Protector || Shane Walsh

Chapter 41

And god it feels good to be seated in the back of the Cherokee, heading home.

I rest my head on Shane's shoulder while I cradle the pup. Shane tenderly scratches its head.

"Pretty sure this little guy's a pitty." he comments as the pup starts to close his eyes.

"Can we keep him?" I ask softly.

"Mmm.." Shane says contemplatively.

"Sorry, that was rhetorical. We're keeping him." I state and smile down at the sweetie. "Little Bodhi."

"Bodhi?" Shane questions.

"It means awakening and enlightenment." I explain. "No more death, no more suffering." I lift my head and look at Shane with a closed lip smile.

He looks at me for a moment, his warm eyes looking like melted chocolate. He leans in and gently presses his lips to mine.

Everything else fades as I deepen the kiss. Space, time, nothing else matters, just Shane.

"We're back." Daryl suddenly announces from the front seat. "Go get a room."

I rest my forehead against Shane's and bite my bottom lip, chuckling quietly at Daryl.

"Don't mind if I do." Shane mumbles and nuzzles into my neck.

We make it inside and reunite with our family.

Everyone is besotted with Bodhi until they're hanging on our every word, as we inform them of our bright and hopeful future.

The buzz in the air is delicious and exciting.

We've carried hope with us at every twist and turn these past long months and now the hope is more believable than ever.

But we've done all we can and the rest falls upon the shoulders of Dr's Javier, Rosita, Eugene, Siddiq and Theodore.

Shane and I go to our room and head for the bathroom.

I try to leave Bodhi in the bedroom but when his little paw keeps clawing under the bathroom door as he whines away, I have to let him in.

"Hey sooky bear." I coo, as he bounces into the room.

He tottles around our feet, stumbling around as his tail wags fiercely.

The sweet little guy just looks so happy to be around living people that don't want to rip the flesh from his bones.

He settles on the bath mat, chewing the laces of my boots, while Shane and I lovingly bathe each others bodies.

Once we're out, Bodhi's back around our ankles, licking the water droplets off our skin.

We get dressed and leave our room, grabbing food before we rejoin the others. We discuss everything with them all in more depth, while we eat.

It feels so reminiscent of being around the fire at quarry camp.

And while we may have lost some good people since then, we've also gained some.

I look at the Greene's sympathetically. They just lost their farm, they're home.. And they lost Patricia.

But our apparent success at the hospital has managed to raise their spirits as well as ours.

Which only makes this hopeful bliss all the sweeter.

Shane and I eventually excuse ourselves and retire to our room for the evening. Bodhi jumps up and follows us, his belly now round and full.

As soon as the bedroom door is shut, Shane is on me. Lips crushed onto mine, hands in my hair.

I kiss him back hungrily, wrapping my arms around his neck, my hand caressing his nape.