Hey guys! So sorry it's been so long, I've had a lot of trouble writing lately, just no motivation. But finally I found some and will hopefully get the rest of this story written before it leaves me. Thank you for all the reviews, I appreciate all of you :) I hope you enjoy this chapter, if there are any typos please let me know.

Chapter 25

Poppy looked a bit apprehensive as she entered the room, but her eyes met his instantly. Branch was about to spring out of the hospital bed upon seeing her, but she ran to him and embraced him in a tight hug before he got the chance. He hugged her in return, still not believing she was really here. As much as he wanted to continue holding onto her, he was still bruised and her grip was rather strong.

"Okay Poppy, ease up a bit." He said to her a bit breathlessly.

Poppy reeled back instantly from him, and immediately he wanted the hug back. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry Branch. I'm just so happy you're alive." Her smile was short lived as he could see her eyes rove over his injuries. What she didn't know was that he had looked worse just a couple of days ago.

"It's okay Pops, I'm just happy you're okay. I really thought something had happened to you, I wasn't sure if I was ever going to see…you…again." He choked on the last words and felt tears trying to come forward. Branch did not want Poppy to see this, he was hoping all this emotional crap would have left him by now but apparently not. He put a hand over his face, trying to nonchalantly stop the tears from escaping. But he knew Poppy would be able to see right through this façade. He shouldn't be emotional like this, he should be the strong one but here Poppy was standing over him while he lay in a hospital bed.

"Branch, are you okay?" Poppy asked him as she put a hand on one of his shoulders.

He couldn't look at her just yet but nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit uh…emotional since the incident. I've been like since I woke up, annoying really." Branch chuckled, and Poppy giggled in response. He hadn't heard that sound in what seemed like a very long time. It warmed his heart to see she was truly okay and that she seemed to be herself, despite the situation. He still had a hard time believing she was really here in front of him.

She pulled up a chair then and sat down next to the bed. "So, what happened? No one would tell me anything."

Branch leaned back and sighed, debating on how to tell her that would frighten her the least. He would definitely leave out the gory details, she didn't need to hear that. It didn't take him long to decide what she needed to hear, "Long story short, I put two trackers on you. Followed the one to my old house instead of the airport. Creek and his henchmen were there, I got my ass kicked, got shot," he pointed to the bandage around his head, "and then I woke up here a few days ago wondering where you were. Nobody had any information for me either."

He sat back up now and leaned closer to Poppy. Branch was about to begin talking again when Poppy suddenly burst into tears before his eyes.

"I'm so sorry Branch!" She yelled out while covering her face with her hands.

This caught Branch off guard, and he wasn't sure what to make of it at first. He did know he didn't want to see her cry anymore. And what was she apologizing for anyway? If there was any blame here, it was on him. He was the one who hadn't protected her. Branch reached one his hands towards one of her's and pulled it slowly away from her face. She looked up slightly at him, and it felt like a stab in the chest to see her tear-stained face.

"What are you sorry for Poppy? You didn't do anything wrong."

Poppy shook her head and removed her other hand from her face, "Creek told me what he'd do to you if you followed my phone to that house. I should have warned you some way."

She continued to cry. Branch could see that she truly believed what she was saying, like somehow what had happened to him was her fault. He had to put a stop to that thinking right now. None of this was her fault. She was as much a victim as he was. No way would he allow her to keep crying over him, he told her before that he would do anything to keep her safe. It was a promise he hadn't been able to keep unfortunately, but they were not going to play the blame game. He was not going to beat himself up for what had happened, and he wouldn't allow her to either.

He put a hand under her chin and made her look at him. Once her gaze met his he said, "Poppy, none of this is your fault. Do you hear me?" His voice was a bit more stern than he'd meant it to sound but it worked. Poppy nodded and stopped crying.

Branch continued, needing to say a bit more, "I told you from the beginning I would protect you, so if anyone failed here it's me." He could to tell she wanted to say something, but he wasn't going to give her the chance, "But blaming ourselves isn't going to get us anywhere. I'm just glad you're alive and safe."

