Chapter Text
Coming up to the gates of the Commonwealth, it didn’t take long for them to be spotted, even if the two weren’t drenched head to toe in blood. They’d not had time to worry about cleaning up, not with Maggie’s injuries. Throughout the whole ride, Negan felt her slump further and further back until he began to hold up essentially her entire weight. He didn’t have to worry too much as long as she stayed awake.
It hadn’t taken long for the adrenaline to leave Maggie’s body. Negan had practically had to drag her for a while before they’d found the horse they’re riding now. He’d have preferred a car, or anything quicker, but was grateful for the increase in speed the horse brought them anyway, especially when the gates to the Commonwealth opened.
Negan jumps down from the horse, one arm doing its best to keep Maggie steady. He notices Carol running out towards them, but keeps his attention on getting Maggie down. He'd had to nudge her multiple times on the journey, ensuring she stayed awake, which was now showing. Once settled on the ground, Negan lifts his other arm up and gently helps Maggie climb down from the horse, keeping an arm around her as she sways.
Carol reaches them in no time; people Negan hopes are medics with her, and he goes to say as much before he feels Maggie slump forward. He catches her on instinct, panicking as he sees she’s gone unconscious.
“Fuck. Tell me one of you is a doctor?”
A man from the back of the group rushes forward as Negan adjusts Maggie in his arms, picking her up completely. When the man reaches out suddenly, Negan jerks back, shielding Maggie’s body with his own before looking at Carol.
He can’t make out every expression on her face, nor does he have the desire to at the moment, but he can make out the shock and sadness as her eyes settle on Maggie. She drags them away from the younger woman to look at him, noticing his stance and protective nature. Carol only nods at him, which is enough for him to turn back to the doctor, who looks Maggie over as best he can in Negan’s arms.
“We need to get her to the hospital. I can better understand what’s happening and how to help there.”
As the group rushes into the Commonwealth, Carol falls into step with Negan, a hand reaching out to move a strand of hair from Maggie’s face.
“What the hell happened?”
Negan shakes his head, adjusting his hold slightly to pull Maggie even closer to him as they enter the hospital. He strides over to one of the beds, placing her down as gently as possible to ensure she’s comfortable and only moving back enough to allow the doctor to examine her.
The man looks over at him. “You need to be examined as well.”
“I’m fine.”
“Negan -”
“I’m not leaving this room. I’m going nowhere.”
The doctor looks over at Carol, and she tugs Negan over to one of the other beds in the room. “You’re at least getting checked over in here.”
“I’m not the one who’s battered.”
“No, but you look like shit.”
Someone brings in buckets of water for them to get cleaned up. After cleaning himself up, Negan walks back to Maggie, clean cloths and bucket in hand, before gently washing away the layers of blood and dirt from her skin. The doctor reaches out to help, but he pulls the cloths away from him.
“I’ve got it.”
The doctor steps away, hands raised slightly, turning to Carol.
“She is malnourished and dehydrated. I can’t see any life-threatening injuries, so that’s good. From what I can see, she’s going to be in a world of pain, but I don’t want to start poking and prodding too much whilst she’s out. I’ll get her an IV sorted to start with nutrients and pain meds, but until she’s awake, I won’t know for certain how much she’ll need.”
“Thank you.”
The doctor nods at her before leaving the room. Carol takes a step forward and picks up a cloth. Negan freezes for a split second when she steps closer to Maggie, but he doesn’t snap at her the way he did the doctor. She begins to slowly wash Maggie’s arm, watching as more damaged skin appears as it becomes clearer.
Eventually, Negan has finished gently washing Maggie’s face, moving down to her neck, and Carol can’t help the gasp that leaves her at the bruising around it. There are clear handprints wrapped around her throat, as well as a thick line.
“Who -”
“I’m not saying anything till she’s awake.”
“Negan, we need to know -”
“They’re not a threat. We made damn sure of that. I’m not saying anything about what happened to her unless she gives me the go-ahead.”
Carol is unable to respond before the door slams open, and Daryl comes rushing in, freezing abruptly at the sight of Maggie on the bed. It takes him a moment, but eventually, he strolls over to them, one of his hands reaching for Maggie as he gets there.
His eyes scan her over, devastation clear in his eyes as they rake over her body before he looks up at Negan.
“They dead?”
Negan only nods, continuing to wash what he can from Maggie’s body, and Daryl turns to look at Carol.
“When’s she gonna wake?”
“We don’t know.”
“You need to go get her kid.” The two look over at Negan, but he doesn’t look away from his task. “She’s been gone for months. He needs to know she’s alive.”
