Too Good to be Bad | Negan |

24 - I can't stay here

When I wake up, I panic. I look around wildly to find Ramon. Is he coming for me? Then I notice that I can't lift my arm. I pull at it again, but it's stuck. I don't understand and I try to get up, but a man comes over and he pushes me back down. My other hand is free so I use it to hit at him wildly and I start to scream.

'Hey, hey, hey, you gotta calm down.'

Slowly I start to register who's hovering above me.

'Alex?' I ask and I start to cry.

I stop hitting him and he gets on his knees next to the bed. He caresses my face, making shushing noises to calm me down.

'It's okay, Lara, it's okay', he says. 'Don't move, you'll break your stitches.'

'Where am I?' I ask. 'Why can't I move my arm?'

I pull at it again, but it won't butch. I hear a clinking noise as I move.

'You have to stay still, Lara', Alex says, pushing me back again when I try to lift my head to see what's wrong with my arm. 'Give me the damn key', he says to someone behind him, holding out his hand.

I look behind him and notice two other men in the room. The doctor walks over to put something in Alex's hand and Negan stands behind Alex with his arms crossed. He looks down at me with a worried expression. When he sees me looking at him, he tries to wipe the worry from his face and smiles at me.

Alex gets up and bends over me. I try to see what he's doing but I can't without lifting my head and it hurts to move. He lifts my arm and I hear rattling again. Something feels cool against my wrist. I think I get it now. They chained me to the bed.

'We'll have to put them on again when she falls asleep', the doctor says.

'She's awake now', Alex says shortly.

I'm breathing hard and I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. Things are starting to make sense, but the panic doesn't leave me. I'm in the doctor's office, Derek must have gotten me help. But I can still see Ramon's face in front of me, his knife against my throat.

'Where is he?' I ask no one in particular.

It's Negan who answers.

'He's gone', he says, stepping forward, closer to the bed. 'He can't hurt you.'

'Dead?' I ask weakly.

Negan nods. He stands beside Alex, who shoots him an angry glance. I follow Negan with my eyes as he crouches down beside me and reaches his hand out to me to wipe some of the tears away.

'How are you feeling?' he asks softly.

'Like shit', I answer in a croaked voice. He smiles shortly but his eyes still look worried.

'You're gonna act like you care about her now?'

Negan's eyes don't leave me, but he responds to Alex in a low voice.

'Careful now.'

'You said we'd be safe here. You said you don't allow shit like this. But first you make her sleep with you and then you let her get attacked by a fucking psychopath in the hallway?'

I can hear the anger in his voice. He shouldn't talk to Negan like that, but I don't find the strength to tell him. Negan's hand leaves my face and he gets up slowly to face Alex. I move my head to watch the two men looming over my bed.

'You got anything you need to get off your chest, pal?'

Alex looks furious. I can see now that his eyes are red. He's been crying.