For my sister | Negan |

18 - Walter

'Soon as we let go, he's out of here', one of the guys says.

'Just let him go, I can't work like this.'

Besides it's not like he'll get very far with a leg like that.

They still don't listen, and look at Simon for approval. Fortunately, he nods at them.

'Do as she says', he orders.

The men finally let him go and as they predicted, the patient shoots up, ready to bounce. But I'm prepared and before he can get off the table, I smack him right in the face.

I hate to hurt someone who's already suffering, but sometimes a harsh treatment is needed to draw a patient out of their hysteria. Of course, I never would have done this in an actual hospital, but desperate times...

Thank God, the slap seems to work. The man stops in his movement and looks at me with wide eyes. Finally, he's stopped screaming.

'I need you to lie back down', I tell him sternly. 'I know you don't want to lose your leg, but if we don't take it off, you will die. Do you want to die?'

For the first time, his eyes actually seem to focus. And they focus on me.

'No', he says with trembling lips. Sweat and blood are running down his face. Under all that grime it's hard to make out his features, but I think he's pretty young. And he's terrified. Of course he is.

I switch to a softer tone and put a hand on the young man's shoulder.

'Then you have to lie back down. We're going to save your life, but we're going to have to do it together. Okay?'

His eyes are blurry with tears. But he doesn't break down again. Shakily, he nods.

'Good', I say, offering him a smile as I squeeze his shoulder. 'Go on, lie down.'

In a daze, he does what I ask and lies back down. When I look up, I catch the guys that were holding him down looking at me. They seem reluctantly impressed.

'There's a pair of scissors behind you', I tell them. 'Grab them and cut his jeans off to clear the leg.'

While one of them starts to cut away the fabric, I rummage around the room to gather my materials. With a heavy heart, I grab the saw that I'm going to have to use to cut the leg. I look over at the patient and catch the panic in his face. I can't have him going hysterical again, so I decide to talk to him to distract him.

'What's your name?' I ask him while I grab supplies to clean the leg. We have to make sure where the bite marks stop to determine where to cut and it's impossible to see with all this blood.

'W- Walter', he says, trying to hold back his tears now.

'I'm Christina', I tell him. 'How old are you, Walter?'

'I'm 19', he says, trying to stay still while my newly appointed assistant cuts the jeans away from his injured leg.

'Just 19, huh?' I ask, running my fingers carefully over his leg. Fortunately, he doesn't seem to have any wounds above the knee. If I can cut below it, we might be able to create something for him that we can attach to his knee. That way, he might be able to walk again.

'You got any family here?' I ask him. 'Or is it just you?'

'My... my mom', he mutters.

I turn around to look at Simon, who's leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

'Can somebody get her? It might be good for him to have someone here.'

He raises his eyebrow and for a second I think he's gonna turn me down, but then he gestures to the guy who's currently not doing anything and he leaves the room to respond to the request.