Disclaimer: I do not own the Walking Dead, only my original characters
He made his way to the infirmary, standing at the open door, watching the hustle and bustle that was happening inside. He made no effort to draw his second in command's attention to him, nor did he try and flag down Dr. Carson. He simply watched as they went about their work, recording what had been scavenged during the run.
"You know," Dr. Carson mused, "I'm quite impressed with everything that you managed to bring back. Lucia chose a good location, full of quite a bit of medical equipment and supplies that we needed. Do you think it is worth giving it another run over there? Was there more to be taken?"
Simon shrugged as he counted rolls of gauze, writing down numbers as he went. "There were some more things, sure, but we got interrupted by a herd, so we had to skedaddle pretty quick. Lucia made sure we basically cleaned out the pharmacy area, but there could always be more shit that we could grab. We could even get you some of those swanky hospital beds for in here if you wanted."
The doctor nodded, lost in thought. "I suppose that would be nice. If you or Lucia could give me a briefing on what was left at some point, I could tell you if another trip would be medically worth it or not. I have to say, everything that Lucia instructed you to bring has medical value. I wouldn't be surprised if she has some type of medical background, maybe a paramedic or maybe a medical assistant. She at least has rudimentary knowledge of what we truly needed here. I wonder why she doesn't work here in the infirmary, if that is truly the case."
Negan decided that this was the moment to announce his presence. "Well, Doc, you're right and you're wrong," his booming voice causing both men to turn around quickly, clearly surprised. "Luce is an advanced practice registered nurse and from my understanding that could be very fuckin' helpful to ya down here in the infirmary. I know you could use an extra hand from time to time."
Dr. Carson's brows shot up, his lips pursed, as if perplexed by something. He had assumed that she had some medical knowledge, but not to that degree. He wondered why she hadn't volunteered to work in the infirmary when she had arrived here. "Well, I could use an extra hand, especially since we have a good number of pregnant women here at the moment. Would you be able to spare her at all? If she would be willing, I'd like to assign her to the pregnant women to monitor their health and such. It might give them a little more sense of security."
"Well, it's your lucky day, Doc cause that's what I'm here to talk to you about. You've got Luce at your disposal for the next two weeks, after that, I'll need her back in rotation for me. I would be willing to give her to ya two days out of the week and during emergencies, though," the leader of the Saviors declared, leaving no room for questions or arguments.
Carson nodded, thinking over what Negan had said. It would make his life much easier if he had an extra hand, especially since he needed to do inventory daily to keep track of what was used, what was needed, and what they were running low of. "I'm happy to take whatever I can get. I'll be thankful for the help that another medical professional could offer me. When would she be starting?"
"Tomorrow, bright and fuckin' early she'll be here. Look, I've gotta go, if you have any other questions, you can ask Luce herself tomorrow. Si, once you're done figuring out what y'all brought, get that record to me and grab Arat's inventory sheet too and bring it up to my room."
Simon nodded, marking his place in the inventory sheet. "You got it, Boss. It'll be a few more hours, but I'll bring 'em up to you before I go get some grub and call it a night. Anything else I can get ya?"
"Nah, that's all I'm wantin', we're good."
Negan strolled out of the infirmary, leaving the two men behind. He began to whistle again as he made his way to the kitchens. He was hoping that he could get the cooks to rustle up something good for dinner. He passed numerous people on his way, all reverently kneeling as he passed. He never stopped whistling as he waltzed by, not in the mood to acknowledge the kneeling individuals.
Once he arrived at the kitchens, he was pleased to see everyone hard at work, preparing food for the Saviors and those workers who could afford hot meals. A hush came over the kitchens as he entered, whistling with Lucille slung over his shoulder. "As you were, I just need Marco."
Everyone uneasily went back to their respective duties while the head cook stepped forward to talk with the Savior. Marco was a small Italian man, around 60 years old, with grey hair and an easy smile. He was always kind to everyone, including Negan. He feared him, like everyone did, but he still made sure that his kindness shone through.
"Ah, Negan, what can I do for you this evening? Does one of the wives have a special request? I can see what I have and try to make as close to the real thing as possible."
The dark haired Savior shook his head, a sly grin plastered on his face, "Nah, it's just me and Luce tonight. Was wonderin' if you could cook us up somethin' damn good like I know you do."
The head cook nodded thoughtfully, stroking his beard. "I believe I can come up with something for you and Lucia. I'll have someone bring it up to your rooms shortly."
