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.

The only woman who refused to go inside was Khushi but that was understandable – she was way too worried to leave her husband's side. Akash promised to keep her in the house and Javed went to retrieve Anjali from the terrace.

…

He heard her crying the moment he entered the terrace. Javed almost fallen to his knees by her side, worried sick that she somehow got injured while he was tending to Arnav.

- Anjali, what has happen? Are you hurt? Were you shot?

She swallowed loudly trying to calm herself enough to answer:

- Ch-ch-chote… how is he?

Javed tried to joke:

- Bickering with Khushi downstairs about the cost of the French window. If you calm down you'd probably hear him murmuring expletives even though I'd told him to shut up…

It worked a little – Anjali offered Javed a weak smile and tried to stand up… but sighted in pain and fallen back to the floor.

- What is it, Anjali? Is it your leg?

She nodded:

- Yes, it hurts badly… I probably sat on it for too long.

- It's ok, Anjali, I can carry you. But first…

Javed took of his jacket – it was dark and long, it would cover Anjali enough to make her a less visible target if the shooter was still out there. Sure, Javed was left in a white shirt but he was hoping he wasn't the prime target… and probably the shooter has already left anyways since sirens announced the arrival of an ambulance and police.

Javed carefully placed his jacket over Anjali's shoulders and slowly picked her up. A wild thought has crossed Javed's mind – it was the first time he'd held Anjali in his arms… but it was not the time to be romantic, it was a time to be gentle and protective.

Javed tried to move steady not to cause her more trouble but it was hard – his own body was screaming of exhaustion and pain. So he'd clenched his teeth, fixed his shoulders and kept moving to the safety of the dark house.

…

- Well, , you are lucky – it's a flesh wound, nothing to worry about...

Arnav nodded along with this assessment but Khushi was still fidgeting and bombarding the medical team with questions:

- What medicine does he need? What should I give him to eat? When will you come back for a check-up? What are the possible complications?

who examined Arnav and applied his temporary bandage smiled:

- Mrs. Raizada, I'll answer these and all the other questions when we will get to the hospital – Mr. Raizada is fine but he still needs stiches to speed up his full recovery. But I promise you – he will be up and running in now time!

Khushi exclaimed horrified "Stiches!" and ran up to collect all the things Arnav would need for a visit to the hospital. The doctor turned around inquiring:

- Does anybody else need medical attention here?

- Yes, doctor, Anjali-ji does, - came Javed's voice and when everybody turned to the sound of it they saw Javed descending the stairs holding Anjali in his arms. Arnav couldn't help but raise an eyebrow to this cozy picture even though he knew situation called for it.

Anjali protested meekly:

- It's no big deal, it's probably just the cramps, it will pass.

Javed made a "hmmm" noise and carefully placed his precious load on a couch next to the one where Arnav was laying. greeted Anjali warmly and passed few instructions to his assistant who went on to massage Anjali's leg with some cream. Doctor turned to Javed who immediately requested him to address his full attention to Anjali's needs – to which doctor disagreed:

- Anjali-ji is well taken care off, and you seem like you need my help much more than her anyways! So sit down, young man, and stop commanding me how to do my job!

This harsh comment got everybody's attention once again and they finally saw what was referring to – Javed's shirt was hanging in tatters and covered in blood.

Javed stepped back and tried to wave it off:

- It's probably Arnav's blood…

- No, Javed, it's too evenly spread… Get down here and take off these rugs!

Javed may have been a strong, even fierce man… but when it came to doctor's commands his childhood instincts to obey kicked in and he dropped himself to a chair next to .

What's left of his shirt was cut off with scissors and it became obvious that blood was, after all, Javed's – he was covered in cuts and bruises, and the blood was already drying in dirty smidges all over his upper body.

asked:

- I'm assuming this damage is to be attributed to the missing glass wall you have had over there?

Javed tried to shrug nonchalantly but accidentally let out a moan of pain – he was indeed very hurt, more than he'd realized himself. Instead of shrugging he opted out for a wink towards Arnav:

- I guess, bhai, I'm tagging along for your ride to the hospital. Shotgun?

waved his head and murmured something like "boys will be boys". He covered Javed with bandages, told him to sit still and went away to check on the rest of the family.

Javed leaned back, closed his eyes and said:

- So much fuss over my parents' arrival… Bhai, remind me never to invite them again!

- You are an idiot, Jev! – Arnav answered in hushed voice.

- And that's why you love me, bhai…

…

- What the..? Javed-ji, what has happened to you while I was gone? – Khushi flew to the common room with a bag of Arnav's necessities and noticed Javed covered in white patches of bandage.

- Well, my dear Khushi-ji, I'm afraid I became a target for very ill-mannered game of darts for these unkind gentlemen, - Javed encompassed Arnav, Akash and NK with a wide hand motion, - and now I'm in a tremendous deal of… hunger for your jalebis. Will you be so kind to bring some for us? It could be a life-saving mercy on your side, you know…

Khushi was not amused with his light-heartedness:

- Javed-ji, I'm serious here! – but she'd still took out a dabba box from the bag and passed it to Javed with a wink, - What happened? How did it happen? When did it happen?

Javed was finishing his third jalebi when he finally got a second to interject with an answer:

- I think, when Arnav fell to the floor shielding you, the shooter decided that his best chance to do some damage was to bring the glass wall on your heads…

Khushi commented looking over her dirty but otherwise not damaged blouse:

- But how did it miss us?

Arnav answered her while looking at Javed intently:

- Because this idiot has already jumped from the second floor and used his back to absorb the glass… Seriously, man, what were you thinking? You could've gotten yourself killed in my place!

Arnav was screaming at Javed who looked almost bored:

- But I didn't! Oh, c'mon, Arnav, was I supposed to let YOU get killed?

- JAVED!

Javed set straight seeing how Arnav was getting seriously hyped… and approached this question with sincerity:

- Honestly, bhai, I wasn't thinking, hadn't had any time to. I'm sorry I got everybody worrying, won't happened again.

Akash who was silent before listening to the conversation chuckled:

- You hear, bhai, Jev is apologizing!

Arnav nodded and addressed Javed again:

- Because he is an idiot! But… seriously though… thank you, bhai.

Arnav tried to sit up and stretch out his hand – Jev's hand met him half-way:

- Don't mention, bhai, I know you'd do the same for me.

…

came back with two people caring stretchers. Arnav tried to protest but Khushi had convinced him to follow the doctor's rules and so he was carried out of the house. When Jev stood up to follow him – on his own two feet – he felt the lightest touch to his elbow. He turned around to see Anjali – and only that moment Javed realized she was silent from the moment they entered the room. That was understandable considering the shock of today's events – still he worried:

- How are you, Anjali? How's your leg? Should we ask for some pills to calm your nerves?

She shook her head:

- No, I'm fine. Can I go with you? To the hospital?

Javed was surprised:

- Don't you want to rest? You've been through so much today…

- Haven't you? – it was a rhetorical question so she didn't wait for him to answer and continued, - Can I go? Please?

- Sure, my lady, whatever pleases you…

And he bowed a little letting her go ahead of him. He thought it was better not to argue on this – anyways Anjali won't rest until she will be sure that Arnav is ok.

…

Sure, Anjali was worried for Chote. And she was in shock. And her leg hurt.

But also… Javed saved her brother's and Khushi's life today. Protected them with what could've been the cost of his life. Got injured badly – and still carried her through entire house to the doctor and insisted she'd be examined first.

Today he was a hero. But "hero" is always too good to be true…