For my sister | Negan |

29 - All excited

When we're finally done, Myeong, Cal and I step out of the doctor's office to give the two patients in there a chance to rest. They're both stable, against all odds, and despite feeling a bit uncomfortable after my talk with Ella, I'm pretty proud of myself.

'I'd say we did pretty well, didn't we?' I ask the others as we walk into the hall a bit so the patients can't hear us. Cal ordered another guard to stay in the room so she can alert us if anything changes while we get some rest and some food in our stomachs.

'You did great, doc', Cal says, offering me one of his rare smiles. 'Guess B was right when she said you weren't a complete waste of space.'

'Thanks, asshole', I say, smacking his shoulder.

'I don't know about you guys, but I'm about to pass out if I don't eat something soon', Myeong says, grabbing her stomach dramatically. 'Head down to lunch?'

'Maybe take a second to change into something else', Cal says, looking over my bloodsoaked clothes. He doesn't look much better himself and Myeong looks just as bad as me. Maybe that's not a crazy idea.

'Wouldn't want to ruin anyones appetite', I smirk, starting to make my way to my room.

But just before we round the corner, someone else comes from the other way. Negan doesn't seem to notice us right away, his mind clearly elsewhere. But when his eyes do land on us, we all sink to the floor, even though my back's about to give in.

Negan takes a moment to stop in front of us, so I find myself staring at his knees.

'Heard you did a good job, doc', he says appreciatively. 'Thank you.'

'I had some help', I say, craning my neck to look up at him. He offers me a tired smile when I meet his eyes. Of course, his sleep must have gotten interrupted too.

'Well, then thank you too', he says to the others, though he doesn't take his eyes away from me. 'You should get some rest. It's been a long night.'

Then he moves away and starts to continue his way to his room. But an idea pops into my mind. I promised Ella I'd try to talk to him about Sasha and I might not get another chance. Who knows what he'll do to her and when he'll do it.

'Actually, Negan, can I talk to you for a moment?'

He looks up in surprise when I get up from the floor without his permission. To be honest, I didn't think about it in my eagerness to talk to him. I stand there awkwardly for a moment, trying to decide whether I should get back down or stand my ground, but figure he'll probably just order me to get back down if that's what he wants. Fortunately, he doesn't.

'Sure', he says, already turning around. 'Follow me.'

'I'll catch you later', I tell Cal and Myeong quickly before I follow him. I can hear Cal starting a short protest.

'Chris, what are you going to-'

But I don't stop to listen. I'm feeling a little weird. Exhilarated. Honestly, nothing compares to the feeling of a broken body beneath your hands and actually being able to heal it. Right now, I don't feel afraid to talk to Negan. After everything I did last night, this will be a piece of cake.

'Impressive to see you still on your feet, doc', Negan says, looking me up and down as he pushes his door open. 'And you don't look tired at all.'

'Well, I am', I admit, darting into the room. 'But, I don't know, I feel pretty fired up too. It was kinda like being back at the hospital.'

'Cute to see you all excited', he says, smiling at me as he plunges down onto his couch. Then he rubs his hand over his face and closes his eyes while he lets his head drop back.