“I’ll send a group to go get him.”
Daryl moves to leave the room, but he’s interrupted by Michonne and Rick barging in, the two’s focus is solely on Maggie. Unaware of the man standing beside her for a few seconds. Once they notice him, their concern quickly turns to anger, and Rick goes to run at him before Daryl intercepts. Rick doesn’t manage to escape his grip, but he continues to try.
“What the hell did you do to her?!”
Negan doesn’t respond, gently washing away the grime still covering Maggie's skin.
Michonne looks just as furious as Rick, but unlike him, doesn’t rush forward and instead walks over to Carol. “What is he doing here?”
“He brought her here.”
Michonne looks at the two, her eyes flickering between Negan and Maggie, watching how gently he handles her.
“What on earth happened?”
Carol shrugs, and Michonne’s frown gets deeper. “He doesn’t want to talk about it until she’s awake.”
Not impressed with that answer, Michonne also steps forward, which makes Rick struggle even more to reach Negan. Before she can go far, Carol reaches out, her hand resting on Michonne’s shoulder.
“You know he’s doing what she wants. Maggie’s never liked people knowing what she hasn’t told them.”
Stopping his struggle, Rick turns towards Carol. “We’re her family. If we know what we’re dealing with, we can help her better.”
Stepping back slightly, Daryl runs a hand over his face, his eyes falling to the bed before looking back up at his friend. “It’s been a long time, man. We should wait for her to wake up.”
A woman steps into the room, hands full of clean clothes, which she passes to Carol.
“The doctor should be in to sort out the IV soon enough.”
“Thank you.”
The woman leaves, and Carol walks over to the bed. Negan holds his hands out for the clothes, further angering Rick.
“No, absolutely not. Carol can change her.”
Negan finally moves his eyes over to Rick, clearly not interested in arguing with the other man. His body language screams protectiveness as he hovers over Maggie.
“Who do you think helped her over the past couple of months? Because it sure as shit weren’t any of you.”
“Carol and Michonne are here. One of them can do it.”
“No.” The others go to argue, but he continues speaking before they can. “If I’m not going to tell you what happened while she’s out, do you really think I'm going to show you. I think enough of it is visible with the clothes on. Now get out.”
Despite wanting to stay in the room, not wanting to leave Maggie after seeing her state, Carol and Daryl make eye contact. Both of them understanding how serious Negan is. The two of them reach out and start guiding Rick and Michonne out of the room. The latter of which reluctantly allows herself to be guided, while the former argues against it for a moment before giving in. Carol stops at the door, turning to look at Negan.
“We’ll be outside the door; let us know when you're done.”
The man only nods at her before his full attention goes back to Maggie.
—
Rick paces back and forth in the hallway whilst they wait, the other three sitting in chairs.
“This isn’t right.”
“Rick -”
“This isn’t right. For all we know, he could be in there making sure she won’t wake up.”
“He wouldn’t have brought her all the way here to do something like that.”
“We don’t know that.”
“We do.” Rick goes to argue again, but Carol shakes her head. “Daryl is right. It’s been a long time. Negan has done a lot of wrong, but he’s also done some good, and bringing Maggie here like this just to harm her after doesn’t add up.”
“Why the hell were they even together?”
“We’re just going to have to wait for her to wake up to find out.”
Before Rick can fight more, Negan opens the door, popping his head through it to look at Carol. “You can come back in.” Instantly disappearing back into the room again.
None of them have to think twice; all of them rush back into the room, deflating slightly at the sight of Maggie still unconscious. Carol walks over to the side of the bed and begins slowly running a hand through Maggie’s hair, her eyes tracing over the injuries she can see.
“She’s so thin.”
Negan nods his head, his eyes remaining on Maggie. “The food there wasn’t great. We also couldn’t always trust what they gave us. Her especially.”
“You couldn’t trust it?”
“Yeah. Sometimes they’d add something to her food, sometimes they wouldn’t. I tried getting around it by giving her my food instead, but they found out about it.” He shakes his head, running a hand down his face. “We didn’t risk it after that.”
Rick strides forward, dodging past Daryl and gripping hold of Negan, who doesn’t fight against the grip but also doesn’t move his eyes from Maggie.
“And why didn’t they touch your food, huh?” Rick shakes him slightly in his grip, but Negan doesn’t react. “Why is she the one unconscious and battered whilst you’re fine? If you’re such a changed man then why the fuck would you let them drug her?”
The last sentence strikes a nerve as Negan finally reacts, shoving Rick back.
“Let them? I tried my fucking best! I got her out of there alive!”