Negan smiled, "That's what I like to hear, Marco. This is why you're the head honcho down here. I've gotta go, Luce will be waitin'."
He nodded at the Savior graciously, before returning to his work and barking out orders for some of the other kitchen inhabitants.
The head Savior strolled around for a bit, wanting to make one more stop before he headed back to his rooms and the woman waiting for him there. He made his way up to the floor that housed the Saviors, taking in the scenery as he went. He couldn't help but grin at his own little domain in this world that had gone to shit. It wasn't a castle, but it was as damn close as anyone was gonna get these days. He stopped at the door with the little doorbell, the one that he knew was Lucia's.
He opened the door, but didn't step in right away. Instead, he pressed the little doorbell, curious to see what happened inside when he did so. The light over the door flickered when he pressed the button, when he let go it stopped. Negan couldn't help but laugh in amazement. That girl had fuckin' rigged herself a doorbell like the Deaf used to have back when the world was sane. He was constantly surprised by this one, which was a new feeling that he hadn't experienced in some time.
He fully entered the room, his eyes taking in the place in a way that he hadn't been able to earlier. It was a decent size for a room these days, much better than what the workers downstairs. There was a twin sized bed in the far corner with a floral quilt, clearly something handmade from a time long passed. A small kitchenette stood to the right of the bed and an easy chair was by the foot of the bed. The leather was slightly cracked in some places, well worn, but still functional. Another quilt hung on the arm of the chair, as if set out for the room's inhabitant to read in warmth there on a cold winter's night. His gaze wandered past the chair to the chest of drawers pressed against the wall and the small table and two fold out chairs in the corner.
To her, this place was a home that she had created. Negan could see how she had made it functional, yet comfortable in the almost two years that she had been here. He took in the books that were stacked haphazardly all around the room. From where he stood he could see some classics, medical books, and a few books on Deaf history. He made a mental note to see if someone could scrounge up some type of bookshelf for her so that she wouldn't have to have stacks of literature littering the room.
His eyes took in the walls, covered in drawings pinned up in no particular order. There were pictures done in pencil, others in pen, and even a few in color. Some were of people, others places, and there were five or so that were signs. There were two faces that appeared again and again in the drawings. One was a woman in her mid twenties, the other a little girl with bright, sparkling eyes and a consistent grin. He assumed that the woman was Lucia's late wife and the little girl her daughter. They were both beautiful, radiant, and carefree, their joy immortalized on paper. As he continued to browse, something different caught his eye. It was a drawing of a graveyard with a small grave as the focal point. The inscription read: Linnea Anne Johansson beautiful little girl, full of love, light, laughter, and joy. There was more, but it was in a language that the Savior could not understand. He wondered if that was the burial site of Lucia's daughter. She had said that the girl had died before the world was plagued by the dead, so it made sense.
He shook his head, he had lingered here long enough. He went to the chest of drawers, grabbing the clothing that he had come for, before turning to leave. In a spur of the moment decision, he grabbed the sketchbook that was sitting on the bed, along with a pencil and pen. He turned once more, leaving the room behind him.
Lucia was deep in thought as she sketched on a loose leaf of paper that she had found in Negan's desk. She drew a house, from a time long gone. She wondered what had happened to it after they had fled the city, if anyone had stayed there after they had left. She was over a thousand miles away from that little house in Boston, but sometimes it popped into her memory. She shook her head, freeing herself of the consuming thoughts of days gone by, centering herself in the present. She began to sketch something else in another corner of the page, once again losing herself in thought. She looked down in surprise to see that she had drawn the face of the man whose rooms she was sitting in. She stared for a moment, before softening up his eyes, making them seem to smile, ever so slightly. Something moved in her peripheral vision, she looked up to acknowledge the Savior that was walking in.
She frowned at the man, looking at what he had in his hands. He had promised inventory papers and food, not clothing and a sketchbook. Upon further inspection, she realized that the clothing and sketchbook were her own, from her room. She looked up at Negan with a puzzled expression.
He shook his head humorously at her puzzled state. "I thought that I'd grab you some extra clothes, just in case the dirty ones don't get cleaned in time. If they do, well, I guess you could always fuckin' leave 'em here for next time. I wouldn't mind. Also, I thought you might want somethin' to do up here, I might read a little later, so I brought your sketchbook."
She nodded, before standing up and grabbing the armful of items. "Are you asking me to leave a toothbrush here, so to speak?"
Negan shrugged as he rubbed the back of his neck, not answering one way or another. He wasn't good with shit like this.
