Off Limits

Without you.

I was sitting on the porch with Maggie,Glenn and Daryl. When they pulled in, getting up and starting off the porch. I didn't see Shane.

"Dad, where's Shane?" I asked afraid of the answer I was about to get.

Everyone else had made their way to the car.

"T-dog will you take Randall to the barn please?" Dad asked.

"Daddy?"

"Baby I'm sorry."

"No no no please." I fell to my knees dad embrassing me.

"I'm sorry baby. He didn't make it."

I cried harder than I ever had. He was gone. I loved him and now he's gone.

Rick's POV

Emma was far worse than I would have imagined. She bawled until there was nothing left in her. Hershal was afraid she'd dehydrate between the crying and throwing up. So he gave her a sedative. I sat with her as she slept. Feeling guilty for the pain I was causing her.

"How is she?" Maggie asked. Bringing in a glass of water.

"She's still sleeping. I'm grateful to Hershal for that."

"I'm sorry about your friend. Can't say he was one of my favorite people in the world, but Emma is and I'm sorry she's hurting."

"Thank you Maggie."

I sat there going over what had happened again and again. She would want answers when she wakes up. She's gona wana know what happened to him. I didn't know exactly what I was gona tell her or anyone else. I hadn't faced any of them yet. I wasn't ready for the questions. I left my best friend to die. I knew what he was doing. It was gona be me or him. I did what I had to.

"Hey how are you both?" Lori asked walking in closing the door.

"I don't know."

"What happened out there Rick?"

I took Lori into the hall making sure noone else was around. I told her the truth about what had happened.

"You did what you had to do Rick. It was you or him."

The more I thought about it the more it ate me up inside.

I left the house searching for Daryl.

When I found him I told him what had happened. I wanted to go back. Maybe he was still alive. Maybe there was something we could do. Emma's face kept playing in my head. I never wanted to see that kinda pain in her eyes.

Daryl and I left telling only Lori.
When we got there we killed the few stray walkers left. I went to the bus not seeing Shane anywhere.

"Maybe he got out ran off." Daryl said.

" Yeah maybe."

We decided to check a few nearby houses. Entering the last house on the block. We found Shane's 22 necklace in the hands of a walker. Any of the bloody bodys here could be his. They were all unrecognizable.

"You did what you had to do Rick. He tried to kill you. The way he was he would have kept trying." Daryl said.

"Yeah doesn't make it any easier though."

We left heading back to the farm. I was still unsure what to tell Emma and the others.

Getting to the farm. Lori came running out asking if we found anything.

"Emma's awake she's been asking for ya."

"How long she been up?"

"Not long few minutes."

I walked in she was still crying eyes red and puffy.

"Hi baby." I said pulling her into a hug.

"What happened to him daddy?"

I don't wana lie to her,but I can't bare her hating me.

We got surrounded ran in diffrent directions. He was trapped on a bus. When we went back. This was all we found in the hands of a walker. The body was unrecognizable. I handed her Shane's necklace.

I watched as she cried clutching Shane's necklace in her hand.

"Baby I'm so sorry. I hate seeing you hurt like this." 

She looked up at me. "I'm glad your ok daddy." I sat with her till she fell asleep again.

I told the others the same story as I did her being as vague as possible.

Emma's POV

I woke up with Daryl laying asleep beside me. Seeing him there made me grin. Just like I had sat with him. Here he was sitting with me.

"He's been there all night."
I looked toward the door seeing Maggie.

"Just came to check on ya. How are you?" She asked.

"I dono. It doesn't seem real. I wana cry but I don't have anything left."

"I'm so sorry Emma. I know how much you cared about him."

"I hope he has some kind of peace at least. He deserves that."

Maggie left to go tend to Beth. Who after her suicide attempt needed to be watched.

I laid close to Daryl appreciating his presence. When he finally woke up. We talked for awhile. When I was ready we walked out of the house together.

Everyone was offering their condolences. Dad and Daryl had dug a grave for Shane. We had a service when it came my turn to say something. I just couldn't and it seemed pointless. He wasn't here his body wasn't laying under there. He knew how I felt and things I wanted to say. I was somewhat comforted that we at least had made up. The night in the barn would stick with me forever in more ways than one.