“You got her out of there shattered! You can seriously look at her and think you did a good job?!”
“I kept her alive! I got her out! None of you even knew anything was happening! None of you even knew she was gone!”
Daryl finally shoves his way between them, pushing the two men apart, but it doesn’t stop the tension between the two of them. Carol, staying at Maggie’s side, notices as the woman’s face twitches.
“Guys -” They don’t hear her as they continue to fight.
“I treated what I could with the resources that I had. I used the power I had where I could. Was it enough? No, I’m not stupid enough to think otherwise, but I did more than any of you!”
“She shouldn’t have even been with you in the first place! You’ve brought her nothing but pain since the day she met you!”
Standing beside her, Carol sees the moment when Maggie’s eyes open and the fear that shines through them. In an attempt to calm her, she reaches forward, her hand resting on her shoulder.
“Hey, it’s okay -”
At the contact, Maggie flinches and moves much quicker than Carol could have anticipated, causing everyone in the room to realise she’s awake. Grabbing hold of Carol’s hand, she yanks her forward before roughly pushing her away, causing the older woman to stumble away from the bed.
When the space is created, Maggie throws herself out of the bed, and being the closest one to her, Rick reaches out to steady her. A clear mistake, as soon as she registers him, she fights against him, managing to shove him against the wall. Holding a knife to his throat.
As his back hits the wall, Rick freezes, his hands raising in surrender, but the frenzied look in Maggie’s eyes doesn’t dissipate. Her breathing is laboured, but her posture is stiff as she stands before him, and the group isn’t sure what to do.
They aren’t sure how to approach the woman without making anything worse, for Maggie and Rick, and so no one moves. Not even when Negan strides forward, brushing past Daryl and straight for Maggie.
As one of his arms wraps around her waist, Maggie begins to fight against his grip before his other arm wraps around her chest, his hand resting against her collarbone. Negan begins tapping with his fingers, and her resistance stops. The hand not holding the knife wraps around his wrist. Her fingers resting against his pulse point.
Negan gently pulls her back from Rick until there are a few steps between them. Maggie’s grip remains tight on the knife, now at her side. He lowers his head slightly so he’s closer to her ear.
“Snap out of it, Darlin’. It’s real.” Maggie shakes her head abruptly, trying to shake herself out of it, and closes her eyes, but Negan pulls her back out of it. “Come on, Maggie. He’s real. They’re all real. I see ‘em too, okay? They’re really here, we got out.”
The woman shakes in his grip slightly, her body still stiff and her eyes closed. Tightening his grip, Negan pulls her closer to his chest and lowers his voice even more.
“Trust me. Open your eyes.”
Squeezing her eyes shut even more, Negan thinks it’s going to be harder to pull Maggie out of the mindset than he’d like, but she begins to open them slowly. More clarity is visible than before, which relieves him, and he loosens his grip slightly.
Opening her eyes fully, Maggie takes in Rick in front of her before her eyes begin to drift around the room. She takes in Carol, Daryl, and Michonne before she turns her head just enough to look at Negan. He nods at her, seeing the need for further confirmation, before her eyes drift back to Rick.
Multiple emotions flicker through Maggie, almost knocking her off her feet if it weren’t for Negan holding up her weight. Taking Rick in, Maggie’s eyes begin to tear up, and the knife drops from her hand as she lifts her hand and covers her mouth.
Seeing her emotional state, Rick and Michonne begin to step forward, eager to help Maggie in any way. But before they can even get a full step closer, the woman’s eyelids flicker, and she falls completely into Negan’s hold as she goes unconscious once again.
Catching her before she can hit the ground, Negan carefully places her back into bed. Once she’s down, Carol instantly returns to stand beside her, moving the blanket and pillow around to ensure she’s comfortable.
When Carol is sure Maggie’s as comfortable as she can make her, she sits on the side of the woman’s bed. Continuing to run her hand through her hair, content just to watch the other woman breathe.
Before another conversation can start, the doctor re-enters the room, breaking the tension.
“This should help make her more comfortable.”
As he places the IV in her arm, Negan turns to look at him.
“The pain meds won’t make her too loopy, right? Cause if so, she ain’t going to react well to that.”
The doctor shakes his head, checking everything is right before turning to Negan.
“No, for now, we’ve got her on the lowest dose so that it’s in her system. I thought it was best to wait until she properly wakes before looking into anything stronger.”
As he begins to pack up his equipment to leave, Michonne steps forward.
“She woke up for a little while but passed out again. How worried should we be?”
