Chapter One:
Shane comes home to a smile on his face picking up his four year old daughter and throwing her up in the air. Judith's giggles ring throughout the house startling the young mother. Shane smile fades a bit looking over at his wife of seven years. She had gorgeous blonde hair and light blue eyes, everything a man could want in a woman.
But that's the problem, she was a woman.
At one point in Shane's life he believed himself to be bisexual but as time passed he knew deep down that he could never love a woman the same way he loves men. One man had caught his attention immediately way back in high school ,Rick Grimes, the basketball captain of Cynthiana High School. Or as he is now known as Officer Grimes, sherif deputy.
"Shane, what is it?" Jane asks as their daughter wiggles in his arms.
Shane snaps out of his thoughts looking into the eyes of his dear wife, "It's nothing Jane." He puts his daughter back down onto her blanket in the floor where she immediately goes back to playing her dolly LouLou.
"It's something, Shane. Every Friday night you come home with that smug look on your face after having a few shots with Rick." She chocks on his name.
"Uncle Rickie?" Judith questions from her spot in the floor.
"It's nothing, Judy. Go back to playing." Shane smiles pulling his wife into the kitchen where they can still see Judith but far enough that they can talk.
"You love him don't you?"
Shane looks up with brown eyes into the eyes of his loving wife who was never enough for him. Shane loved her yes but not like he loved his best friend, Rick. Rick Grimes, the man Shane cannot get out of his head.
"I'm sorry June..."
She shakes her head as a tear runs down, "I knew it. I knew it Damnit. I've know for the last eight years but I still married you like the damn fool I am." June pushes past him running upstairs with Shane behind her.
"June! Don't do anything rash now!" Shane yells after her. She ignores him and hurriedly packs her suitcase.
"Fuck you Shane Walsh." She yells zipping up her bag and leaving the house. Shane runs after her but she simply shoved him away getting into her white Sudan and leaving.
Shane thought she would go to her parents to cool off but she never came back.
Rick came to him during the second week of her being missing. "I've got your back man. Whatever you need, I'm here."
Shane smiles weakly at his friend, "I just can't help but think Judith will grow up without a mother and it'll be all my fault."
"Hey, don't go there. If she left for good over an argument, than that's on her. Not you. You're here being the best fucking father you can be."
Rick proclaims patting his best friend on the back.
Months pass with Rick and Shane growing to be closer than ever. They start having dinner every Monday and Friday at the Grime's house. Judith slowly forgot about her mother until a year passed. She would ask questions like, "When will mommy be home?" But soon, there was nothing. No mention of the mother by the four, now five year old.
Rick looks over at his partner eating a double meat cheese burger with ketchup. "What's the difference between men and woman?"
Shane chews his bite and swirlies before answering, "I never met a woman who knew how to turn off a light especially June. They're born thinking in a switch, it only goes one way. On. They're struck blind the second they leave a room. I mean every woman, I ever let have a key... I swear to God. Come home, house all lit up, and my job, apparently because... because my chromosomes happen to be different cause I then gotta walk through that house, turn off every single light this chick left on."
Rick smirks amused, "Is that right?"
Shane smiles back, "Yeah, baby. Alright, Reverend Shane's preaching to you now, boy."
Rick only smiles shaking his head.
"June use to bitch about global warming. That's when Reverend Shane wants to quote from the Guy Gospel and say "Um, darling? maybe you, and every other pair of boobs on this planet just figured out that the light switch see, goes both ways, "maybe we wouldn't have so much global warming."
Rick started, "You say that?"
Shane shyly, "Yeah. Anyway, uh... Polite version... Still man, that... that earns me this. This look and loathing you would not believe. And that's when the exorcist voice pops out. "You sound just like my damn father. Always, always yelling about the power bill, telling me to turn off the damn lights."
"I suppose the polite version is the way to go."
Shane nods, "Yes, sir. So how's it with Lori, man?"
Rick sighs at his friend glancing at his burger suddenly loosing his appetite, "We didn't have a great night."
Shane nods, "Look, man, I may have a... fail to amuse with my sermon, but I did try. The least you could do is speak."