The blonde Savior put the clothing in a drawer and the sketchbook on the bed before turning to her leader once more. She didn't say anything more on the subject, not needing words to signify her acceptance of the proposal, her actions were words enough.
She saw him turn towards the door, as if he had heard something. She supposed that there was a knock at the door. It opened to reveal a lanky young man, no more than twenty, holding two trays of food. Words were exchanged between the young man and Negan, though she couldn't understand them since they were turned away from her. The man scurried to the desk, setting the trays down before practically running out the door. He paused and turned back to Negan, who was once again talking and holding out the bundle of dirty clothes from earlier that day. The man nodded, grabbing the clothing before scurrying away once more.
The blonde woman smirked, a soft laugh escaping her lips. Negan turned to her, raising an eyebrow in her direction, questioning her laugh.
"What the hell did you do to that poor kid? He looked scared shitless."
The Savior chuckled, leading them over to the desk where the food was waiting. "He should be scared shitless in my presence. Haven't had a one on one with the little punk before, so I'm guessin' he's new. A small dose of fear works wonders. Also, I think he saw Lucille for the first time up close and personal on my desk and it scared the fuckin' holy hell outta him. Now come on, Luce, I'm fucking starving. I doubt that you've eaten today, so dig in."
As she sat, Lucia looked appreciatively at the food set before her. There was chicken, potatoes, vegetables, even freshly baked bread still steaming on her plate. She hummed appreciatively as she ate, unaware how hungry she truly had been. They ate in silence as the woman practically inhaled her food. Within minutes, her plate was clean and she was eyeing some of the food on her fellow Savior's plate. He was taking his time, clearly not as ravenous as she had been.
He looked up, amused at her puppy dog facial expression. "You want somethin', Luce?"
The blonde woman bit her lip apprehensively, unsure if she wanted to ask.
"You still hungry, honey?" Negan murmured.
She nodded timidly, wondering if she was about to get teased for her appetite.
The Savior smiled, pushing his plate towards her, shaking his head as she dug into the remainder of his food. He wondered when the last time was that she'd eaten a proper meal. He knew that she had the tendency to let things like eating slide when she was focused on something, but he didn't want her to neglect herself because of her focus. She finished quickly, looking a bit sheepish once his plate too was bare.
"Looks like you had a big fuckin' appetite tonight, Luce. When was the last time that you actually had a full meal?"
She frowned thinking a moment, before shrugging. She didn't know, her hands told him.
"You are a fuckin' Savior, doll. That means you are guaranteed three hot meals every goddamn day and you don't have to pay in points for them. You earn that shit by all that you do, especially today with that run of yours. You earn what you take and you've fuckin' earned that. Why aren't you takin' advantage of that?" the dark haired Savior pressed. He was slightly worried about her wellbeing, even he could admit that. He needed her to be in top shape if she were to do her job correctly. There were other reasons, too, but he wasn't ready to mention that just yet, not even to himself.
Lucia shrugged once more, this time giving him neither a spoken or signed reply.
"I need you on the top of your game, you know that. I need to know that you can handle what I'm throwin' at ya and you can't fuckin' do that if you're not eating. I don't care if you don't feel hungry, try to eat anyway. I don't want to find you passed the fuck out somewhere because you forgot to eat. Understand?"
The woman across from him quietly toyed with her hair, watching what he was telling her. She didn't interrupt, she didn't argue, she didn't try to defend herself. She knew he was right, how could she be the best if she wasn't nourishing herself. She nodded, before her hands fluttered to life, "I'll do better."
Negan nodded, satisfied that he had gotten his point across. He wondered if he could push a little further, get farther into her head. He had questions and wanted answers, but he knew that if he pushed Lucia too hard, her walls would go up again.
"So, do ya wanna tell me about your little outburst today?" he inquired.
He could see her visibly stiffen, as if he had hit her with a physical blow. Her grey eyes bore into him, the ice in her pale orbs apparent. She was not going down this road of discussion tonight. Before he had a chance to say anything else, there was a curt knock at the door. He yelled for the visitor to enter before getting up to great them.
Lucia turned to see Simon stroll in with a stack of papers and a thick book in his hands. He nodded in acknowledgement to the blonde woman before turning to Negan. "Here's all the inventory stuff that you wanted, Boss. I brought up the ledger too since I figured you'd want your nightly readout of the numbers."
