...

The hospital had always been a surprisingnly busy place in Trolls Village... Simply because a lot of trolls in the place daily got something trapped in their magical hair or fell by accident while dancing at a crazy party and got a sprain ankle... Even a few times Trolls came here only to spend time with their friends that had to be here for a few days after a bad fall. Not a single troll was never trully left alone even when they were sick, or well... Close to leave this world.

In one of the many hallways, some of the numerous hospital beds had been be placed outside of their room for what the health system liked to call 'Social hours'. If a troll had enough energy to speak, they would let some patients have a nice chat in the hallway while be still in their bed, or simply sleep with other trolls watching over them if they got too tired. It was a nice way to keep the good mood around and sometimes even met new friends!

Poppy was in one of the bed, but she wasn't really being part of the conversation going on at the moment since she was in fact, half asleep. Some older lady had tried make her vent about the whole adventure she went through with the probably most incredible troll she met in her entiere life... But she had simply turned around to get more rest, refusing to share for now. The group had respected her silent and made sure Poppy could take the rest she needed, not talking too loud.

Lost in her rather boring dreams, Poppy slid unconsciously her fingers on the clean, white bandage a nice nurse had wrapped around her leg few hours earlier... She had told her how impressed she was by the almost impeccable condition in which her leg was, saved by natural bandages, the wound was just so clean it was hard to believe she spend an entiere week in the forest, walking still.

Now that she was back in her beloved home, Poppy had actually spend long hours sleeping, she had not realized how much she lacked sleep and now that she was laying on a comfortable matress, her body was just craving to rest and get its energy back.

At the other side of the hallway still, some trolls didn't waited for her to finish her nap and was rushing toward the bed, two nurses were running after them.

- POPPY!! MY BABY!!

- KING PEPPY WAIT!!

- SHE'S RESTING!!

But Poppy had just the time to open her eyes, she felt two arms wrap tightly around her, lifting her up. She gasped and hugged him back. That familiar smell, warmth, and embrace; her childhood heart broke and she started to sob, back to feeling as if she was a child that had get herself lost in the market and had been called back to her precious father at casher number 12.

- D-DAD! She sobbed hard, the nurses stopped as they saw the hug, D-DAD I--I--

She just cried louder, letting her father rock her gently and sing her a soft song between his numerous clear crystal tears. She was back being his little baby in this precious moment. He needed to rassure her and tell her she was safe. She was back home in Trollstopia.

- It's okay shhh... You're okay... He said, kissing her forehead, I was so scared I lost you forever...

He was so glad his daughter was alive. The old troll sobbed silently. Lots of happy tears were shared in this moment.

Soon her friends had follow to come see her; the entiere SnackPack as well as Barb, Trollex, Carol.... She thanked them to have find her, hugging each of them tightly, sobbing, her heart arching in a certain type of relief.

- Gosh what happened to you? Darnell that was there as well asked her, How did you found yourselves that far in the forest?

So she told them the whole trip she had been through in the last week... The falling in the crazy river, almost drowning, the nights in caves and even the huge storm they had got through and survived from ! She told them about the attack of the furious, hungry pack of grossum and the huge pointy rock that had hurted her leg in the rapids... The berries that almost killed her, the bandages and the suffering walking every day.... And gosh the night she spend in that poor tree trunk to be safe from the storm at Branch's sides... 

- Branch... Branch!! Where's he?? Is he okay??? Poppy tried to look for her boyfriend in the group of trolls, getting away from Fuzzbert's fuzzy embrace in a sudden worry.

Where was he?? Last time she saw him he wasn't even breathing... She was pretty sure the doctors helped him breathe again, or was it a dream? Her heart was panicking for sure, she needed to know he was okay, that he was fine...

- He's okay Poppy!! Her glitter friend fortunately was faster than her trying to get up from the bed, He's doing just fine! Guy rubbed her back, He's alive, and he's resting right now in one of the hospital's bedroom, you two went on a very dangerous journey... The doctor said he will get through it still!

Her heart started to beat normally again, the weight on her shoulders seemed to fly away and she felt so well now that she knew he was okay, she was on a little cloud. He had survived. Branch was doing okay and soon they would be in each other's arms again. She promised herself she would kiss him a thousand time after she scolded him for not telling her he was hurt... Even though she was relieved he was fine she was mad he didn't told her anything. That he had decided to let himself...

... Yeah they would have a serious conversation.

- Do they know what caused him to stop breathing? She asked, realizing she still didnt know why Branch had been this close to literally die earlier.

They showed her the picture of a x-ray scan; there was a huge crack on what seemed to be Branch's rib. It was badly broken.

All this time... He had been guiding her through the forest with a BROKEN RIB!!! What an-- GOSH, she hated think this way but he had been the biggest IDIOT!! She then remembered how he had fell uncoucious for 4 consecutives hours after he fell from a cliff during the grossums attack. He must had fell on his side!! HOW could have he been so IDIOT AND HOW COULD HAVE SHE BEEN SO. IGNORANT AND--

- Ooow... She stucked her tongue out a little bit, feeling the pain her poor baby have probably been through still, despite the anger in the back of her mind.

- And it was after the doctors replaced it, Barb said to her, pointing to a form on the picture; his rib was pressed right there, directly on the pluma..

- The right word to use is actually, '' Pleura'', Biggie corrected, Mr. Dinkles was starring at Barb with a despair for help to be free from this hell.

- Yeah, that! Barb stared at Biggie, his broken rib was pressed on it. His lung hadn't space to fill up which caused him to stop breathing and eventually his rib could have go and perce through, inside his lung....