“She’s dehydrated, malnourished and exhausted. She'll likely be in and out of consciousness quite a lot right now. Did she say anything?”
“No, she didn’t say anything. But she did exert herself.”
“That will explain the passing out. When she does say something, look out for any signs of struggle. I can’t say for definite until she speaks, but she could have damage from the injuries to her throat. It shouldn’t be permanent, but we can give her medicine to soothe it.”
“Thank you.”
The doctor nods at them before leaving the room. Once he’s gone, Michonne shuts the door before turning back towards the bed, especially Negan.
“Did she react like that because of the drugging?” The man only nods at her, and Michonne steps closer to the bed. “Yet she knew you were real without even looking at you. How do we get her to know we’re real too?”
“Fuck if I know. If I weren't there with her I doubt she’d know I’m real either.”
Daryl gestures with his hand.
“What was the tapping?”
“Was something I tried one of the first times she was coming out of a haze. We were trying to figure out something I could do that would prove I’m actually me, something she couldn’t replicate. Realised you can’t lay your arm over your own collarbone that way, so it became that.”
“Would it work if we tried it?”
Shrugging, Negan sits down in a chair beside Maggie’s bed, his hand reaching out to wrap around her wrist, his fingers resting on her pulse point.
“No idea. You gotta ask her first, though.”
Michonne steps forward.
“We have to ask?”
“Well, yeah. If she feels that, but then sees me somewhere else in the room, she might freak and think her hallucinations have turned tactile. That happens, and we’re back at square one when it comes to snapping her out of it.”
“Right.”
Beginning to walk towards the door, Daryl looks back a few times, unable to look away from the woman in the bed completely.
“I’ll send someone to get Hershel. Anything she might want in particular when she wakes up?”
Pausing momentarily to think, Negan takes his eyes off Maggie to look over at him.
“Her kid was her main thought. I guess after that, maybe fruit? Nothing we had down there was just fresh. I know she missed it, and maybe it’ll help her eat. Just don’t get anything pre-cut.”
Nodding, Daryl stays at the door for a moment, watching as Maggie remains still before forcing himself to leave the room.
Continuing to brush her fingers through the other woman’s hair, Carol speaks without moving her focus from Maggie.
“Is there anything they didn’t mess with?”
“No.” Negan’s fingers begin to tap lightly against Maggie’s wrist. “She was safest with me in my room, but even then, it wasn’t 100%.”
Unable to listen calmly, Rick scoffs at the other man’s words.
“Safest when she was with you? Yeah, right.”
Stepping forward, Michonne places a hand on Rick’s shoulder.
“Rick -”
“What? Are you seriously able to listen to his bullshit?”
“No. But she woke up badly to you fighting once. I don’t want to risk it again.”
Not liking the answer, Rick shakes his head, glaring at Negan but not raising his voice again. He doesn't want to cause Maggie to wake up in yet another panic if he can help it.
Finally looking up from the other woman, but not stopping her ministrations, Carol looks up at Rick and Michonne.
“Maybe you two should go back home. All of us being in the room at the same time is overwhelming. We can take it in turns as long as she’s comfortable.”
The couple look at one another, clearly not wanting to leave after seeing Maggie's state, but also knowing that Carol is right. Maybe if there were fewer people here, then Maggie wouldn’t have to deal with as much.
They were also aware that after Negan, Carol and Daryl were the last ones to see her.
Whatever horror Maggie had returned from was going to be hard enough to come to terms with; she didn’t need to reunite with the two of them immediately. No matter how much they wanted to.
Michonne is the one to respond, nodding her head slightly before gripping Rick’s hand.
“Alright, okay. If anything happens, if she asks for us or anything, promise me you’ll let us know.”
“Of course.”
—
It doesn’t take long for Daryl to return, entering the room not much later than when Rick and Michonne had left. He doesn’t question their absence, and no one offers any explanation.
Walking to the small bedside table beside Negan, he places down an apple before pulling up a chair and sitting closer to the bottom edge of Maggie’s bed. Closer to Carol than to Negan.
The three of them are content enough to sit silently around Maggie and listen to the other woman’s breathing.
Right now, there’s not much to say. Knowing Negan won’t tell them much with Maggie unconscious, but also knowing simple stories of what happened isn't enough for them to fully understand.
Only Maggie and Negan will ever fully get it.
Unlike Rick and Michonne, Carol and Daryl had been here all those years. Even if they didn’t fully trust the man holding Maggie’s wrist and her stories, they’d seen enough to know he’d changed.
Seen enough to know that he cares, and right now, that care is entirely directed toward Maggie. They don’t have to like it to accept it.
