( Notes - TW - Shane uses a slur to describe Hedley ) 

When Hedley woke up alone in the tent, not seeing Daryl, he whined and ran out and towards Rick.

'Rick' He waved the card in a panic.

"Woah. Calm down, kid. What's wrong?"

'Daryl'.

"Daryl?"

Hedley whipped his head around the camp, eyes searching.

"Oh." Rick understood, "Daryl's gone on a run with Glenn. He left in the early hours. He's okay. He'll be back soon."

Hedley let out a cry of anguish, lifting his hand to hit his head. Rick grabbed his arms, trying to stop him from hurting himself.

"Calm. You're okay. You're safe. It's okay."

"Dad!" Carl called as he came running. "What happened?"

"Go back to your mom, Carl!"

"No, dad! Let him go! You're scaring him!"

Rick let Hedley go and the boy curled into himself on the floor, hands over his ears.

Carl went to his friend and knelt down, hand reaching for one of Hedley's. The other boy lifted his head at Carl's and whined. Carl gave him the cards he dropped, hoping Hedley would explain.

'Scared'. 'Daryl'. 'Walkers'.

"You're scared Daryl got attacked by walkers?"

'Yes'.

"I know you're scared but he'll be back soon. You'll see."

Just then, Glenn and Daryl were back, and Hedley dashed to Daryl and hugged his middle with a cry.

"What's wrong, kid?" He frowned, seeing the water works.

"He was scared you got attacked." Rick explained.

"Ya need to have more faith in me, kid. I ain't goin' nowhere. I actually got ya somethin'" Daryl opened the backseat of the truck and pulled out a small crossbow and a pack of arrows. He offered it to the boy, "'ere ya go."

Hedley looked at it for a moment before shrieking in delight, jumping up and down and flapping his hands around. He grabbed it and carefully examined every inch.

"The retard's gonna shoot someone." Shane said under his breath, but Daryl heard it.

"The fuck ya say, asshole!" The hunter roared, going towards him.

"Shane! That's enough!" Rick yelled.

"He ain't no retard! He's a lot smarter than ya think. He took down a walker by 'imself the other day and Imma teach him to shoot so ya best keep ya damn mouth shut!" Daryl went off and Rick had to push him back as he stepped in the middle of him and Shane.

Hedley tugged on Daryl's vest and when the hunter looked down at him, he had a card in his hand. 'Thank you'.

"Ya welcome. Let's go and I'll teach ya how ta use it." And with one last glare at Shane, Daryl and Hedley went out to their tent area.

****

After some practice, Hedley fell in love with his bow, and he copied Daryl by strapping it on his back while his quiver was tied on his belt with his knife. Daryl made a target out of a thick tree trunk and quicker than he thought, Hedley got the hang of it and actually had a decent shot. But the fun of the day didn't last long as Dale came up to them.

"The whole point of me coming up here is to get away from you people." Daryl growled, standing from where he was sitting back to just watch as Hedley reloaded a bolt.

"Gonna take more than that." Dale said.

"Carol send you?"

"Carol's not the only one that's concerned about you, your new role in the group."

Daryl scoffed, "Oh, man, I don't need my head shrunk. This group's broken. I'm better off fending for myself."

Hedley aimed at the tree and pulled the trigger. It hit beside his many other arrows, just a few inches off the centre.

Dale narrowed his eyes at Daryl, "You act like you don't care."

"Yeah, it's 'cause I don't."

"So live or die, you don't care what happens to Randall?"

"Nope."

"Then why not stand with me, try to save the kid's life, if it really doesn't matter one way or the other?"

"Didn't peg you for a desperate son of a bitch."

"Your opinion makes a difference."

"Man, ain't nobody looking at me for nothing."

"Carol is, and I am. And you've made quite the impact on that young boy right there." He pointed to Hedley - who was collecting back his arrows. "Right now. And you obviously-- You have Rick's ear."

"Rick just looks to Shane. Let him."

"You cared about what happened to Sofia. Cared what it meant to the group. And you care about Hedley more than you're willing to admit. Torturing people? That isn't you. You're a decent man. So is Rick. Shane-- He's different."

"Why's that? 'Cause he kill Otis?"

"He tell you that?"

"He told some story-- How Otis covered him, saved his ass. He showed up with the dead guy's gun. Rick ain't stupid. If he didn't figure that out, it's 'cause he didn't wanna. It's like I said--" Daryl went over to help Hedley gather the more stubborn arrows from the tree's trunk, calling back to Dale, "Group's broken."

****

The adults decided to kill Randall.

Hedley didn't have any feelings towards the decision. But he didn't like the fact that Daryl didn't let him go with them. But when they came back, Randall was very much alive and sent back into the barn. Confused, he tilted his head at Daryl, but the hunter just scoffed and walked away. That was when they heard a scream.

It was Dale.

They ran to him, and he was on the ground with his guts hanging out his stomach.

Hedley let out a cry, hands covering his ears as everyone yelled out in a panic.

T-Dog pulled him away and turned him, using his body to shield the boy from the view.

"Okay, hold on now."

"Get Hershel!"

"He needs blood."

"We gotta operate now."

"Hang on, Dale. Hang on."

T-Dog just held Hedley close in his big arms and the boy clung onto him as he cried out like a wounded animal. "Shh. I got you, Spider Monkey. I got you."

He then heard Daryl speak. "Sorry, brother."

Then a gun shot rang out into the night and the sobs of mourners were the only things heard by the night.