Ouch ouch ouch!! She imagined this, terrified... What if this would have happened while they were still lost in the forest? She guessed he would have started to vomit blood, lot of blood, and eventually... Life would have left this broken space that his body would have been.

But he was okay now.

His body wasn't a broken space anymore, his rib was back in place. Branch was doing just fine.

In relief, tears came running down her cheeks coverex in glitter freckles from the corner of her pink pearls. Her friends got worried and focused their attention on her, her father took her hand and squeezed it gently;

- Poppy? Are you okay, my princess?

She nodded, she was okay, angry a bit, but now relief was making her happy... She never really took time to realize tears could be happy tears before. Tears of joy.

- That's fine, Dad, I.... I'm just glad he's okay, she said.

That rassured him. He pated gently the bandage of her leg; it didnt even hurted... She realized;

- Aren't guys gonna sign it? She teased them and they all cheered as they grabbed pencils, Let some space for Branch!! She warned them.

- You two got closer as we saw... Barb teased Poppy, which made the princess of pop blush furiously.

- YEAH EVERYONE SAW YOU TWO KISS BEFORE YOU ENTERED THE HOSPITAL !! The news spread around so quickly, we can't wait to see you two dancing together on Flowers Day's night! Cooper suddendly said out loud.

... See you two dancing together on Flowers Day's night!

... See you two dancing together on Flowers Day's night!

Wait.

- Excuse me, WHAT??? Poppy raised from her laying down position, in shock, understanding everyone already knew Branch and her were dating.

<< ~ × ~ >>

Move,

...

Just move !! Do something !!

...

CMON MOVE !!

A huge gasp escaped from Branch's throat when he opened his eyes, quickly covering them with his hand. Breathing in quickly in fear of a flashback of the river; he felt his chest, precisely the zone he thought was broken, probably his rib had perced through his lung at this point... But he frowned; he had a bandage around him, preventing from moving too much, it was the reason he wasn't able to get up.

Branch was breathing.

He took in a slow, full filling breathe of air. His airways felt free from any pain. His chest felt a bit odd, but the feeling of his lungs taking back their usual place to fill with oxygen made him feel so free.. He had never realized before how great it felt to take a deep breathe in. He could have wrote a poem about it.

The lights were blinding him, forcing him to feel before he could see anything around him and guess where he was... A bed? That smell, he could tell it was the perfum of medecines and too much cleaning... And then a door opening, a troll came in;

- P-Poppy ? He asked immediately.

Was she okay?? Where was the pink troll!? Was he in the pink troll's pod? The troll chuckled, and Branch felt stupid; that laugh wasn't Poppy's. Poppy's laughter was way much more soft and pitched, a nice pitched... And why would Poppy's pod smell like medecines??

- I'm glad you are awake Mr. Timberlake, we are gonna pass a few test if you don't mind?

Branch finally managed to open his eyes, confused by the question... He tried to sit up in the bed, but he felt the troll's hands on his shoulder. Branch opened his eyes slowly as she pushed him back laying down.

An hospital bed, and he reconized this troll to be a doctor. Stupid- he was in a hospital of course!

He remembered in flashes Cooper running through the forest, him getting carried inside the hospital, and Poppy kissing him before he got blind...

- Poppy... Poppy, where is Poppy?? He asked the doctor, worried, still trying to get up.

- Shh, shh, relax, she told him, You can't get up for now, you need to rest, I'm Doctor Plum, and no worry... Poppy is doing incredibly well.

Dr.Plum was a purple troll with green hair, she looked very professional and grabbed a tool on a little table.

- If you allow me, I noticed the presence of a Fuzz-odil who has planted their little roots in your cheek, she said, it was secreting its poison inside of your throat... Which probably caused you to be pretty revealing of yourself, she laughed.

- Yeah, No kidding, Branch rolled his eyes while the troll mixed a weird juice inside of a little gobelet.

He had passed this entiere trip singing out his feelings to Poppy, damn that fuzz-odil! But his anger toward Poppy about it had completely vanished... The doctor made him gargle the juice and spit it out, freezing his mouth so she could remove the fuzz-odil seed without hurting him. It wasn't anything dangerous, and Branch was just so impatient to have his freedom back.

- You know, it often happens to Trolling to eat those, she explained as she played with the tool inside his mouth, It's the first time I remove one inside of an adult's mouth! She teased gently, I just need to not touch the poison gland...

But as she removed it the plant reacted, of course it did, and of course the toxic flower used more poison to defend itself...

'' .... POPPY WAKE UP!!!
I DON'T LIKE THIS!!!
POPPY WAKE UPP!!! ''

- Relax!! She tried to shut him and grab the last root, Relax, I almost got it!! She told him.

- You think I contr-- CAN YOU HEAR ME WAKE UP POPPYYYY!!!

And finally she took the last root. Branch coughed loudly, finally free from this curse. The fuzz-odil got throw in the thrash and they prefered don't talk about it anymore. They passed a few test, the doctor checking his heart, his wounds and of course his rib.

- So... Where is Poppy ? He asked as the green-haired took some notes.

- She is in the hall right now, Plum explained to him, She does not have any bad infections and another doctor made her a new, clean bandage. Now you two need rest, you deserve it.

She playfully patted his shoulder and pulled his blanket above him. Branch watched the doctor go.

... And without any fuzz-odil, Branch sighed and started to hum as he waited for Poppy;

I know you're somewhere out there...

Somewhere far away... ~