Chapter Twenty-Three

Daryl's POV

Summer and I were sitting at our tent, she was doing her best to keep Harry from crying because he was being fussy and I was whittling some more wood into arrows. We were both absorbed in our own thoughts when I heard someone clear their throat. I looked up and saw Dale. I groaned and stood up to load the new makeshift arrows into my bow.

"Ya know, the whole point in me movin' us up here was to get away from you people," I said.

"It's gonna take more than that," Dale said.

"Did Carol send you?" I asked and continued to load the arrows.

"She's not the only one that's concerned about you and your new roll in the group," he replied.

"I don't need my head shrunk," I said, "This group's broken. I'm better off fending for myself and my family."

"Don't act like you don't care," Dale said.

"Oh yeah? And why not? Cause I don't care," I said.

"So you mean to tell me, live or die, you don't care what happens to Randall?" he asked.

"Nope," I said simply putting on my jacket.

"And why not?" he asked, "Stand with me and try to save his life if it doesn't matter."

"I didn't peg you for a desparate sommabitch," I said slinging my crossbow on my back, "I don't care what happens to him. I just want him the hell away from my family."

"Whether you want to believe it or not your opinion makes a difference," Dale said.

"Look man, ain't nobody lookin to me for nothin," I said adjusting my bow and I went to walk away.

"Carol is," he said and I could hear him start to follow me, "and I am. And of course Summer is. You have Rick's ear."

"Rick just looks to Shane," I said turning around to face him, "and ya know what? Let him."

"You cared about what happened to Sophia," he said, "Your wife had just given birth and you still went looking for her. You cared what it meant to the group. Torturing people? That isn't you. You are a decent man. So is Rick. Now Shane, Shane is different."

"Why's that?" I said readjusting my bow, "Cause he killed Otis?"

"Who…who told you that?" Dale asked, alarmed.

"He told some bullshit story about how Otis covered him, saved his ass and then he showed up with the dead man's gun," I said and shrugged, "Ya know, Rick ain't stupid. If he didn't figure that out it's cause he didn't wanna. It's like I said, this group's broken."

I turned my back on him and walked into the woods to hunt.

Summer's POV

I saw Daryl walk off into the woods and I knew that whatever Dale had said to him upset him. I tried to listen in but they were too far off and Harry was crying. Dale walked over to me.

"Do you care what happens to Randall? Because apparently your husband doesn't," he said, "He is a good man, Summer, and I don't understand why he can't accept that the group looks to him for answers just as much as we look to Rick."

"Personally, I don't think we should kill him, but to be honest if his group rolls through here I have my son to worry about and the last thing I want to do is put him in harm's way. As far as him not accepting a leadership role there's something you have to understand Dale, he has spent his entire life just looking out for himself. And then he met me and all of a sudden he had someone else to look out for and then Harry was born and he has someone to protect above everything else. He doesn't take leadership rolls well, he's never been one to want to be in charge. He takes up these rolls to protect people on his own accord. He knows that I can fend for myself and that I have always been able to do that, but he chose to take me under his wing anyway. You just have to give him some time. He's not used to having so many people to count on him when all his life, no one ever did," I said, "He will come to terms with the fact that people other than me need him and value his opinion and actually care about him, eventually."

"I guess we will just give him some time then," he said and nodded.

I smiled at him and he walked off to rejoin everyone over by the RV. I continued to play with Harry and waited for Daryl to come back. After a few hours he came walking back over to Harry and I who were now seated in front of our small fire. I was singing to Harry one of my favorite songs when I saw Daryl sit down in the chair next to me from the corner of my eye.

"Even when the world's gone to shit your voice still sounds beautiful," he said.

"Thank you," I said and smiled at him, "Dale came to talk to me after you walked off."

"Does he ever know when to shut his mouth," he said.

"Hear me out, Dar," I said, "these people, our people, they look to you. They see how you fight for me, for Harry. How you risked your life for Sophia. They can tell that you genuinely care for them. Rick is clearly the leader of this group but at this point he needs a new right hand man because let's face it, Shane is unstable and unreliable at this point. He's a loose cannon, who knows what he's going to do next. At this point I fear that he may be a bigger threat to this group than Randall is. Do I think he deserves to die? No. Do I think he has to? Yes. But that's just my opinion. I'm just saying, take into consideration what Dale was saying. These people need you maybe just as much as I need you."

"I can't make any promises because I don't need to be lookin out for anyone other than you and Harry, but I'll think about it," he said, "I'm gonna head to bed."

"I'll see you in the morning then," I said.

He leaned down and kissed me before going into the tent. I stayed up a little longer and rocked Harry to sleep before going into the tent myself.