Winning Pursuit ✔

|| 26: Knocked & Trapped ||

Bhumika

For a moment, everything around her blurred. Her grip tightened on her phone as her mind struggled to absorb the shock. The MPV—they had acted already. She could feel the cold grip of fear tightening around her chest.

She dialled the officer on the ground immediately, her voice barely holding together. "What's the situation? Where is Daksh?"

The officer's voice came through, crackling with the sound of police sirens in the background. "Ma'am, it's bad. The MPV hit his car and fled. We've split our units—half are pursuing the MPV, and the other half is with Daksh."

Bhumika closed her eyes for a moment, steadying herself. "Is he—how's Daksh? Is he conscious?"

"He's conscious, ma'am," the officer responded quickly. "He's hurt, but he's alive. We've got medics on the way."

A rush of relief flooded through her at the news that Daksh was still alive, but it was fleeting. The MPV was still out there, and the situation was spiralling faster than she could control.

"Stay with him," Bhumika ordered, her voice sharper now. "Keep me updated on his condition."

She disconnected the call and turned to Bhasin, who had been standing nearby, watching her intently. His expression mirrored the concern that she could barely keep off her own face.

"Half of our units are tailing the MPV," she said, her voice steadying as she slipped into command mode. "We need to pin down that vehicle. I want Dilip in custody immediately."

Bhasin nodded, already giving orders to the officers under him. "We'll catch them. I've got two more units heading to support the chase."

As the room buzzed with activity, Bhumika's mind was torn between relief and anger. Daksh was hurt, but he was alive. Yet the MPV had escaped, and the person behind the attack—Dilip—was still out there. And now, more than ever, she needed answers.

She couldn't stop the flood of emotions that surged through her. Daksh had become more than just a person linked to the case; he had become a part of her life. The thought of losing him had shaken her in ways she hadn't anticipated.

As she moved toward the exit, she glanced at Bhasin, her voice firm. "I'm heading to the scene. Keep me posted on the MPV's location."

Bhasin nodded. "We'll update you as soon as we have anything."

*--*-*-*-*-*-*

The scene was chaotic as Bhumika arrived at the intersection where Daksh's car had been hit. Blue and red lights flashed through the darkness, illuminating the wreckage of Daksh's vehicle. Officers moved around, securing the area, while paramedics tended to Daksh.

Bhumika pushed through the crowd, her heart pounding as she saw Daksh sitting on a stretcher, blood trickling down the side of his face. He looked battered but alert, his hand pressing against his ribs as the paramedics tried to assess his injuries.

"Daksh!" Bhumika's voice broke as she called out, her eyes locked on him. Relief surged through her when she saw him grimace in pain—he was hurt, but he was alive. That was, at that moment, enough.

Daksh turned his head slowly, wincing as he did, and when their eyes met, a small smile tugged at his lips despite the discomfort. "Bhumika... Hey... didn't think I'd need rescuing tonight."

She rushed to his side. "How are you?" she asked, her heart, a drumbeat to her ears.

He chuckled, though it quickly turned into a wince as his hand instinctively went to his ribs. "Okay might be a stretch... but I've been through worse."

Bhumika scanned him, noting the cuts on his forehead, his bruised arm, and the way he clutched his side. The paramedics were tending to him, checking his vitals and stabilizing his injuries, but her focus remained solely on Daksh.

"You're going to be fine, Daksh. It's not too bad, right?" Her voice was calm, but her eyes betrayed the worry she tried to mask.

Daksh exhaled sharply. "Just some bruises, maybe a cracked rib... Nothing too serious. I'll be back on the field in no time."

Despite his words, the strain on his face told her it was more painful than he let on. Bhumika's heart clenched. He was trying to stay strong but she knew he was hurt more than he let on.

"I'm sorry," Bhumika said quietly. "I should have worked on it sooner." She shook her head, avoided eye contact.

"No, don't be."

"You should've pulled over sooner," she said a while later, her voice trembling slightly, the intensity of her worry leaking through. "I was trying to call you."

"I... I tried," he admitted, his hand brushing lightly against hers. "Phone slipped... couldn't reach it. Thought I could make it to the station, but the MPV got me at the light." 

A short silence later. "Thank God it was just an MPV and not anything bigger," he said like an afterthought.

Bhumika's jaw tightened, her fingers curling around his hand, careful not to aggravate his injuries. "You're lucky, Daksh. It could've been much worse."

He gave a weak nod, the pain making his movements slow. "Yeah... guess I'm tougher than I thought."

She smiled faintly, but her mind was already racing with thoughts of who was responsible for this and why. "We'll figure out who did this, I promise. But right now, you need to focus on getting better."

"Just a few weeks in the hospital, right?" Daksh joked, though his voice was strained. "Think you can handle that much time without me?"

Bhumika's lips curved into a smile despite the heaviness in her chest. "I think I'll manage. But I need you to promise you'll take care of yourself."

He gave her a long look, the pain in his eyes momentarily softening. "I will. And you... don't get too caught up in this. I know you. You'll burn yourself out."

Her hand tightened around his as the paramedics began to lift the stretcher. "You just focus on healing, Daksh. I'll handle the rest."

He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it faded into a wince as the paramedics shifted him. "Bhumika... be careful."

Her heart pounded as she watched the paramedics prepare to wheel him to the waiting ambulance. She hated this—the uncertainty, the fear of not knowing how close she had come to losing him. But she couldn't let him see her fear.

"I will," she promised, stepping back as they loaded him into the ambulance. "I'll see you at the hospital later."

Daksh nodded weakly before the doors of the ambulance closed, leaving Bhumika standing in the chaos of the scene, her mind already churning with questions.

*-*-*-*-*

Officers on Pursuit

Meanwhile, the other half of Bhumika's officers were locked in pursuit of the fleeing, wrecked MPV. The black vehicle weaved through the city streets at breakneck speed, trying to evade the police. Sirens blared as the officers closed in, their headlights flashing as they gave chase.

"This is Unit Three," one of the officers reported over the comms. "We have eyes on the MPV. We're maintaining pursuit, requesting backup at the next intersection."

The MPV sped down a narrow street, its driver making sharp, dangerous turns in an attempt to shake off the officers. But the police were closing in, the gap between them narrowing with every second.

"We're not letting them get away," the officer muttered under his breath, his hands gripping the wheel tightly.

The chase continued, the tension mounting as the MPV darted through traffic, its taillights disappearing into the night.

*-*-*-*-*

Hey! I'll never let anything serious happen to our protagonist. Although I wanted to... 

Anyway, how was the chapter?

Hope you like it.

Until next update, cheers.

Deva