Hi there, well this story has been plaguing my mind for a while now...it's basically a Shane/OC with the OC being Rick and Lori's daughter. Now I know Shane isn't always everyone's favourite character - I didn't like him once they made him go all psycho, but I did like him before that. There aren't enough stories featuring him so here is one for you all.

Umm...it starts off at the beginning of the series and for now will follow the basics of the plot for now, some things will be different, and I will put in my own spin on things. I'm obviously not going down the Shane is a psycho killer route!

It is just me working on this so if there are any mistakes, which I'm sure there probably will be, then I'm sorry! Also, here is that disclaimer thingy - I don't own any of the plots and characters etc. that are recognisable, etc. etc.!

So thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoy, let me know what you think! Read and review!

Chapter 1

I was sat in history class, daydreaming about summer vacation, the precious few months before I left home for college, when really I should have been revising for the upcoming finals. I was looking forward to long hot days relaxing with my friends. The idea of hanging out at the mall or getting a tan were enough to distract me from the task at hand. I shook my head and looked back down at the textbook that was open in front of me and I once more attempted to focus on the great depression of the 1930s. I twirled a strand of my wavy blonde hair around my finger and bit on the pen that rested between my teeth.

The classroom door was opened with a bang and all the heads in the room spun to see who had entered the room. Mrs Davis, one of the three middle aged receptionists, quickly shuffled to my history teachers desk and whispered to him. Mr Foster's eyes flicked to me and my stomach dropped. Right then I knew something was wrong.

"Daisy? Your wanted in reception. Take your stuff with you" Mr Foster said, his lips were tight and his eyes were filled with sympathy.

I nodded limply. I felt sick to my stomach – for some, being taken out of class might have been a pretty ordinary thing, something you wouldn't get yourself worried about. But I wasn't the sort who got taken out of class; doctors' appointments were scheduled out of class hours, I didn't get in trouble. You're probably thinking that I was overreacting a bit, making a mountain out of a mole hill as dad would say, but the only time I'd ever been called before had been the day my grandfather died, so forgive me for being a bit apprehensive.

I shoved my books into my bag and slung it onto my shoulder. I straightened out my flowery sun dress and pulled on my denim jacket before hurriedly following Mrs Davis out of the classroom.. I could feel the eyes of the other kids on my back as we left the room. Mrs Davis didn't speak as we walked to the reception, but when we got there she quickly squeezed my hand and beckoned for me to head towards the main entrance. Nervously I walked towards the doors. That's when I saw Shane Walsh, my dad's best friend pacing back and forth just outside the school building. I'd known Shane all my life – he'd been friends with my dad since they were kids. He stuck by my dad and mom when she got pregnant with me in their junior year, and now, nearly eighteen years later, they were just as close. Shane's mom had died a few years back and he didn't really see the rest of his family, so he even tended to spend thanksgiving and Christmas with us.

I flung open the door, he stopped pacing and turned to face me. His top was splattered with blood. I looked into his eyes. My throat seemed to catch as I took in his wild eyed yet solemn expression.

"It's dad isn't it?" I whispered. He just nodded.

My knees buckled and I started to fall towards the concrete, a sob escaping my throat. Shane's arm wrapped around my waist, stopping me from falling. He held me tightly to his side and pulled me to the car. He opened the door to the cruiser and nudged me gently into the seat. He knelt down beside me and brushed the stray tears from my cheeks.

"We were out on a call and there was a shootout" Shane began "your dad…he was shot – passed out in my arms Daisy. We got him to the hospital, he's in surgery now"

I nodded slowly before letting out another sob. Shane wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him. I sobbed into his chest. When I finally stopped crying, I pulled away and wiped at my face, knowing fine well I'd look a state with mascara smears down my cheeks.

"Is my mom with him?" I whispered.

"Yeah" Shane nodded "she and Carl are there now – she was at his school when I called her, she asked me to come get you"

"Take me to my dad please Shane."

Shane led me through the hospital corridors to the room where my mom and Carl were anxiously waiting to hear how dad's surgery went. Mom was stood at the window, her arms crossed tightly across her chest and biting her lip nervously. Carl was sat on a sofa, his head in his hands. Mom wrapped me in a hug as we walked in and thanked Shane for getting me.

"Have you heard anything?" I asked my mom.

"No, nothing" Mom sighed, running a shaking hand through her hair, "they said he'd be out anytime now but they haven't come…they haven't come!"

"They're just making sure he's ok, Lori" Shane said comfortingly, "Rick will be fine…he has to be."

I sat down next to Carl and he wrapped himself into my side. I stroked my fingers through his hair and wiped a few tears from his face. Shane sat down in the chair opposite me and I gave him a weak smile. We sat around for what felt like forever but I suppose was only a couple of hours or so before anyone came to see us. Eventually a doctor, wearing pale green scrubs and a surgeons cap, came in and told us that the surgery had went well, however my dad was in a coma and they weren't sure when he'd wake up. Mom started crying once more when the doctor told us this and I did too. She held Carl and I to her and sobbed, rocking us against her and repeating over and over that everything would be ok. I had this awful feeling in my stomach that it wouldn't be.

