Running From You I Negan x Maggie (ENGLISH VERSION)

Chapter 8: Crossing lines

"I know someday you'll have a beautiful life

I know you'll be a star

In somebody else's sky, but why? Why? Why

Can't it be, oh, can't it be mine?"

Negan was sitting sideways on the cot he had occupied for the past four days. Now, properly dressed and with his bandages changed, he could finish the rest of his treatment at home.

In the background, he could hear the pleasant voice that had kept him company over the past few days in the infirmary, but he wasn't really listening. Negan's thoughts were far away.

"Did you get all that?" the voice asked again, but he wasn't paying attention. "Negan?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said, snapping back to reality, a slight grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "All mentally noted."

"Right," she teased, offering a small smile. "Seriously though, if anything feels off, let me know. I live just down the street."

Negan had liked her right away when he met her the day after Maggie had last visited him. The new doctor in Alexandria, Jess. She had replaced Siddiq after his death at the hands of the Whisperers. Negan didn't know her from before; she had joined the community long after he had been imprisoned.

Jess was attractive, her dark blonde hair perfectly matching her warm, almond-colored eyes. Unlike most people in Alexandria, she didn't completely ignore him, which, at this point, was already something.

The day they met, she made that pretty clear.

Negan wasn't sure if it was because of his hangover from the night before, but his chest was throbbing, and his stomach felt utterly nauseous. He was cold and sweating at the same time—a bad sign. He had been in a restless sleep when he felt a damp cloth placed on his forehead. The relief washed over him in seconds. He opened his eyes slightly and was met with the worried expression of the blonde woman.

"I don't know you," he groaned as another wave of nausea hit him.

"Let's save the small talk for later, okay?" she replied sharply as she jabbed a needle into Negan's arm. He just laughed, too weak to come up with a sarcastic reply.

"Yes, doc," Negan mumbled, running a hand over his face and sighing in exhaustion. "What's wrong with me?"

"I think you might be rejecting the meds we gave you yesterday," she explained briefly while injecting a pale yellow liquid into the IV bag he was hooked up to.

"You think? Are you sure you're a doctor?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. She shot him an irritated look.

"For your sake, I better be—since no one else around here seems all that eager to save your ass," she fired back, almost surprising him with her boldness.

Negan stayed quiet for a couple of minutes, watching her work. Being sick always brought out his more annoying side. She began removing the bandage from his chest, catching him off guard.

"Hey, take it easy with the goods, Doc," he growled through clenched teeth at how close she was.

"It's Jess," she corrected him, "and I need to change this bandage, okay?" She waited patiently for him to nod before continuing. Negan kept his eyes warily on her.

"For the town's resident boogeyman, you sure would make a cute little kitten," she teased, knowing he was focused on her.

"As the boogeyman, I could eat you right up, so watch out," he smirked, expecting to throw Jess off her game, but her sense of humor seemed just as twisted as his.