Love In Mountains chapter 2

Faiz came out his car and rushed to the passenger side...

Faiz Malik (ML's frnd)

Come on, man! We're here..!!

Inside, Mir Zaroon Khan sat still while his back was firm and straight, the coat pressed against the bleeding gunshot wound on his shoulder...

Mir Zaroon Khan(ML)

He'll pay... In blood... (growled)

His jaw was clenched, eyes were dark and distant with rage..

He didn't groan or flinch. He was planning revenge.

Faiz Malik (ML's frnd)

Yeah yeah, kill him later. Let's keep you alive first, 'Pathan Rambo.' (rolled eyes)

Faiz Malik (ML's frnd)

Come on, let's go now.! (held his arm)

Mir Zaroon Khan(ML)

I don't need your help... (yanked his hand)

Faiz Malik (ML's frnd)

Cut the crap, Zaroon. You're half-dead, not heroic..!!

Mir Zaroon Khan(ML)

I don't need a damn doctor to take care of me, Faiz..!! What I need is for them to pay. After this... I'll make them wish they never crossed me...

Faiz Malik (ML's frnd)

Yaar, Kya musibat hai..!! 🤦🏻‍♂️ (Man, what a pain in the àss)

Faiz Malik (ML's frnd)

look..!! You're not invincible, Zaroon..! You're human! You need help, or you'll be dead before you get your revenge..!!

Mir Zaroon Khan(ML)

I'll survive. And I'll make them suffer... (gritting teeth)

Faiz Malik (ML's frnd)

Yar, Zaroon..! Can you just cool your Pathan blood for once? Being around you is driving me crazy..!! (stood straight with a defeated sigh)

Mir Zaroon Khan(ML)

Jani, Yeh garam khoon sirf Pathanon ki virasat hota hai… Tum Jesy daal-khoron ke bas ki baat nahi..!! (this fiery blood is exclusively a Pathan's legacy. It's not for lentil-eaters like you...!!)

Zaroon scoffed, despite the blood loss. His voice remained cold and full of anger.

Faiz Malik (ML's frnd)

Haan haan... tum khoon ke pyaase gosht-khor, ab chalo...!! 😒 (Yeah, yeah... you bloodthirsty carnivore, now come...)

Author

PS: Pathans call Punjabis "Daal-khor" (lentil eaters) as slang.. Because they think that Punjabis eat a lot of lentils, while Pathans always prefer meat over lentils or vegetables..

Faiz tried to support Zaroon, but there was a playful edge to his tone, trying to lighten the mood despite the seriousness of the situation...

Mir Zaroon Khan(ML)

Tch.. I don't need your support. I can still lift you up with one arm, Jani... (scoffed)

Zaroon chuckled darkly, even though his body was on the brink of collapse...

Faiz Malik (ML's frnd)

(Dragging Zaroon's towering frame out of the car)

Faiz practically hauled him into the hospital...

The glass doors slid open, revealing a chaotic emergency room, bustling even in the dead of night...

Faiz Malik (ML's frnd)

I hate hospitals... (scrunched nose)

The Phenol disinfectant smell, the sterile, fluorescent lights of the emergency room were making everything feel colder and more detached..

Mir Zaroon Khan(ML)

I told you, I don't need... Your.. Your help... (taking shaky breaths)

his shoulder was aching with every movement as Faiz was helping him to walk, but Zaroon being Zaroon, his ego was his uttermost priority...

Faiz Malik (ML's frnd)

don't worry, I won't tell anyone that I helped you walk... (smirked)

Faiz came to the reception, but the nurse merely spared them a gaze while typing on the keyboard, and her eyes were fixed on the computer screen..

Faiz Malik (ML's frnd)

Gunshot wound..!! it's an Emergency..!!

Nurse/Dr.

what is his name? (calmly typing on keyboard)

Mir Zaroon Khan(ML)

Get me a surgeon. Now...!! (sharp voice)

But the nurse didn't flinch, like she was used to such cold tones...

Nurse/Dr.

Sir, this is a medico-legal case. We have to inform the police...

Mir Zaroon Khan(ML)

What did you say? (whispered in husky tone with clenched jaw)

Nurse/Dr.

We'll have to follow the MLC protocol, mandatory legal and medical procedure... (calm tone)

Mir Zaroon Khan(ML)

(raised an eyebrow)

His patience was already thinning into rage...

Mir Zaroon Khan(ML)

What the hell is this MLC protocol? I need a damn surgeon, not a stack of paperwork..!! (growled with authority)

Nurse/Dr.

(gulped as felt a chill creeping down her spine under the weight of his gaze)

This man wasn't just injured, He was terrifying..

Faiz Malik (ML's frnd)

Zaroon, calm down, tum usay dara rahe ho...!! Ye tmhara Rohmaar nahi hai... yeh London hai...!! (Zaroon, calm down... you're scaring her...!! This is not your Rohmaar..!! it's London..!!) *whispered*

Nurse/Dr.

I.. I understand, Sir.. (stammered as trying to maintain composure)

Nurse/Dr.

But two surgeons are already in the OTs. It's New Year's Eve... we're short-staffed. I've paged the third—

Mir Zaroon Khan(ML)

I don't care who you paged..!! Call someone who knows how to stitch a bullet wound. I need to leave as fast as possible...!! (clenched jaw)

And just then—

Mir Zaroon Khan(ML)

(body swayed dangerously)

Faiz Malik (ML's frnd)

Zaroon..!! (quickly caught his arm)

Mir Zaroon Khan(ML)

(trying best to keep eyes open)

Faiz Malik (ML's frnd)

Idar betho, Yaar..!! (come, sit here, Dude)

Faiz guided him to sit on the nearest bench before he collapsed entirely...

Mir Zaroon Khan(ML)

I hate your sophisticated London, especially this NHS...!! (sat on chair with a growl)

NHS= national health service(UK)

Mir Zaroon Khan(ML)

Tumhe puray London may bas Yehe hospital milla tha?!! (And you got this hospital in Whole London?!!) *leaned head back*

In Pakistan, things would have been so much different. He could imagine his grandfather, Agha Jan, making a phone call to a well renowned surgeon, and within minutes, Zaroon would be in the operating room....

But here, in this cold, bureaucratic world, it felt like time was slipping away....

Faiz Malik (ML's frnd)

Yaar, London itna b bura ni hai..!! Han Yahan ka Medical protocol thora slow lgta hai, but organized hai... (Man, London's really not that bad...!! Yeah, the medical protocol here is a bit slow, but it's organized)

Mir Zaroon Khan(ML)

Stop praising your London and get me- (vision became blurry)

And then-

Mir Zaroon Khan(ML)

(collapsed on chairs)

Faiz Malik (ML's frnd)

Nurse...!! (panicked)

Nurse/Dr.

(pressed emergency button)

Within seconds, a team of nurses came near him, and started attaching IV lines...

Nurse/Dr.

(became worried when saw Zaroon's coat soaked with blood)

Faiz Malik (ML's frnd)

Where the hell is the surgeon?! (slammed hand on the counter)

Nurse/Dr.

Sir, I told you... two are in the OT, and I've paged the third—

Just then–

The glass doors whooshed open again...

And She walked in...

Author

In this story, I'll also be sharing my international experiences, along with cultural differences and the use of regional slangs to make the narrative more realistic and relatable...

Author

So, stay tuned...