Chapter Four
It's fifteen more minutes before Captain Rajveer calls a halt, in the midst of a thick copse of trees at a slight height from the valley below.
"I want you all to keep a lookout while I get Naina's shoulder bandaged properly." He instructs the rest of them, "One person for each direction and alert me immediately if you see anything."
They spread out as Naina steps forward, unsure where she should place herself. Raj gestures to a rock and she seats herself as he begins digging through the bag, until he finds the first aid kit.
"Have this first." He tells her, handing over a painkiller and the bottle of water and Naina dutifully takes it. "Can you unbutton your uniform so that we can slip your jacket off your shoulder?"
Naina tries, but her hands are shaking with weakness and she can't manage to get the button through the hole. Noticing her difficulty, Raj kneels in front of her, gently removing her hands from the buttons before replacing them with his own. He works quickly, his hands never lingering, until they've all been undone. It would be intimate if not for the circumstances and Naina struggles to keep her breathing steady.
"We'll slip it off your uninjured shoulder first, that will make it easier to get your jacket away from the injury." He tells her, and Naina nods, bending the uninjured arm slightly so that he can slip her sleeve down and off.
"It might hurt when the fabric gets pulled away from the wound." Rajveer warns her, "We can't help it with the tape in place."
"I can handle it, Sir," Naina promises him, "Let's get this done as quickly as possible and move on."
"That's my brave Naina." Rajveer murmurs and Naina feels tears come to her eyes. He can have no idea what those words mean to her, when it's been so long since she's heard them.
"Are you ready?" Raj asks as he prepares to pull the jacket away and Naina nods. He removes it in one fluid movement and she pitches forward, biting back a groan at the pain of the fabric pulling away from the wound. Raj reaches out quickly to steady her and in a moment his arms are around her instead.
"Why did you do it, Naina?" He asks, as she rests her forehead against his shoulder, breathing in sharply for the pain. "You shouldn't have, not after everything."
"Because I still haven't lost my faith, Sir." The words come out almost as a sob, as tears come to Naina's eyes once more. "I will never lose my faith in you."
His arms tighten around her and then abruptly he lets go, turning back to the first aid kit as he blinks, one hand hastily scrubbing over his eyes.
He gathers the materials he needs and then turns back to her. "I'll wet the material first this time and then I'll need to pull it down to work properly."
"Do what you need to, Sir." Naina tells him and he sets to work. He pours disinfectant on the outside of the t-shirt first before pushing it down her shoulder so that he can see the entire wound.
"The bullet has exited, which is lucky. I'll clean and bind the wound but we really do need to get you help as soon as possible."
"I can last until the mission ends." Naina tells him, hissing as the disinfectant makes contact with the wound. "You won't need to worry about me until we're done."
Raj works quickly, applying pressure bandages to both the entry and exit points before he pulls her t-shirt back into place. As he packs up the kit once more, he empties a pack of electrolytes into one of the water bottles, instructing Naina to drink it.
She stands up, bottle in hand, intending to follow his instructions before she remembers her discarded jacket. It is hot outside right now, the sun beating down on them, but if they're still outside tonight she'll need it once the temperature turns cooler.
Having shouldered his backpack once more, Raj bends to pick up her jacket. Leaning forward, he passes it around her back before tying it around her waist. When he looks up once more, his face is close to Naina's, just a breath away really.
It is he that steps back then, ending the moment. "I'll call the others in, it's time we got going."
/
Half an hour later they've reached the point designated for Huda to meet them at, changed at the last minute so that Dr Ritu wouldn't know it.
Captain Rajveer asks them all to wait within the overgrowth while he collects their friend, and with a sigh, Naina slumps the moment he's left them. She is exhausted, struggling, and trying her best not to let him know.
"Can you do this, Naina?" Alekh asks her seriously, his voice kept low. "Can you get through it?"
"What choice do I have?" Naina asks, wiping the sweat away from her forehead. "There is no choice."
"You'll get to rest when we stop for the day, that should help." Alekh murmurs. "Catch some sleep until night falls when we have to move on."
Naina balks at this, shaking her head. "I can't sleep, Alekh, I can't. What if... I can't go to sleep."
He understands immediately, grabbing both of her hands in urgency.
"I slept last night, Naina! I woke up again!" Alekh tells her, his voice rising in his desperation to make her understand.
"What the hell does that have to do with anything, Chief?" Yudi asks, giving them a strange look.
"Naina needs to rest as soon as possible." Alekh replies, ignoring Yudi's question. "We need to look out for a place to stop until evening like Sir said."
"Keep your connection strong, Naina, we'll find a place for you to recharge soon." Pooja tells her. "I still can't believe how brave you were to push Rajveer Sir out of the way like that."
"I had to, Pooja." Naina responds tiredly, "She would've killed him, I had to stop her."
"But how did you..."
There is a rustling from the tall grass and they are all immediately alert, their weapons drawn and pointed.
Captain Rajveer steps through, his gaze immediately directed towards Naina, his worry increasing when he sees her current state.
He crosses the small clearing quickly, crouching in front of her to place a hand on her forehead, feeling the heat and the sheen of sweat. Almost as if he's unconscious of the action, his other hand moves to cup her jaw. Unable to help herself she leans into his touch, allowing herself to relax for a moment. "Hang in there, Naina. We'll find somewhere to rest soon. I promise I won't let anything happen to you."
