Lori’s death hits Rick harder than anything has. It shakes his core, and leaves him feel so unbearably empty. He has a house full of two kids; Carl only a teen and Judith not even 3. He doesn’t even know how to tell them. Doesn’t know how to stomach the truth and face it with them. It’ll be easier for Judith, who won’t remember-- but Carl.... Carl will grieve just like Rick will. It breaks Rick’s heart.
After almost a year of not being able to sleep in the bedroom he and Lori shared, not being able to sit in the kitchen they ate in, or the living room or any part of the house-- Rick had to move. He had to start over, get his family somewhere new something different. It had been hard, but Shane helped. Helped him pack, helped sell the house and piece out the new one.
It was small, in a neighborhood in a small town a few miles outside of where they lived now. Rick hoped it would be easier, would be better to deal with. Carl seemed to be taking the move better than he expected. Rick was sure they all needed the change. Change is always good-- unpacking from the move it always bad.
It takes Rick almost 3 days to move most of everything with Shane and his son’s help. And finally when everything is unpacked, it isn’t long before the kids are heading off to start school. When Rick finally has a moment to himself, he really isn’t sure what to do with himself. The switch from his old station to his new station left him with a little more than a week to himself, vacation time his captain told him to take to unpack. He was grateful for it, but now.... he was bored out of his mind.
Rick chose at that moment that he was going to drive around the new town, see what was around. Of course nothing ever goes according to plan. His car makes it 3 miles down the road, before it stops. Rick frowns, pulling over and checking the smoking hood. He scoffs loudly. This would be his luck, because nothing could ever be easy for the man. A moment later he’s digging out his phone, googling (with effort. Where the hell was his son, when Rick needed him? ) a shop that could look at his car.