, but really, somebody should have told him, he should've been sent a message…
As a rather tall young man with a very open and honest face hurries over to join them, Aalekh realises that he hasn't spotted Asha yet, which is just as well.
Finally reaching them, he smiles warmly at Aalekh before reaching down to touch his feet.
"Nobody told me you were coming," Aalekh protests, "Couldn't your father or mother at least have sent me a message?"
"Actually I wanted it to be a surprise, Uncle Aalekh." The young man tells him, and it is then, that he finally notices both Asha and Amiya standing there, looking at him curiously.
And the moment that he sees Asha, he begins to stare at her, as if he's seen a ghost.
Aalekh realises that he has to do something to rescue the situation before it goes too far.
"It might be okay to call me Uncle Aalekh while you're off duty," he announces, giving a slightly pleading look as if to tell him not to say anything, "But remember that you're a soldier, and while on duty you should behave like one."
"Of course…" the young man murmurs, turning away from Asha despite the curiosity and shock which is now in his eyes.
Then he snaps to attention giving his best salute.
"Lieutenant Hussein Rajveer Ali Baig reporting for duty, Sir!"