They know enough to know that the Maggie that Rick and Michonne once knew is fragmented, if not gone completely. The Maggie who wanted Negan dead had learned to live with Rick’s decision to keep him alive, maybe even more so in the months that had passed.
It didn’t matter.
What matters is that something had happened, something that had caused Maggie to be laid in front of them, battered, bruised, and scarred. If Negan, of all people, had kept her from spiralling, then they would deal with it.
It’s unclear how long they’d all been sitting there before Maggie begins to twitch again. Negan notices first as her hand moves, his fingers falling from her wrist to grip her hand. Carol and Daryl notice next, with Carol’s fingers stopping their movement, but staying in the woman’s hair.
Her eyes flicker open, meeting Negan’s eyes first and looking much clearer than the first time. Her entire body tenses as she registers the hands in her hair, but her eyes remain on Negan, and he nods at her slowly before looking up at Carol and gesturing towards her by tilting his chin.
Slowly, Maggie turns her head to look at Carol, who smiles at her softly, trying her best not to cry.
Despite her injuries, when unconscious, the woman had seemed almost peaceful. Awake, Carol could see the tension, the fear, and the pain littering across Maggie’s entire form. Despite wanting to move and hug her, Carol stays completely still, allowing Maggie’s eyes to roam over her face.
“Hi, sweetheart.”
Eyes still flickering over Carol’s face, Maggie’s hand, the one not gripping Negan’s hand, slowly lifts before wrapping around Carol’s wrist. Her fingers resting against the woman’s pulse point.
A few seconds pass before Maggie breathes out sharply, her eyes slamming shut for a moment before opening again, more watery than before.
“M’sorry.” Her voice comes out raspy from misuse and the trauma to her throat, causing Daryl to get up and grab her a glass of water.
As he holds it out to her, she freezes, fear beginning to build again before Negan reaches out for it, takes a sip, and smacks his lips together.
“Refreshing shit.”
The fear subsides, and Maggie begins to sit up slightly before reaching out for the glass. Taking small sips of the water, Maggie’s eyes remain on Negan as she does so, passing it to him when she’s had enough.
It’s only once she’s done that Carol speaks, moving Maggie’s attention back to her.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
Maggie’s eyebrows furrow as she feels the tension in her throat, frustration bubbling at the tightness she feels.
“Pushed.” Her voice still comes out rough, and they all make a mental note to tell her doctor so.
Unable to help it, Carol’s confusion shows on her face as she struggles to understand what Maggie’s trying to tell her. Having no idea what the woman could be trying to apologise for. Luckily, Negan can tell.
“She’s apologising for pushing you away when she woke up.” He turns his attention entirely to Maggie. “Did I get that right?”
Simply nodding, Maggie relaxes slightly, relieved to be understood.
Reaching out, Carol gently brushes a strand of hair behind Maggie’s ear, causing the other woman’s eyes to fall on her.
“You don’t have to apologise for that. It’s okay.”
Carefully, to not spook the other woman, Carol moves the hand from Maggie’s hair to her cheek. Relieved when she leans into it slightly, and she leans forward to kiss her forehead. At the contact, Maggie practically sags into her the way she did Negan, and Carol can almost feel the relief coming from the man.
“Hershel?”
Maggie’s voice is hardly louder than a whisper, and the strain in her voice is clear, but the silence they’re sitting in forces it across the room. Leaning forward at the foot of the bed, Daryl slowly places a hand on her ankle before speaking.
“Gabe’s gone for him with some others. They’re hoping to take less than a day to get back.”
Maggie releases a small breath of relief, which Carol feels hit her shoulder, and she wraps an arm around the other woman’s shoulder. A flinch and poorly concealed hiss cause her to freeze, but before she can pull away, Maggie shifts into her more.
Opening her mouth to say something, to apologise even, Carol is interrupted by a subtle shake of Negan’s head that she catches over Maggie’s. So she stays silent and simply holds her.
Reaching over to the bedside table, Negan grabs the apple placed there earlier and begins to cut it up into small pieces. While doing so, he ensures Maggie can see the apple the whole time, from the first cut to the last.
“Pick a piece.”
He holds the small bowl of apple in front of her, waiting patiently while she looks it over. Then, she reaches forward and plucks a small piece from the middle, moving a few pieces around before grabbing it.
Instantly taking it from her, Negan chucks it in his mouth before chewing it. Maggie watches him intently the whole time. Carol and Daryl are clearly confused, but he pays them no mind.
“Need me to have another?”
Maggie watches him for a moment, scanning his face before slowly shaking her head. Her hand slowly reaches out for the bowl of apple, and Negan smiles at her as she does so.