He leaned down then to give her a soft, quick kiss. Branch could feel Poppy's body relax from the touch and he knew he could finally relax as well. He pulled away, but put his forehead against her's, "I love you Poppy."

Just months ago, he would never have believed he would have found someone he could care about so much since his grandmother. He never was that guy, he'd never kept a girlfriend and had kept to simple one-night flings. Girls were usually too much trouble. Not that Poppy hadn't pushed him to the edge several times, but she was always worth it. This girl meant the world to him, and he couldn't imagine being without her now.

"I love you too Branch." Poppy replied. He could never tire of hearing those words from her, but that was when reality came crashing back along with the pain in his side. With Poppy's arrival he'd mostly forgotten about his injuries, but now his ribs were reminding him of one of the reasons he was in the hospital.

He sat up quickly, grabbed his side, and grunted from the pain his broken ribs were causing him.

"Branch, what's wrong?!" Poppy jumped up sounding alarmed.

He wanted to laugh at her reacting, but knew he'd pay for it in that moment if he tried, "Poppy, calm down. I just have a few broken ribs and I shouldn't have been leaning over like that. I'm fine really."

His words must have convinced since she sat back down. Branch slowly laid back onto his pillow. He would have preferred to stay sitting up, but he had to take a breather after that. There was nothing that could be done for his ribs except for pain medication and he was doing his best to keep that at a minimum. He didn't want to be out of it and groggy.

That's when he noticed Poppy staring at the bandage on his head. Branch didn't want to tell her everything, but if she wanted to hear it he would tell her.

"I'm guessing you want to know what actually happened." He asked her. When she looked down to meet his eyes, he gave her a smirk. She looked away as if she had been caught doing something wrong.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare."

Branch shrugged, "It's okay, I would stare at it took if I could. I'll tell you if you want to know. But just so you know, there's no brain damage or anything. I am really okay."

After a minute Poppy shook her head, "I don't need to know the details, not as long as there's no lasting damage. I'm still so sorry Branch."

He almost breathed a sigh of relief, he was glad she didn't want to know. He didn't want those kinds of thoughts keeping her up at night. She probably already had enough trauma from being kidnapped.

"Poppy, you don't need to apologize. I promise I'm okay, I'm hoping to actually be out of here soon."

As if on cue Nurse Mandy entered the room and walked over to the left side of Branch's bed. Of course, she would interrupt he and Poppy.

"How are we feeling today?" She asked him.

"I'm fine." Branch replied, he wanted her to go away so he could spend more alone time with Poppy. Hopefully if he answered her questions shortly and quickly she wouldn't stay long.

"Have you been up walking today?"

"Yeah, a little bit." It still hurt to walk a lot, but he knew he should be up more.

"Okay, well you need to get up every so often. We don't want you losing any more strength." Nurse Mandy smiled at him, and he almost scoffed. He could swear the woman flirted with him any chance she got.

Her gaze then shifted over to Poppy, "You must be Poppy."

He turned to watch Poppy's face, and she looked a bit shocked, "Well yes I am, how do you…."

"Branch here barely shuts up about you, you're about all he talks about."

Branch turned back to look at Mandy, and if a stare could cause death, his would have. He did not talk about her all the time. Yes, he did talk about her a lot, she was the most important person in his life. He could feel the heat come up from his neck and onto his face. And then she started laughing at him. He could hear Poppy giggling too and he turned to see that it was directed at him. But she quickly stopped when she saw the look on his face.

The nurse managed to quit laughing as well, "Oh fine, we'll stop teasing." She gave his shoulder a light tap before making the rest of her checks.

"Well, as long as you're still feeling fine in the morning you should be able to go home tomorrow." Nurse Mandy said after she'd turned back to face them.

Branch's scowl turned into a huge grin as he turned to look at Poppy.

"Now, before you get too excited, you will have to have someone help you until your ribs heal a bit more. Can you handle that Poppy?" Nurse Mandy asked her.

"Uh yeah sure, what exactly will I have to do?" Poppy asked.

Branch knew she would help him, he probably wouldn't be able to get out of her sight for the foreseeable future.

