“You will live.”
Amaal knows everything. Let me go.
Shock choked him, and gave him relief.
42. There has been an explosion at the CM’s Residence…
“There has been an explosion at the CM’s Residence. Iram’s car was wired, everybody else is safe but Samar Bhai was in it. He may not make it, but we need the government to maintain status quo on any and all stateme…”
Amaal stopped walking.
“Samar…” words left her mouth. “Samar you said… Samar Dixit? Our Samar…”
“Yes.” Fahad’s voice was urgent, robotic. “Amaal, hold all press statements and issue from the CMO that the All-Party Meeting stands cancelled…”
‘Where is he?!!!” She yelled, breaking into a run.
“Amaal, first we need to…”
Stairs, floors, atriums, Secretariat compound, she ran.
“WHERE IS HE?!”
“They just took him to SMHS. It’s not good. Have your people prepare two statements, I am getting started on the worst-case scenario as well…”
Her heart was heated. She couldn’t keep up. She kept running. Car! Car! Her car! She ran out of the building and down the road. Auto, bus, anything. She began running. Mobile in hand, she kept running, turning corners and streets, in search of something, anything that would take her. Another corner and the main road. She panted, running, holding her arm out.
“Auto!!!”
One stopped, she pushed in. “SMHS Hospital.”
She stared straight at her reflection in his round mirror. Blue eyes, unable to blink. Hand, frozen on her phone at her chest. Phone, ringing. She loosened her hold on it, finger by finger, and it fell in her lap. Still ringing.
Money. She did not have money. She had left her coffee halfway finished at her desk. She had also left Atharva’s post-meeting statement on her desk. He would need it. There was no soft version available. She had hammered it out on paper and printed it. What would he do without it? Should she ask Iram to write it for him? But she was pregnant, about to give birth. Should she ask Fahad to pick it up from the Media Room? But they wouldn’t let him in without clearance.
“Madam.”
Amaal startled.
“SMHS.”
She gaped at the hospital building in her periphery.
“Paise…” she raved. “Paise… main ek minute lakar deti hoon aapko…[133]”
“Koi baat nahi, aap jaaiye.[134]”
“Nahi, nahi, aise kaise, main lakar deti hoon aapko. Andar Samar hoga, main usse lekar deti hoon aaapko, ek minute Bhaijaan, huh? Ek minute. Main abhi aati hoon, aap kahin mat jaana,” she got off. “Please, yahi rukna, main Samar se lekar aati hoon, uske paas honge… huh?[135]”
He nodded.
“Yahi rukna huh…” She turned and ran through the gates, through the entrance, through the reception. The Emergency entrance was crowded with… Z+ security. Atharva’s security.
“CM?” She yelled at Tamas. He was Altaf’s second-in-command. He had just joked with her this morning about boring duty this week.
“First floor, Madam.”
Amaal turned, and her steps slowed. She had to pay the auto driver. Tamas could do it. But she would take Samar’s money only. He was supposed to pay if she made a goof-up like this. His wallet was intact, no? His mobile…
