Leave it to destiny

Thirteen. /To the rescue

Abhimanyu sprang in front of the man, holding the bamboo stick defensively in front of him. He lunged at the brute and hit him hard. The man held out his arm in defence. He knew not how long he could fight the man, the man was too big and burly. Breathing deeply he continued to attack the man.
He could hear Prakash fighting the driver behind him. They had managed to bring down two of the guards outside, the third man was lying injured on the floor in the hall.
He then saw his chance. His opponent staggered as he started tiring from Abhimanyu's repeated attack. Abhimanyu could see him flinching in pain. Thank God! Abhimanyu did not know how long he could keep attacking for he was tiring out too. He took his chance and hit the man hard on his head, for a few minutes there was no reaction, but then he saw him fall down in a dead faint. Abhimanyu turned at Maira's  startled shriek. He turned and to his horror saw Natwar Singh holding up a gun to Maira's head. He stood still as he saw the wild desperate look in the eyes of the man. He saw Prakash also standing still just across from him.
"Let her go!" His voice sounded so calm, belying his frayed nerves.
"No! Sign the Papers, and I will let you go. The revolver is fully loaded. I can kill all of you. So don't try anything smart."
Abhimanyu couldn't take his eyes off Maira, he felt so terrified, so scared.
"Hurry! Or I will shoot her first!"
"Sign the papers Sir! He called out, his mouth so dry, as he spoke. He looked into Bhawani Singhji's eyes. Seeing the understanding come in to his eyes, he calmed a bit. As Bhawani Singh moved towards the table, he came as near as he could to Natwar Lal, walking as though making for the papers on the table, he turned at the last minute and grasping for Natwar's arm tired to push it up, moving the gun away from Gauri
Abhimanyu lunged forward without a thought, trying to reach Natwar Lal. A shot rang, a few seconds later, A searing pain jolted his system as he fell to the floor. Another shot rang out, followed by a loud shrill shout. He looked up in a daze as Natwar Singh too fell to the floor, for a few seconds raw fear paralysed him as he thought that Natwar was about to shoot Maira, but then he saw that somehow Prakash had managed to reach the struggling men and and had taken the revolver from Natwar's hands. Maira came running to him. She sat down on the floor as she looked at his bleeding arm.
"It's alright! The bullet just passed through." Seeing her eyes bright with tears, he lifted his hand to wipe the wet cheeks.
Smiling in encouragement she tore off a stripe from her saree and tightly tied it around the wound.
"The pressure will help stop the flow of blood, but we need to get this wound treated." Abhimayu nodded, as he turned to look at Prakash.
"Tie him up although he's going nowhere now with that injury." Bhawani Singh looked at his oldest friend with regret, then shaking his head he walked over to the phone and dialed a nos. He talked for a few minutes with someone and then put the phone down. He looked at Prakash.. "are his too securely tied up?  Good!" He nodded. They dragged all the men to the center of the hall and Bhawani kept a look out as Prakash rechecked there ropes.
"The police will be here in a short while, while this young boy and I will handle the police, Maira you go home with abhimanyu and see to his injury." Bhawani Singhji look was enough for Maira to know that her father will be expecting a proper explaination later on.
"No! We will all go back together. It is a small wound, we can treat it later.
"Bhawani Singh looked at Abhimanyu, a tiny approval finally there. Hmmm.. maybe this boy ha the balls!!!  Half an later the police entered and rounded up the fallen men. Maira lent a hand as Abhimanyu slowly got up and leaning on her for support, they all left the abandoned bungalow as quickly as they had entered it.