The doctor led us all through to the hospital room where dad was. It was an awful sight. Dad was laying in the bed, hooked up to a bunch of wires. Machines beeped to the rate of his heart and a bunch of over measurements. His face was so pale. I pressed a hand to my mouth to hold back a gasp. Mom sat down beside my dad, tears rolling down her cheeks. She held on to dad's hand, gripping it tightly in her own. I kept expecting him to wake up, to tell me he was fine and that he'd be back on his feet in no time.

We stayed with dad for another couple of hours before a nurse came to tell us that we couldn't all stay with dad overnight.

"I can't leave Rick" Mom told us all, repeating it a few times.

"I'm sorry Mrs Grimes, its hospital policy – you're all welcome to come back in the morning, but only one person can stay overnight I'm afraid" the nurse explained with a sad smile.

Mom glanced between Carl and I and my dad..

"I'll take Daisy and Carl back to my place for the night Lori, and I'll bring them back here in the morning" Shane offered.

"Oh thank you Shane" mom smiled "Rick needs me right now"

"No worries Lori."

I stood up from my chair and walked to dad's side. I leaned over and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"See you tomorrow Dad, love you" I whispered "please wake up soon"

Shane lived in a small house not far from the police station he and my dad were stationed at. It was pretty plain really, but you could tell it was lived in. When I was little my dad would bring me over to Shane's house with him when he came to watch football games. And even now if I knew Shane had a day off I'd pop over for a coffee and we'd sit and watch a film or catch up on some TV. We'd always been pretty close. He got on well with Carl too, they would often go practice at the batting cages for hours on end.

When we arrived at Shane's house, I settled Carl into the guest room. It was small, the space taken up by the two single beds and the small chest of drawers. The walls were painted a sunshine yellow- I'd picked out the colour when I was nine, when Shane first bought the house. Nearly nine years later the room was still the same.

"Daisy…" Carl murmured as I pulled an old pair of my pyjamas from the drawers.

"Yeah?" I responded.

"Is dad going to be ok?"

I sighed and sat down on the bed beside Carl. He wedged himself into my side and I ran my fingers absentmindedly through his brown hair.

"Dad…dad is the strongest man I know – well I suppose Shane is pretty strong too but you know what I mean. But what I'm trying to say is that dad is tough – if anyone can pull through this, he can" I told Carl "we just have to be strong for him to, he needs us to be"

"I can be strong" Carl nodded.

"Good" I smiled, standing up and pressing a kiss to his forehead, "now, go to sleep".

"Night Daisy"

"Night squirt."

I grabbed my pyjamas and turned out the light. I headed to the bathroom and quickly got changed and brushed my teeth. I padded my way back downstairs and found Shane sitting in the living room, staring up at a picture on the coffee table- my dad and Shane in their uniforms, his arm slung across my dad's shoulder, both of them were grinning. I sat down beside him, cross legged. He turned away from the photo and gave me a small smile.

"How're you feeling?" he asked me, passing me a mug of hot chocolate and a couple of chocolate biscuits.

"Thanks. Umm…tired…and scared I guess – I mean what if he doesn't wake up Shane? He's in a coma for Christ's sake" I sighed.

"He'll wake up Daisy he has to"

"He's my dad, Shane, I love him – I don't know what I'll do…if he dies"

I took a quick drink of my hot chocolate and nibbled at my biscuits for a few minutes.

"How's school going?" Shane asked me. I rolled my eyes.

"School is school" I laughed "finals are coming up so the my teachers are on my ass all the time. I can't wait for the summer! Megan – you know Megan, she was at my birthday party last year – anyway, we're planning a month long road trip"

"Isn't Megan the girl who has a new boyfriend every week?" Shane commented, his eyebrow raised.

"She's not that bad…ok she is that bad! But I swear, she is a lovely person! She's already got a long list of clubs she wants to go to while we're away! She keeps banging on about getting me a guy!" I laughed, rolling my eyes at her antics, "Oh! Don't tell my parents I said that – they'll try and ban the trip!"

"Don't worry your secret is safe with me!" Shane promised.

We were quiet for a few minutes, before I got up and headed to the kitchen to wash up my mug. I ran the hot water and began swilling out my mug. I didn't hear Shane come into the room behind me.

"So…you're planning to find a few guys then? On this road trip of yours" Shane asked.

I let out a small squeal and jumped with the shock. He chuckled at me. I turned to face him, dishcloth in hand.

"Jeez Shane! Don't scare me like that" I admonished before pursing my lips, "But no, it's not my thing…you know the one night stand stuff" I confessed, blushing profusely. Truth be told, I was still a virgin.

"Good" Shane said firmly, flashing me a smile.

I was sure I saw relief flash across his face. I guess he saw himself as a father figure in my life, and was therefore relieved that I didn't plan on putting it about while on my road trip. I suppose when I was small I did look up to Shane as an authority figure, I loved him like he was family. But as I grew up that changed for me. In the last year we'd grew closer. He was like a best friend to me, I could confide in him. He was there for me when I fell out with my friends or when I broke up my boyfriend last month.

"I'm going to head up to bed; I want to be up the hospital early tomorrow"

"Goodnight Daisy"

"Night Shane" I responded, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek as I passed him.