Despite her apparent starvation, Maggie doesn’t eat quickly, only putting one small piece in at a time. Her movements slow as she puts the piece to her mouth, fear and pain drenching her actions.
The urge to know what happened only grows in Carol and Daryl. They know that if Rick and Michonne saw Maggie like this, they would feel the same. Yet watching her like this, they know even more that they need to be patient.
They’d seen many versions of Maggie since they’d met on her farm, but they’d never seen this. Never so timid and unsure. The way she leans on Negan, literally and metaphorically, says enough.
Whatever they had endured together had been bad enough to bond the two in a way no one had expected. They didn’t have to like it, but if it meant helping Maggie, then they would respect it.
Only now, they needed to convince Rick and Michonne to do the same
After finishing half of the bowl, Maggie passes the rest of it back to Negan, who takes it back. He would have preferred for her to eat more, but he is grateful she’s had something at all.
“Scale of one to ten.”
She looks at him, frowning slightly, before her eyes turn away. She looks at her lap and begins to scratch at her wrist. Reaching over gently, Negan stops her movements with one hand, another tilting her chin to look back at him.
The other two watch them with bated breath, surprised by Negan's ease of movement, but even more so by Maggie's response and how she allows it.
“There are resources here. You’re safe here. Now, scale of one to ten.”
Turning her wrist over in his grip, she taps on his arm eight times, to which he nods.
“Want me to get the doc? You’re going to have to meet with him at some point. He can give you stronger meds now rather than waiting.”
Shaking her head quickly, Maggie frowns at him again but continues to say nothing. Daryl watches the two of them with intrigue as Negan continues the conversation. They’re only hearing one side of it, yet he seems to be getting the answers he needs.
“You don’t need to sit here in pain.” When she tilts her head slightly, Negan sighs before shifting forward on his chair, bringing him closer to her. “Can I at least tell him you need a little more? Just enough to deal with more of the pain but keep you with a clear head.”
The frown leaves Maggie’s face as she thinks, weighing over Negan’s words in her head before she rolls her eyes slightly. Negan takes the win anyway.
“Thank you.”
Daryl moves from his seat. “I’ll go get him.”
—
The second the doctor steps into the room, Carol’s aware of how tense Maggie becomes, the way her eyes drop to her lap, and how Negan shifts just a little bit. Putting himself between the two of them.
He’s not as tense, which makes sense, seeing as they’ve already met, but it doesn’t seem to matter that Negan knows he won’t harm Maggie. She’s not comfortable, and so he steps in.
“How much more meds can she have before her head gets all loopy?”
“If she’s concerned about the medication affecting her mental capacity, then we could increase the dose in small quantities. That way, we can find the limit. It does mean she’s likely to be in much more pain, however.”
Turning to look at Maggie, it’s clear Negan doesn’t like the idea of her being in pain. Yet he knows trying to force her to take a stronger dose would only make her worse, so he turns back to the doctor.
“The lady gets what the lady wants, and the lady wants to do it that way. Her throat feels like shit though, you got anything for that?”
The doctor moves forward automatically, which causes Negan to rise from his chair and stand between him and Maggie.
Holding up his hands in surrender, the doctor takes a step back.
“My apologies. Could I examine her throat? It would allow me to see the extent of the damage and see if it’s anything that could be permanent. It would also give me a better idea of how to treat her.”
Expecting her to react and make a comment about how she can speak for herself, Carol is surprised when Maggie doesn’t move. Surprised by how she remains small.
Negan tilts himself to the side slightly, trying to ensure Maggie stays blocked from him whilst still being able to speak to both of them directly. It takes Maggie a moment, but she makes eye contact with him.
Neither speaks; Negan only raises an eyebrow. Although Maggie doesn’t move, he moves slightly to the side, allowing the doctor space to move forward.
Looking across the room, Carol looks at Daryl, who’s already looking back. His face clouded in scrutiny as he took in the scene, confused by it.
Acknowledging the silent gesture, the doctor smiles at Negan before stepping closer to the bed.
“May I?”
Nodding, Maggie lifts her head but scrunches her eyes closed as his hands touch her throat. Her entire body tense as she forces herself to stay still and not pull away.
“Can you open your mouth for me, please?”
Scrunching her eyes even tighter, Maggie’s breathing gets more erratic, but eventually, she follows the request. As quickly as he can without causing pain, the doctor examines her throat before stepping away.
Once he’s moved away from the bed, Negan moves back into place, reaching out and placing his arm beneath Maggie’s hand. The second he does so, she wraps her fingers around his wrist tightly as she tries to steady her breathing.