"He should be fine. The bullet just passed his arm. No bone or artery is damaged. I have cleaned and stitched the wound. He should be fine after resting for a couple of days." Maira looked gratefully at the elderly man. The doctor had graciously attended Abhimanyu without questioning them. Looking at Prakash, she simply asked him to see off the good doctor and then turned to sit on a chair next to Abhimanyu, watching him slowly gain consciousness. Maira couldn't take her eyes off the man. Her heart was still thumping with fear of having almost lost him. She wished she could hold on to him, admit that she was madly, in love with him. She so wanted to kiss him, to feel his energy. How would she ever pay him back for saving her again and again. She was so lost in her thoughts that she hardly noticed as her father entered the room, followed closely by Prakash. She looked up startled as a palm came and gently pressed her shoulder.
She looked up at her father, and smiled, happy he was looking his old self again.
"Nanusa?"
"He is sleeping."
"Did you tell him."
"No, he has not been keeping too well, I think it is better if we don't tell him as yet. So are you going to introduce me to your friends or not." Something in his voice made her pause, but she continued.
"Baba this is my friend Chandra Prakash and of course Abhimanyu you already know."
"Thank you young man! I dont know how I shall ever get rid of the debt we owe you. I don't doubt my daughter's capabilities, and I don't know how you both ended up here in this mess, but we both would have been lost without you two. I must mention all this to your father. He will be proud. But I can't help wondering how you know each other. I am sure I never introduced you all to each other."
"Er..Thakur sa we actually did not know each other till two months ago when ." Abhimanyu looked at Maira. His eyes flaring for a brief few seconds. Her eyes held his with such intensity, she had to look away before she said something she would regret later.
"They met in Mandhara!" Kash chipped in. Maira kept looking down, her nerves still unsteady. "
"I think there is a lot that you have to tell me." He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, and the tense vibes were more than enough to warn him that there was a lot he knew naught about. As Maira slowly related all the events that had conspired during the last few months, he was surprised and impressed by the strength his daughter had shown, in the face of all advisories. He sat listening enthralled as she seem to be tell a story, a make belief one at that, but which he knew was true for he too had been a vital part of some of it. Right from when she realised that something was wrong, that her father might be missing, esaping from Suratgarh, to fing Sanctuary in Mandhara to  arriving in Bombay and stumbling into Natwar Lal's trap. She conveniently left out all the part concerning Abhimanyu and her, before Mandhara, for there was nothing to gain from that. No! father could know nothing about it.
"I was so grateful that Natwar uncle was home that I ignored the way he was behaving. When he said that he knew where you were, I did not stop to think, I simply followed him. It was when I steeped out and saw his Burly handy man that it all came to me. Thankfully I forgot to mention about Abhimanyu and Prakash waiting outside, or we would have never got away. Baba! Abhimanyu and Prakash have been true friends. They have saved me again and again."
"It seems we are in your debt..."
"Thakursa Maira is special and it has been our pleasure to help her out." Prakash flashed out a charming smile.
"Well! Although we have Natwarlal in hold, but the matter is far from over. For we still have to face Rana, and he is not a man to be easily subdued. No! The danger is far from over. I need to think! We don't have much time assuming Natwar let the Rana know our where abouts as soon as Maira came to him which was today morning. The Rana will not waste time and will have left by road from Suratgarh straight for Bombay. Knowing him farely well I know he will rush with his back up without any delay and he should be here by the day after tomorrow morning at the earliest. So we need to make a plan and prepare for all eventualities."
"Thakur sa if you permit Prakash and I would also like to help." Thakur Bhawani stood there looking at the injured young man. There was something that Maira and Abhimanyu were hiding from him, but he trusted Maira and he had brought up his daughter to take her own decisions. He would wait for her to come to him, and he had no doubt about  the sincerity of Abhimanyu's offer to help, the young man did want to help. He had taken a liking to the boy once he had started to know him during there many meetngs, although he had always felt that he was over obsessed about work. Well! he could do with all the help he could get at the moment. He nodded as he looked at Abhimanyu and Prakash.
"Then rest for now Abhimanyu. You need to get your strength back. We shall meet tomorrow morning and make a plan. Come Ameyaa. Let them rest." She wished she could refuse and stay to help. Abhimanyu! She could see the pain on his face, that he had been trying to hid. "I will get some food for you. You need to eat and then take your medicine before the infection sets in." She did not look at him, holding her herself somehow, she quietly got up and followed her father out of the room.