"You never did," Naina mutters, her voice low as she brings up her uninjured hand to cover the one framing her face. "You always protected me until the very end."
It is this sight that Huda walks into the clearing to find, the Captain crouched in front of Naina, the way that she leans forward as if drawing strength from him. Something in him clenches, something dangerously like hurt.
"Phoolan! What happened to you?"
"I got shot, Huda." She tells him as Raj abruptly drops his hands as if realising for the first time how it might seem. "I'll be okay."
"You don't look okay." He frowns and she can't help but think how everything happened the first time, how he had stepped up to take responsibility when she had been too blinded by her hatred of Captain Rajveer to care.
"Let's go." Raj announces, and extends a hand towards Naina to help her stand. She takes it gladly, using his momentum to pull herself up.
As they leave the clearing, Huda falls into step beside Naina. "How did you get shot? Sir only had time to explain a little to me."
"Dr Ritu was going to kill Captain Rajveer, I pushed him out of the way and the bullet struck me."
"You took a bullet for the Captain?" Huda whistles low through his teeth before his expression changes. "I wonder if you would ever think of doing that for me."
"Really, Huda? That's your priority right now?" Naina shakes her head, wincing when it begins to pound even more. "When are you going to realise that all I've ever wanted to be is your friend and nothing else?"
She catches Alekh's eye who makes his way over, shouldering Huda out of the way. "Let me lean on you, Alekh."
A short nod and she places her uninjured arm around his shoulders as his goes around her waist. It's not the first time he's supported her like that, and she's had her own share of times helping him limp back to safety.
"And why couldn't you lean on me instead?" Huda asks, an odd mix of jealousy and hurt in his voice.
"Because you're not ready to let me lean on you without wanting something more from it." Naina snaps. "And I hope, Huda, I really do hope that one day soon you will be."
/
By the time Captain Rajveer has chosen a spot for them to hide until night falls, there is a sheen of perspiration across Naina's forehead and her steps are stumbling. It's lucky Alekh's grip has been tight around her waist or she might have fallen already.
Alekh has noticed the Captain's increasingly worried glances in their direction, his desperation to find a place they can rest.
"Put your packs down and grab some rest. We'll set watches of two people each, Huda and I will take the first one."
Huda nods seriously, grabbing up his rifle as Raj steps towards Naina. He lifts his hand to her forehead again, frowning when he feels it. "Give her another bottle of electrolytes and a pain killer, we need to keep her fever down."
Pooja prepares the bottle this time as Alekh piles their bags to create a comfortable backrest for Naina. She sinks against them with a sigh, her eyes drifting shut before she forces them open again.
"Sleep, Naina." Alekh tells her, his voice kept purposefully quiet this time. "I'll make sure you wake up here again."
Naina is still terrified of what might happen when she closes her eyes, but she can no longer resist the pull of sleep. A moment later they drift shut and Naina is oblivious to everything around her.
/
She wakes to the feeling of a gentle hand to her shoulder, Captain Rajveer crouching in front of her. It is darker now, almost night, and his face is covered by shadow. "On your feet, Naina. We need to get going."
She nods, woozy and disorientated, and tries to push herself up, almost falling back down. Raj grabs her arm to steady her and she clutches his in return, using his strength to help her up.
It might be dark, but Naina is still more than capable of recognising the look of fear on his features. "I'll be fine, Sir. I'm just a little weak. I can make it through to the end, you don't have to worry."
"I can't help but worry." Raj shakes his head, "I wish you hadn't done it, Naina. I would've happily sacrificed myself if you could have killed or captured Dr Mishra without injury as a result."
"But I wouldn't have sacrificed you." Naina argues back, wanting him to understand. "Not for this, not for anything."
"But your brother..."
"My brother loved you." Naina's voice breaks with the effort of containing her emotions. "You were his truest friend, the only one he could trust with a request like that. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life but I know now... I understand... that I can't hate you for that."
"I never thought you would understand." Raj's voice is little more than a whisper, purposefully quiet so the others won't hurt them. "I expected you to hate me."
"I would've once," Naina sighs, struggling with how to tell him without revealing what has happened to her. "But I'm not that girl anymore."
Belatedly she realises that she's still holding onto his arm, that he is still clutching hers. Naina drops her arm, taking a step back. She realises that the temperate has dropped, goose bumps on her arms from the chill, and reaches down to untie the jacket around her waist.
"Here, let me help you." Raj is all haste to do so as Naina hands it over, straightening out the clothing and helping her to slip her injured arm in first and then the second one. That done, he steps forward to do up her buttons, working quickly.
To the left, Naina sees Pooja watching them, a strangely thoughtful look on her face. "Sir, you don't have to..."
"It's done." He steps back, picking up his rifle and pack from where he had left them. "I'll need to lead the way, make sure you take support from the other cadets for the journey.
He turns from her then, checking on the others preparations to ensure they're ready to go.
"Here dost, you can lean on me for awhile." Pooja tells Naina kindly, "I might not be able to support you for as long as Alekh can but I'll take my turn. We'll all make it through together."
"That's it, Pooja, that's exactly it." Naina responds emotionally. "That is the only way we can all make it through."
A/N: A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed, it means a lot to me! I have just finished writing chapter 15 so am hoping I can keep posting regularly without running out of chapters to post if I keep putting them up every 3 days or so!