Love Quote #40 - "Hello is such a simple word. But from the right person, it can mean everything."

Hello is Such a Simple Word

Shane had blown up at everyone in Hershel's house over the Randall issue. He wasn't sorry for anything he ever said about Randall. It didn't matter that Hershel told him to shut his mouth in front of everyone—Shane knew he was speaking the truth. No one wanted to hear it. Only Andrea did and she told him he needed to work on his presentation. He also told her he should've left with her when he had the chance. Shane still kicked himself for not doing so earlier, but there was hope because they finally decided to make a plan to leave together in a few days. They would've left earlier if Rick hadn't approached him with the idea of dropping off Randall eighteen miles out…

Now him and Rick had returned and that plan had gone absolutely haywire—and all because Rick couldn't bring himself to shoot the damn kid. Well, it was more than that—the mounting animosity between the best friends/brothers violently exploded when Shane told Rick he couldn't keep Lori and Carl safe. From there, Shane tried to shoot Randall twice and Rick stopped him both times. Shane didn't understand what the big deal was. Just take a loaded gun, aim it at the kid's head, and pull the damn trigger. Shoot the asshole in the head. Point-blank. Done. It should've been easy, but it wasn't, not when Rick wanted to play do-gooder savior. And because Rick wanted to play "good cop" to Randall, Shane refused to help him put the kid back in the barn. Instead, he watched as Rick dragged a resisting Randall to the doors.

"You're jus' gonna stand there an' not help me put him back in?" Rick shouted, annoyed that Shane stood back with a wry expression on his face.

"Brother, you're the one that wanted to take charge—so take charge."

Shane leaned against the Hyundai with his arms folded across his chest. He was entertained that Rick was having a difficult time, but he kept that thought to himself. Part of his amusement was revenge for the fight he and Rick got into earlier. Rick had got his shots in and so did Shane—but Shane wanted to get one last shot in. Refusing to help would infuriate Rick and Shane was fine with that since he was angry that Rick was determined to do things his way and not listen to reason—especially when it compromised Lori's and Carl's safety. It was hard to believe they were partners in the sheriff's department not too long ago.

A yelp from Rick interrupted Shane's thoughts.

Randall kicked at Rick's legs. Rick grabbed Randall's collar and slammed against the barn doors. Randall shuddered, fearful and not knowing if he would do it again. Although he was bound, gagged, and blindfolded, he was still a nuisance to deal with.

"Kick me one more time an' it's over. Right here an' right now."

Shane yawned. They were empty threats from Rick and Randall knew it too. He was bored now and decided to do Rick a tiny favor. Marching over to the barn, Shane kicked the doors open and gestured for Rick to bring Randall in.

"There you go an' that's all I'm doin' for today. Rest is up to you, Rick."

Rick offered a curt nod. He was still angry at Shane, but grateful for this small helpful gesture. He dragged the fidgeting Randall into the barn—but not before Shane punched Randall in the stomach for good measure. Randall immediately stopped fighting against Rick as he bent over in pain.

"That's what you get, you piece of shit!" Shane punched him again—much harder now. "Next time you gonna taste bullets."

Rick threw Randall on the ground and turned to Shane now. "That's enough, Shane!"

Shane threw his arms in the air in exaggerated frustration. "Go ahead—play patty-cake with the asshole! Hope you have heaps of fun."

With that, Shane turned around and left the area. He vaguely heard Rick calling for him. It didn't matter. It was better he get out of there now before he pulled out his Glock 17 that Rick returned to him—he would be too tempted to shoot Randall in the head and put down the son-of-a-bitch before he could cause more problems. Shane found the fence that surrounded the Greene farm. It was the same fence he and Andrea had walked to recently when he was explaining to her about shutting down her emotions: "turn off the switch". Shane pulled out his Glock 17 and studied it. He didn't know what to make of Rick returning his gun to him. If he didn't know any better, he thought Rick was trusting him too much—especially since Shane had thrown a wrench at him earlier. He ain't never gonna learn, Shane though. He heard footsteps behind him and whipped around.

"Hello, Shane. It's just me."

Andrea.

He noticed she wore a blue sweater and hugged herself as though fending off the cold. That was weird to Shane because he didn't feel cold, but he supposed his adrenaline was still pumping from his earlier fight with Rick. He was still on fire. Still, it was nice that Andrea sought him out. It was accurate to say that she was always the only one who sought him out. Everyone else stayed away from him unless they wanted to get in his face like Dale or lecture him like Rick.

"What happened?" She started towards him, but he backed off.

"Ain't nothin'," Shane said gruffly, not wanting to explain the fresh bruises coloring his face.

She didn't press further. He was relieved that she took the hint and dropped it.

"So are we still gonna…?" Andrea didn't finish her sentence, but Shane knew exactly what she referred to.

"Hell yeah, we're gonna make sure we're gone by the end of the week. Ain't no lookin' back once we hightail it outta here."

Andrea nodded and went to stand with him near the fence. Shane was tempted to his put his arm around her and pull her closer to him, but he resisted. He didn't want to reveal what he truly felt for Andrea yet. Any outward display of affection would be dangerous for him. He couldn't lose himself; he had to maintain control of the entire situation. He was losing control everywhere else—his role as leader, his influence in decision-making, he couldn't be a surrogate husband and father to Lori and Carl anymore, and he felt like he was trapped in a downward spiral. The only way to remedy the problem was to get away—leave the group with Andrea and never look back. For now, he would maintain a hold over his emotions towards her. Keep his distance, but be close enough in a way that worked best for him. Still, he had to admit that hearing a simple "hello" brightened his mood…and all because it came from Andrea.