Negan took the stack from the Savior, thumbing through everything. "Yeah, thanks, Si. Luce and I can go over the fuck ton of new inventory, see what goodies you all brought home. Take these trays back to the kitchen for me and you're done for the night. I know a few ladies lookin' to shack up with ya now that you're back. I'll see you in the AM to go over everything for what's next."
The Savior stroked his mustache as his listened before grabbing the trays and heading out. He called something back at his boss, who let out a gruff laugh in response as the door closed.
Negan turned back to the pale woman who had quietly moved to his bed while he was talking to his right hand man. They were alone in the room once more, many unspoken emotions swirling in both of their eyes.
"So, inventory?" the blonde woman murmured, scooting over in the bed to give Negan a space to sit.
He sighed, realizing that their previous conversation was effectively over. He would try with her some other time. He sat down on the bed and laid the inventory sheets out on the bed and began to go over them with her. He was stunned to find that Lucia had managed to get a hold of a portable x-ray machine and an ultrasound machine, both with everything needed to make them functional. The blonde Savior then went on to go over every medication she managed to bring back, what they were used for, and how they should be rationed. Negan listened to all this without interrupting her, impressed at her vast knowledge of the medical field. He knew Dr. Carson would find her extremely useful.
Eventually, they finished going over the inventory sheets for everything that had come in that day and the leader of the Saviors moved on to going over the ledger. It contained everything of importance to the Sanctuary: workers names, the number assigned to them, their jobs and point statuses, what was bought and sold at their makeshift market and who acquired it, who visited the infirmary, what was done and what was used on them...the list was endless. Negan was known for being able to know all the comings and goings of the Sanctuary from new arrivals, to illnesses, to how well the workers did their jobs. The ledger was a part of his network, but it was simply a cog in the vast machine of knowledge that he possessed.
Lucia had transitioned to sketching in the book that Negan had brought up from her room. She kept quiet, not wanting to interrupt the Savior's work. It wasn't long before her eyelids began to droop and her head fell back on the stack of pillows that were keep her upright. While the man next to her continued his work, she drifted off into slumber.
The dark haired Savior finished examining the ledger, closing it firmly. He rubbed his salt and pepper scruff as the new information began to process in his mind. Eventually, he turned to look at the woman next to her, surprised to find that she was sound asleep with a pencil still in her hand and the sketchbook resting on her lap. He smiled softly, shaking his head. She looked so young when she slept peacefully, as if the weight of the world wasn't resting upon her shoulders.
He set the ledger down on his nightstand before slowly getting up, trying not to disturb the sleeping woman as he did so. He quickly kicked off his boots, pants, and jacket before he made his way to her side of the bed. He gently took the pencil from her grasp and grabbed the sketchbook to put on the nightstand. Negan looked down at the drawing, surprised to see his own face staring back at him. In the picture, he was smirking, as if he was about to do something mischievous. He made a note to ask the sleeping woman about it later as he placed the book on the nightstand.
Ever so slowly, the dark haired Savior scooped the woman up into his arms, careful not to jostle her awake. He peeled back the covers and adjusted the pillows, placing her back on the bed. He wrapped her in the blankets as her eyes fluttered open. She looked at the man in front of her, her eyes struggling to focus since she was still half asleep.
"Sleep, Luce," his hands told her. "All is well."
She nodded her eyes drifting closed once more as she signed, "Come to bed soon."
Negan smiled softly as he crawled back into bed and turned off the light. His eyes traced the outline of the sleeping woman, still visible by the moonlight. This woman, wearing his clothes, fast asleep in his bed...well damn. It wasn't supposed to be this way. She was only supposed to be another fuck, another distraction, something to relieve stress and take his mind off things. He wasn't supposed to end up feeling anything for this beautiful, intelligent, damaged Savior. She wasn't supposed to get this close, and yet here they were, three months later. He hadn't felt anything significant in years, before this world became a shit show. The world had ended and he shut down, closed it all off, assumed that there was a marked end to him ever feeling anything close to what he had felt with Lucille. And yet, here Luce was, chipping away at him, getting a look inside, all without even trying.
Author's Note: So sorry it's been a bit, it's been hectic balancing my regular job on top of nannying for my nieces. To make it up to you, I'm updating two chapters today! This one now, and the next one when I get home this evening. Hope you enjoyed this one and what you discovered about both Lucia and Negan. Many thanks to Nicole, goonimpressanangel, and PropertyOfNegan7 for leaving me a review, I appreciate it. If any of you want to give me imput or anything, please review and let me know! It's great to hear what my readers think. xo Kat