Man with the Bat || a Negan novel

Chapter 33: Just One Moment

We arrived back at the sanctuary in record timing, probably because I kept yelling at Simon to drive faster. As we rolled up the dirt path, the gates opened immediately upon our arrival, as if they had been waiting, which come to think of it, they probably were. 

We slid to a stop at the front entrance, Saviors emerging from the dark of night. Simon threw open his door, hollering at the men before him to get a move on, that they needed to get Negan to the doctor.

"Oh, stop your  worrying," Negan groans, "I'm fine."

As he said this, the door opened that Negan was leaning against, causing him to bolt upright in pain from the sudden disappearance of support. 

"Mhmm" I mutter like a knowing mother, earning a glare from him.

"I don't need any help" he grumbles as the savior before him offers him a hand to help him out of the truck. I roll my eyes at his persistent, independent ways. 

He hopped out of the truck, clutching his arm and groaning as his feet hit the ground. I hopped down after him, grabbing onto his other to help support him.

"Can we get some help over here" I holler in annoyance, as soon as the words left my lips the men in front of us scurried over to obey their lady in charge.

"Mia, I don't need fucking-"

"Stop" I snap, whipping my neck up to look at him, "Just stop, you were shot. You might be a badass, but you need help. So stop fighting me so hard on this or the next bullet that goes in ya is gonna be from me."

Negan looked outright appalled, but then a glint to his eye screamed amusement and perhaps a hint of lust.

"Damn, you're hot when you're all 'take-charge' like that" he bites down on his bottom lip, forgetting about the pain he's currently in evidently.

"Take him away boys" I motion forward, not breaking eye contact with Negan as they force him into a wheelchair and hurriedly push him away.

"Never thought I'd see the day where Negan was convinced to do something by someone else" Dwight shakes his head, appearing out of nowhere, "You really got him wrapped around your little finger don't ya?"

I smirk, crossing my arms over my chest as I watch them wheel Negan inside, hearing his incoherent grumbles of angst. 

"I'd like to think so, but don't tell him I told ya that" I smirk, and surprisingly Dwight chuckles along.

"Good to have you back Mia."

After I found Negan bitching out Doc in the clinic, I took the stool by his bedside as Doc stitched him back up. 

"Got him here just in time" Doc commends, "That wound was wide, he lost a lot of blood but anymore and he would've passed out. Making it all the more difficult to revive him."

I smiled, "See, I wasn't panicking for no reason."

My fingers wound their way into his, squeezing them as a reminder of my presence. 

"Whatever helps you sleep at night" Negan mumbles, in a way I think it was to revive his manliness,  though getting shot didn't lessen it, I felt as if Negan thought it did because he wasn't as tough as he usually was. 

I just rolled my eyes and rubbed his arm, intently watching Doc finish up his stitches. 

"Alright, should heal pretty nicely then - try to resist straining it for a while, so no Lucille swinging," Doc warns, earning a glare from Negan.

"The kid couldn't have fucking shot my other arm" Negan mumbles, myself laughing at his anger. 

"Negan, you're going to be just fine, it won't ne long and you'll be rearing and ready to go once again," I smile, himself remaining angered, "Right Doc?"

"Right" he nods in approval, crossing over to his medicine cabinet.

I watch as he pulls out a key from his coat pocket, unlocking the cabinet and shuffling through the bottles and bottles of pills before him. He finally finds what he's looking for, and locks the cabinet back up.

"Alrighty" he sighs, handing the bottle to me, "These should lessen his pain and help with the healing." I nod as I turn the orange bottle over in my hand, "No more than twice a day though."

"Alright. Thanks Doc" I smile, and he returns it. He glances at Negan, then turns away. 

"I'll give you two some time, I'll check back later," he bids goodbye, shutting the door behind him.

As I turn back to Negan, I catch him staring at me.

"What?" I chuckle as I look back at him. His hair was a sweaty, matted mess because of the pain he was in and his eye fell tired from the exhaustion of the last couple events that occurred. He nuzzled his face into the pillow but kept his gaze on me.

I'm just" he lets out an elongated sigh, "Just really, really happy to have you back."

I couldn't help but smile at that, so simple yet so sweet.

"Happy to be back" I squeezed his hand, but I wasn't sure how true that statement was. Yes, I was very happy to be back with Negan. But now...things were so messy. With Carl's abrupt intervention and just every thing that went down there - it was scary. I wanted to end things on a smooth note, I knew it was going to be a tad messy with Rick's persistence and drive on ending Negan, but now it was going to be a whole hell of a lot messier. 

Because I could've turned back, I could've let Carl shoot Negan and then all would be over. He'd be dead, I'd be with them and life could go back to how it was before.

But I stood in front of Negan, I protected him. And Carl saw that.

"What's wrong love?" Negan furrows his brows as he notices my distraught face. 

"Nothing" I lie, and he lowers his gaze.

"Mia," he sternly says, even his slumped, exhausted self still looked intimidating. 

I peered over at him with sad eyes, brushing my fingers through his sweat flocked hair.

"You need to rest" I quietly murmur, putting his health over my personal issues, "We'll talk in the morning when you're feeling a bit better."

"I feel fine" he scoffs in annoyance, myself smirking with amusement at the fact he was still keeping up this tough guy act. Even now I could see his eyes slowly lowering from the pain meds kicking in.

I leaned over, pressing a soft kiss to his sweaty forehead and took hold of his hand in my own. He hesitated, but took this moment to obey me and allow himself to sleep.

And as I watched his breathing slow into a steady, rested rhythm, and his grip on my hand loosened as he fell into a much needed slumber, I couldn't help but feel completely content.

Just for this moment.

AN: Hi honeys, so, so sorry for taking a bit of time for this chapter. Nothing really exciting happens either, it's just very...simple. I have been very busy lately, working loads, so don't worry. I have ideas to come to play, I just need to formulate them together. Hope you all don't mind. Also, hope you're all doing well and drinking lots of water and enjoying your summers and just being happy. I love you all. OH. & also if any of you wants to take a stab at a cool book cover for me, please let me know bc I have zero artistic quality and I feel like my covers crap.

Okay, love you all! Until next time bb's. <3