“Eh, it’s just a scratch. The bullet grazed my arm, that’s all. You can patch me up at the sanctuary.”
He let out a loud snort.
“If you think Meher is going to allow anyone else to patch you up, you’ve got another think coming, boy,” he said drolly.
Damn it! I had just chased down the man who tried to shoot his daughter. In an open jungle, no less. And all I got was ‘boy’.
“And just because you saved her life, don’t think you’re in the clear already,” he went on. “I remember how you broke my daughter’s heart, and I’m going to watch you like a hawk, boy. You’re not getting anywhere near my daughter this time. Let her patch you up to ease her guilt, and then you take your adorable little niece and get out of my home.”
“With all due respect, sir,” I replied coldly. “It was your daughter who broke my heart. And no matter what, I’m not leaving until the police catch the mastermind behind this shooting.”
“Hmph,” said the old man, and drove over a pile of rocks in the middle of the lane. As my arm banged into the side of the jeep, I winced in pain, and I could have sworn the old goat did it on purpose. Because he did it again, and then a third time.
Meher was pacing in the compound of the sanctuary when we drove up. The police team was already waiting, and they bundled the sniper into their jeep and drove off after they promised to keep us updated. The bleeding in my arm had stopped after I had ripped off the cleanest part of my shirt to press it against the wound, but Meher turned white at the sight of my blood-soaked clothes.
“It’s just a graze,” I said loudly because she looked as if she was about to faint.
“Don’t yell at me, you idiot,” she yelled. “How dare you risk your life for one poacher?”
“I didn’t risk anything. I knew what I was doing. And he tried to kill you, Meher. What the hell was I supposed to let him do?”
“Stop arguing and get out of those dirty clothes now,” she ordered, as she examined the wound. “This doesn’t look so bad. I’ll bring the medicine box up to your room and patch you up.Do you need one of the guys to carry you up to your room in case you’re woozy from the blood loss, He-Man?”
I really didn’t deserve this, I thought viciously, as I stomped up the stairs. This was the thanks I got for saving her life.
Shivina met me on the stairs and gasped at the sight of the blood.
“It’s just a graze,” I said curtly. “And I’m completely fine, despite what that madwoman downstairs tells everyone.”
She hid a smile and went on her way. I threw my dirty clothes in the laundry basket and threw on a clean t-shirt and a pair of shorts before I went next door to check on Navya. She’d had her dinner and was fast asleep, completely oblivious to the drama that had unfolded outside. I returned to my room and waited for the inevitable.
There was a sharp rap on the door, and Meher walked into the room with a big box marked first-aid.
“Is this a sanctuary or a war zone?” I quipped, and she ignored me as she pulled out her gear.
I swear the woman had the bedside manner of a hungry grizzly bear. I tried not to wince as she poured peroxide over my wound before she cleaned it thoroughly.
“It’s okay to cry,” she said snidely when she saw my face.
“My therapist tells me that every day,” I retorted, with a toothy smile. “Just get on with it, Dr Doom.”
She slapped some ointment and a clean bandage over the wound and packed everything away in her big box of marvels.
After she was done, she turned to leave, but I gripped her by the waist and set her on the wide bathroom counter.
“What are you doing?” she yelped.
“Checking that you’re okay,” I said softly. “You were just shot at, Meher. It’s okay to be frightened.”
“I’m not frightened,” she said, sounding extremely offended. “I am furious. That motherfucker hurt you!”
I burst out laughing.
“It’s not funny, Samrat. A bullet wound is not a joke,” she snarled.
In response, I pulled off my t-shirt and showed her my torso, which was puckered with scars.
Meher gasped in horror and reached out a trembling hand. She paused before she touched me and looked embarrassed.
