“We are staying.” He took a quick look at Atharva. Safe. Then turned and did what he was always supposed to do in emergencies like these. He ran to the medics tent.
————————————————————
“Cotton!” A paramedic was screaming in the tent. Samar grabbed a roll and threw it her way, accepting the hand of an injured man and guiding him to the only available surface — a table. All thoughts, all feelings, all pros and cons, ifs and buts silenced inside him as he got to work on the only neutral part of his life. Medicine.
It was a blur of bloodied hands and cleansing water, pressed cotton pads and gauze, emergency aid and ORS drinks. Time passed without him even realising. As the emergency exits cleared, the chaos inside the tent went controlled. The clamour of injured patients became softer.
Samar looked up from setting a broken arm in a makeshift sling and found there was space to see outside the tent for the first time between bodies. The young college student crying in front of him hugged her arm closer as he finished, getting to his feet.
“It will need an X-ray and a plaster,” he informed her. “Go to your doctor immediately after this.”
She whimpered, pushing her tears away and looking up at him. Samar staggered with the intensity of her beady blue eyes. They were liquid, dark, unlike the cerulean ones he knew. And yet she smiled at him through her tears like he hoped Amaal would one day. Samar didn't know where that thought came from, but he hoped he would be able to see her smile after crying one day. It was a strange thought. He snapped out of it and forced himself to return her smile.
“Taken headcount?” He asked the KDP volunteer stationed outside the tent.
“Seventy-one till now.”
“Any deaths reported?”
“I don’t have any updates.”
“Hmm.” Samar patted his back and moved down the now calmer ground. People were still rushing around, mostly towards the exits, but there was no panic like in the earlier minutes. Atharva was at the far end of the stage, speaking to a horde of reporters, mics in his face. Samar marched to him just as he stepped back.
He caught Atharva’s shoulder and pulled him towards a quiet opening. “Has the bleeding stopped?”
This time Atharva obediently tipped his head back — “Check.”
Samar held his forehead and shone his torchlight in, seeing the skin around his nose stained red with how he had been rubbing the blood off.
“It’s drying. You have a handkerchief?”
Atharva pressed one into his hand. He was the only grandfather who still carried those.
Samar pressed the fabric into his nostrils and held his head back.
“Leave, I am feeling dizzy.”
“Wait.”
Samar checked the white fabric. Splotches of dark red, not bright. Atharva suddenly pushed his hand off his forehead and broke into a run. Samar whirled and saw him sprinting towards the barricade between the inner stage and the audience. A policeman was physically restraining Iram. The fuck!
Samar ran behind him, seeing it happen like a nightmare. Iram was let go, Atharva and the Inspector exchanged words, and before he could reach there, Atharva had struck the Inspector so hard that he fell to the ground. The constables were on Atharva, hacking him back.
“What happened?” Qureshi caught up with him, and they reached in time to penetrate the cameras and mobile phones. The damage was done.
————————————————————
“It’s over all major news channels.” Fahad set his iPad down on the conference table. The hotel’s Business Centre had powerful ACs, but the chill in the room was because of a whole different reason. “Eclipsed even Sheikh Mohsin’s accident news.”
All eyes fell to the video clip. Samar had seen it live, so he kept his gaze steady on Atharva. No emotions on Captain Kaul. Not even remorse.
“The Inspector has not filed an FIR,” Qureshi informed.
“Congratulations.” Samar bit out, not taking his eyes off Atharva.
“Let’s take a step back and calm down, everyone,” Qureshi reasoned. “Our rally was bombed tonight, our primary opponent is dead in a mysterious car crash, and our Party President was caught brawling with a Police Inspector. It’s rock bottom. Here’s what I want you all to do — sleep. I will work on this with Amaal tonight.”
“I will speak to Amaal…” Atharva began.