Rick annoyed, "That's what she always says: "Speak". "Speak". You'd think I was the most closed mouth son of a bitch you'd ever hear her telling. The thing is... lately whenever I try... everything I say makes her impatient, like she didn't want to hear it after all. It's like she's... pissed at me all the time, and I don't know why."
"That's just just shit couples go through man." Shame states but he knows very well where it usually leads to. Months after June had left he got a letter in the mail, divorce papers. All he had to do was sign it along with the child papers saying Judith was his and his alone.
"She threatened it today, divorce. Right in front of Carl too. What kind of mother does that?" Rick spits angrily.
"Messed up kinds, believe me."
•••
Shane and Rick drive down the road in silence. The discussion of Lori and June hung heavily in the air. Shane can't help but feel a little hope light up inside him at the thought of them getting a divorce. Maybe just maybe he still had a chance. He shakes his head belittling himself for the horrid thought. He shouldn't be happy about this.
The radio comes on with the caller announcing, "Suspects are two male Caucasians. Be advised, they have fired on police officers. One Lindon county officer is wounded."
Caller, "Unit 1 Unit 3, please. 18, 2 miles west of lnterstate 85 and we'll patch in Lindon County Sheriff radio."
Shane comes on the radio, "Roger that. We're 5 minutes out on the route 18 intersection."
Rick stops the car before he and Shane gets out of the car. They set up spike strips to stop the felon when he drives by.
Policeman comes n the radio, "Dispatch, Unit 1, Unit 3, we are 10-97 in code 100. Highway 18, 85 Interstate, please advice."
They back up to the other deputies and get out of their cars to aim their gun. Policeman sighs, "Sounds like they're chasing those idiots up and down every back road we got."
Leon smiling wildly, "Hey, we'll get them on one of those video shows, you know, like World's craziest police chases, what do you think?"
Rick and Shane roll their eyes at the young cop, "What I think, Leon, is that you need to stay focused. Make sure you got a round in the chamber and your safety off."
Leon realizes he didn't do that and corrects his mistake.
Shane thinking lightly, "Would be kind of cool to get on one of them shows."
Suddenly, the car comes down the road. It hits the spike strips dead on and ends up crashing after flipping multiple times.
Rick yells out, "Holy shit."
The deputies aim all of their guns at the men inside the car. The driver's door opens and he comes out with a gun.
Policeman screams in alarm, "gun, gun, gun!"
Rick starts to shoot from behind his car door, "Put it down! Put the gun down!"
But the man comes out firing. Several shots are exchanged and Rick moves forward towards the suspect before he is hit in the vest. The other deputies quickly take him down. Another man jumps out of the car surprising everyone. But Shane quickly shoots him down.
Shane runs to Rick whim is laying flat on the floor unharmed.
Shane startled at the thought of Rick being hurt yells for him.
"I'm alright!" Rick yells slowly getting up.
Shane out of breath, "I saw you get tagged, man, it scared the hell out of me."
"Me too. Son of a bitch shot me. You believe that?"
Shane nods, lHe got you in your new vest."
Rick turns his back to the flipped car, "Yeah. Shane, you do not tell Lori that happened. Ever. You understand... Aah!"
Shot, it rings out through Shane's ear. His best friend falls to the floor gasping for air. Shame drops to his knees and puts pressure on the wound but everything is a blur. The paramedics coming, the ride to the hospital, and finally calling Lori.
"Lori, it's Rick...he's been injured." Shane says through the phone. He hears the woman gasp.
"How bad?"
"He's shot clean through his shoulder. The docs are doing there best but we don't know..." Shane struggles not to chock on his words as he feels a tear slide down.
"What am I supposed to tell Carl?"
•••
Weeks pass and it seems that Rick won't be waking up anytime soon. Carl handles it the hardest while Lori doesn't seem to be dazed at all. It worries Shane than one day, Carl is one his doorstep with no Lori and sight.
"Where's your mom, kiddo?" Shane asks looking over the boy in front of him.
Carl cries, "She went out to get milk but hasn't come back. It's been hours Shane." Shane watches slowly as a piece of paper is pulled out of the boys pocket. He hands them to Shane as the man hands the boy a glass of chocolate milk.
Divorce papers glare down at him. Lori had left signing away custody of Carl to Rick. She had done exactly as her best friend, June.