“Okay, there’s definitely some swelling. It’ll likely be painful for a little while, but it’s unlikely it’ll be permanent. The increase in painkillers should help, but there are other ways to soothe it. I recommend mixing honey into a warm drink.” He sorts out the medication before putting his equipment away, turning to Negan. “If there’s anything else either of you needs, don’t hesitate to ask.”
Once he’s left, Daryl walks over to Carol. “You’re needed in the kitchen. Told ‘em you were occupied, but apparently it’s urgent.”
Sighing, Carol pinches the bridge of her nose, glancing at Maggie before turning back to Daryl.
“Tell them I said tough luck.”
Nodding, Daryl goes to leave, but a hoarse whisper stops him.
“It’s okay.”
“Maggie -”
Lifting her head to look Carol in the eyes, Maggie shakes her head before gesturing to the door.
“It’s okay.”
Hesitating for a moment, Carol scans the other woman’s face before looking at Negan. The man smiles at her, nodding.
“You heard her. It’s alright. Go show them how to make something that’s actually edible.”
Reaching out slowly, she cups Maggie’s face before leaning forward and placing a kiss on the top of her head.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Maggie only nods, shifting in the bed to make herself more comfortable when Carol gets up. Before leaving, Carol takes one more look at the woman in the bed. Her heart breaking at the sight of her looking so small, so frail.
—
Standing in the corner of the room, Daryl takes in the two of them. Maggie curled up in bed, her body facing Negan, but not fully present in the room with them, and Negan sitting by her bed. He can’t completely understand what the other man is saying, but from what he can understand, it’s mainly nonsense.
Talking to fill the silence, Negan’s been mumbling to her since Carol left the room, and Daryl can tell that it’s keeping both of them tethered. If it weren't for the actual situation, he’d probably find it amusing, with the way Maggie would once be desperate for the man to shut up.
It’s strange seeing the two of them like this, but he’ll take the strangeness if it means helping Maggie. As he looks the woman over, his eyes once again taking note of the injuries he can see. Whilst the bruising on her neck is the darkest, almost no part of her skin is untouched.
Her entire frame is much skinnier than it had been the last time he had seen her. The road to a full recovery, if even possible, was going to be a long one.
The almost peaceful atmosphere is shattered by Rick’s entrance, the sudden noise of the door causing Negan to shoot up from his chair and Maggie to scramble up in bed. Coming from the other side of the bed, Negan isn’t able to get between the two of them before Rick reaches Maggie.
Unintentionally forcing himself into her space, he fails to notice the way her entire frame stiffens before he places a bowl of soup on her lap. As Negan makes his way to the other side of the bed, Daryl also moves forward, concerned with the fear growing on Maggie’s face.
“Thought I’d bring you something to warm you up.”
Shaking her head, Maggie begins to push the bowl of soup away from her, but Rick is insistent, and her limbs shake from both weakness and fear. Placing the spoon in her hand, Rick wraps her fingers around it and manoeuvres it into the bowl.
“It’s alright. It’ll help your throat feel better as well.”
With each passing second, Maggie’s fear grows, and Daryl is shocked that Rick seems to miss it somehow. Negan reaches out, attempting to grab the bowl, but Rick shoves his arm away.
“Rick, she doesn’t want it.”
“You don’t speak for her.”
Taking a deep breath, Negan tries to steady himself before speaking again. Trying not to lash out for Maggie’s sake.
“Stop it. This isn’t what she needs. Actually, it’s -”
“You think you get to dictate what she needs?” Rick drops Maggie’s hand, who, in return, drops the spoon. Michonne enters the room as Rick straightens up and spins around to shove Negan back. “You don’t get to speak about what she needs! What she needs is to eat!”
Shoving Rick’s hands away from his chest, Negan makes himself stand taller, frustration building as Rick refuses to listen.
“I’m not saying she doesn’t, but you’re going about it all wrong.”
Moving past Rick, he tries to grab the bowl of soup away from Maggie, who still hasn’t moved. But Rick grabs him and shoves him backwards.
Jumping forward, Daryl goes to grab Rick’s shoulder.
“Calm down, man. Let’s just take a second.”
“No! He did something to her, and I’m not going to sit here and just let him play protector! The only person she needs protecting from here is him!”
Whilst Rick is arguing with the two of them, Michonne turns to Maggie, noticing the vacant look in her eyes and how stiff she has become. In an attempt to offer comfort, she reaches her hand out to cup Maggie’s cheek.
