"dad? ------ i heard you and carl and stuff talk about him before. who's shane?"
Itās a name that Rick hates thinking about. The pain that wells up in his chest never lightens. It only grows, burying its way into his heart. It makes his blood run cold, and his body stiffen all at once. Itās a horrible feeling. Rick often wonders if heād ever be able to speak about the man that was once family without the weight.
Sometimes, he slips. Carl will bring him up, Rickās face twists into a hint of a smile. I remember at your age, Shane and Iā Rick would start. Stories easily fall to his tongue, but they are harder to get out. Carl understands, or so Rick thinks. Understands the weight of the name, understands the weight of the story when Rick shares. He likes to think so at least. Sometimes, Carl slips too. Heāll share a story about what Shane taught him, or something funny when Shane babysat. Rick tries to will away the jealousy because even after all this time, there is a spark of it there. Itās unneeded at this point, Rick understands that. Heās far too old not to, but it still feels fresh much like an open wound.
Rick sometimes wishes his best friend was still there by his side. Rick and Shane seemed like an unlikely pair, but they made due. He sometimes misses him more than his late wife. But, Rick doesnāt feel guilt over that. He doesnāt allow himself too. Not when you canāt replace a brother. But at the same moment that thought brings him tumbling back to the present with his daughter standing there. If Shane was hereā¦. He would have lost this. He would have lost his little girl.
He has known for a long time this girl wasnāt his. He could smell it in the air, he knew. It had killed him at first, making it hard to even look at her. But, it wasnāt her fault. Rick never blamed her. He couldnāt. He loved her, he just needed to grieve. Looking at her, he saw so much of Shane and Lori it nearly broke him. Beautiful like Lori, and the wits of Shane.
Judith. Judith didnāt know how much she actually saved Rick. But, she had. Maybe thatās why when she mentioned the name, he went stiffer than he should have. He nearly shut down. This wasnāt something he wanted to talk about, something he was not prepaid for. A long moment passed, Judith looking at Rick with wondering eyes.
Rick was a selfish man. He had little left. His family, was his. Bringing Shane into would only take that from him. A man who wasnāt even alive would take away his daughter from him. Envy. It was there, bubbling underneath his skin. Rick swallowed it down. He leaned against the counter, the kitchen in Alexandria feeling far too much like home. He looked at Judith, and Rick knew a white lie wouldnāt be right. While Rick was a selfish man, he was not selfish enough to keep something so important from his daughter.
He was worried of losing Carl at some point, but they had been okay. He had to have faith in his daughter, that Loriās understanding was embedded in her skin. āYou know I love you?ā He asked gently, leaving her no room to reply. He drags a hand over his face, trying to think how to approach this. āWhat Iām going to tell you isnāt going to change anything about us. ā He states, assuring himself at this point more than his own child. He waits, making sure he has her attention.
āShane Walsh. ā Rick says the name, surprised it doesnāt make him as sick to his stomach as he thought. Rick continues, pushing on quickly. āHe was important to me, and this family. ā Rick looks up for a moment trying to find the right words, before looking back at his daughter. āHe has given me something I can ever repay me for. Something that I can never thank him enough for, because words would never have been enough. ā
ā Iāve known him since I was young, we were always together, even before I met your mother. ā
Everyday I look at you, youāre just as beautiful as her.
āDo you remember when I said I was a Sheriff? I was. Shane was my partner, my best friend. He was family, my brother. ā
I can still hear his voice in my head, guiding me even now.
āShane, ā The word was easier now. āHe, meant no harm ever. He always cared too much. It tended to get himself into trouble. ā Rick said wanting to laugh, but he could feel the sting in his eyes instead. āBut, I can find trouble myself. ā He said gently, looking at Judith. āI was shot, Shane he saved your mother and Carl. Made sure I was safe, and he took them away from all this mess when this first started. ā Rick falters here. Pauses for a long moment.
āI was gone for a very long time. ā
I donāt blame them. Not a single moment of it.
āShane and your motherā Carl. They became a family. One I was not apart of. ā Rick pauses a moment letting it sink in, letting Judith understand. āThey all thought I was dead. They all needed each other. ā With that he walks over to Judith, running a soothing hand down her head. āThey were happy. And I am glad they were happy. There was no one at the time I cherished more, I would never begrudge their happiness. I have no right to. Not when their happiness gave me, my own. ā
āWhen I came back, when I found themā Rick swallows roughly, emotion caught in his throat. He shakes his head. āYouāre mother was pregnant. We didnāt know it, when I came back. ā Rick says again pausing so Judith can really listen. āYou know your mother didnāt make it. Shane did not either. I canāt tell you why. That story I canāt ever tell, itās too twisted and not the man that he was. You donāt get to hear a story of a monster when Shane wasnāt one. He was a good man. Someone I would rely on even now. But know, Judy. ā He lost his way. But I had too.Ā Rick said, moving down to look Judith in the eye. Making sure that she understood every word of what he was going to say. This would not be the time he lost his daughter. āI may not have made you but you are my daughter. You will always be my daughter. I will always protect you and care about you until my last breath. I may not be your father⦠but I am your dad. āI will always provide for you even if you are not truly mine.Ā