For my sister | Negan |

24 - Professional

'Ah, you're still alive', Cal greets me when my other guard drops me off at the doctor's office.

'Very much so', I say, posing in the doorway for a moment to emphasize the point. Cal sniggers and shakes his head.

'So, no reason to be so nervous after all? He didn't try to kill you?'

'Nope', I say, plunging down onto my chair while I stifle a yawn. I may have gone to bed early, but I didn't get much sleep last night. I was too busy thinking about everything.

'He just wanted to thank me', I tell Cal. I assumed he'd ask questions about last night and fortunately I'm more prepared to talk about it now than I was last night with Ella. 'For all my hard work and dedication.'

'Well, would ya look at that', Cal says, pulling an exaggeratedly impressed face.

'Yes, best doctor to ever grace the halls of the Sanctuary, his words were', I say with a straight face. 'In fact, best doctor he'd ever encountered in his life. Can you believe it?'

'In a heartbeat', he says sarcastically. 'So, if he's that happy with you, I guess I won't be needed here much longer.'

'We didn't talk about that', I say, feeling some anxiety rise up again at the subject. I desperately want to talk to Negan about getting rid of the guards, but I'm not sure how to bring it up. And I'm worried I made everything more complicated last night. He might be expecting more of that now. And he might not be happy with it if I turn him down again. I guess we'll have to see how it goes the next time I see him.

'Why?' I ask Cal, trying to shake my thoughts. 'Eager to get rid of me?'

'Oh no, you know I love to babysit you' he says sarcastically. I scoff and give him the finger in return.

'You're so mean. And I don't deserve any of it. I was going to help you get with B, but you can just do it yourself then.'

'Help how?' Cal asks, immediately suspicious.

'Well, I did a little digging for you the other day. We got to talk about what happened with her husband and then I just casually asked her if she thought she'd ever date again, and guess what she said?'

'Mind your own damn business?' Cal asks, crossing his arms a little threateningly.

'No', I say cheerfully, ignoring his defensiveness. 'She said that life is short so that she would be willing to open up to the right person.'

'Did she?' he asks, trying very hard to sound uninterested.

'Sure did. So then I asked her if she knew anybody she'd be interested in...'

I watch Cal's face in the silence that follows. He has his eyes on the book that he was reading before I came in and which he clearly hasn't been reading since I started talking. Finally, he looks up with an annoyed expression on his face when I don't continue.

'And?' he asks impatiently. 'What did she say?'

'I thought you weren't interested?' I ask coyly. His eyebrows immediately sink down into a heavy scowl, making me chuckle.

'You're such an asshole', he says, shaking his head exasperatedly.

'Fine', I sigh. 'Since you insist. She said she did know someone. Someone who's been there for her since she got here. Someone she's gotten pretty close to.'

Though he tries to keep his face neutral, I notice a short glimmer in his eyes as he takes in the news. But then he just shrugs and turns his attention back to his book.

'Could be anybody.'

'Yeah, could be', I repeat tauntingly.

'Get to work, doc', he says dismissively. He doesn't look up at me again. But though he tries to hide it, I can see a tiny smile appear on his face.