Noticing this, Negan stops trying to push away his anger, desperate to reach Maggie, and rips Rick away from him, sending him stumbling into Daryl.
“Don’t touch her!”
It’s too late. Michonne doesn’t register his command in time as her hand reaches Maggie’s face. Her fingertips only trace the other woman’s jaw before Maggie throws herself from the bed.
The IV rips out of her arm, and Maggie’s hands come up to cover her mouth. A muffled scream makes its way up her throat, causing Daryl to wince, knowing it’s only going to aggravate her injury even more.
The three of them freeze as everything happens, but Negan already makes his way over to her before they can register what happened.
The bowl of soup shatters on the floor, but Maggie doesn’t register it.
—
“She needs to eat.”
“You think we don’t know that? She’s refusing everything we put in front of her. If we keep going like this, then she’s going to starve herself to death.”
The voices are coming from outside the room. Maggie sits chained to a chair, glaring at the man in front of her while he speaks.
“You hear them out there? This could go so much easier if you would just do as you are told.”
The voices outside get louder.
“Then stop giving her a choice!”
The door slams open as a man Maggie hasn’t seen before storms in, grabbing the bowl of soup from the table before standing in front of her.
“Eat. It.” Maggie glares at him, not speaking but refusing nonetheless.
The man’s anger grows as he watches her before he moves even closer. His hand wraps around her jaw, his finger and thumb pressing painfully down on either side until it forces her mouth open.
Once he does so, the bowl of soup is tipped down her throat.
The second the liquid hits the back of her throat, Maggie begins to choke, but the man doesn’t stop until the bowl is empty. His hand remains, his grip painfully tight as he forces her head to move so she looks at him.
He doesn’t let up, even as she sputters, beginning to smirk as he watches her before he leans down to whisper in her ear.
“Be grateful that’s the only thing I’m forcing down you.”
He rips his hand from her face, jolting her head to the side as he does so, slamming the bowl down on the table and leaving. Maggie’s body sags in the chair, and she begins to take deep breaths as her body recovers.
After a few moments, her head begins to feel light, her body numb. Fear begins to build as she knows what’s about to come. The only man remaining in the room stands up and makes his way to the door.
“I told you. It will be much easier if you do as you are told.”
—
Negan makes himself small, lowering himself down to the ground to sit beside her as she cowers in the corner. Maggie’s hands are still clamped around her mouth, but fortunately, she’s stopped screaming.
Despite wanting to pull her into him and hide her from the others’ eyes, he knows that it will only do more damage. He doesn’t know which exact memory she’s trapped in, but he knows where her mind is.
He knows what she’s seeing, and he knows he needs to tread carefully.
“Come on, darlin’, come on back to me.” He begins tapping on the floor in front of them, the same beat he did earlier on her collarbone. “You’re not there; that room is gone. That man is gone. We made sure of it, remember? Rick over there was just being a dumbass, you know how it is with his ‘I know best’ routine.”
The three of them don’t know what to do, all of them horrified by Maggie’s reaction, and guilt begins to gnaw at Rick’s chest. Her eyes flicker across the whole room, terror shining in them as she struggles to ground herself.
Once she recognises Negan, Maggie throws herself forward. Her arms wrap around him, her hands clawing at his shoulders whilst her face presses into his shoulder. Her breathing is so erratic that her entire body trembles with each breath.
On instinct, one of Negan’s arms wraps around her waist, the other moving to thread his fingers in her hair, pulling her in closer.
“You’re okay, it’s not happening again. No one will ever treat you that way again. I won’t let them. Rick didn’t mean it, he doesn’t know, sweetheart.”
Rick just wanted to help. He’d wanted to prove to Maggie that they were here now, she could lean on them. Instead, he’d gone and made everything worse.
He hardly notices as Daryl places a hand on his shoulder, only realising when he begins guiding Michonne and him to the door.
“Give them some space.”
Closing the door, Daryl takes a moment to take a deep breath before turning to Rick. Trying to keep his voice even.
“The fuck was that?”
Rubbing a hand over his face, Rick sighs. “I was just trying to help.”
“None of us know how to help her. Like it or not, Negan does. He knows her limits. He knows what she needs. Like it or not, we’re just going to have to deal with it and follow his lead.”
“We know her better than he does!”
“Not anymore.”
“Daryl -”
Stopping him from continuing, Michonne tugs on his arm gently, turning him towards her.
“I don’t like it either, but he’s right. Our way isn’t helping.”
“You want her to get better, right?”
“Of course I do, Daryl.”
“Then, for now, at least, put up with Negan’s presence. For Maggie.”