"Mostly just make sure he's not doing anything strenuous. Those ribs need to heal, he's fine to walk around, but no running or excessive exercise, or driving until you feel you can. And," she gave them both a strange smile and Branch wasn't sure what to make of that, "no sex."

He wanted to say "No shit" to her but kept it to himself. Branch was so bruised up, that was the last thing on his mind. But poor Poppy was completely red, and he had to stifle a laugh. She was still so shy, and Branch couldn't wait to hear her reply.

Finally she said, "Okay, well none of that sounds too bad." He was hoping she would have said something funny back, but the poor girl looked like she could just barely talk at the moment.

Nurse Mandy nodded and then turned to Branch, "Good, and you young man, no going to school either. If we need to we'll get in touch with the college and tell them ourselves."

Branch nodded, "I think I've got it covered, but thank you."

With that Nurse Mandy clapped her hands together in front of her and looked at them both, "Well okay then guys, that should be about it. If you need anything just buzz me." She exited the room, leaving them alone again.

That's when it hit Branch, in all the excitement of seeing Poppy again he hadn't thought of it until now.

"So, how are you here Poppy? Weren't you kidnapped?" He asked her.

It took her a minute to reply, he could see her trying to put her thoughts together before she began speaking, "Well yeah kinda. Basically, it was all a set up to catch Creek. I mean Creek really did kidnap me at school, but then Aspen…."

Branch knew it, that SOB was bad news, "Aspen! I knew there something off about him, if I ever get my hands on him I'll…" His anger was starting to build but then Poppy started talking again.

"Hey hey, it's okay. Aspen is the one who got me out of it. And you would never guess, he is actually in the FBI." She said this last part rather excitedly.

Branch furrowed his brows, so he was on it too huh.

"So, this whole time, he was just undercover too?"

Poppy looked at him questioningly, "What? What are you talking about?"

"Well apparently Satin is also in the FBI and has been uncover too." He gave her a small grin, he couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before now, but a lot had started to make sense.

"Oh wow. What are the odds?" Poppy said, sounding a bit stunned. "Wait, how did you find out she was in the FBI?"

"GD told me, apparently she was the one who made sure I stayed alive after they found me until the paramedics took me." He replied.

"Huh." Was all Poppy had to say in reply. This was a lot of information to take in for both of them.

"You okay?" Branch asked her.

Poppy shook her head as if coming out of a trance and met his gaze, "Oh yeah sorry, zoned out for a minute."

"It's alright, so where have you been the past few days if you weren't really kidnapped?" He asked her curiously. Why hadn't she come to see him before now if she'd been alright this whole time.

She explained rather quickly where she'd been. As much as he was glad she was alright, it did sting a bit that she'd basically been on vacation while he'd been in the hospital worrying about her day and night. He decided not to say anything about it though, she had been without a phone and was under the impression that he'd been alright, so he couldn't really get mad at her.

"So, nothing really happened to you?"

Poppy shook her head, "Nope, it was just made to look it."

"Well as much as I'm glad it was all a set up I'm still pissed off with Aspen for being a part of it." He huffed a bit. He'd known from day one that there was something off about the boy.

Then he heard Poppy laugh at him, "Oh believe me when I tell you I gave him a piece of my mind."

Branch had been glad to hear that and wanted to ask how that went when she spoke again, "Oh yeah, my dad wanted to know how you were doing. Do you mind if I step out for a minute?"

He shook his head, "No, go ahead Pops." He gave her a small smile, reassuring her he would be fine for a few minutes.

She smiled back at him, "Okay, I promise I'll be right back."

Poppy then left the room and Branch was by himself again. He hadn't really wanted her to leave, but he also didn't want her dad to worry if she didn't call him. Branch then wondered to himself if he'd ever get to meet Poppy's father. He would need to eventually, he would need his blessing at some point.

It was a few minutes, but finally Poppy returned with GD and Suki right behind her. Branch was glad to see all of them and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon just getting to be part of the group again. He never thought he would like being social again, but now he couldn't imagine it any other way.

Finally, their friends left for the night and he and Poppy were alone again. As much as he had enjoyed their company, he was tired. Branch looked to Poppy and just now realized how tired she truly looked.

"Poppy why don't you go back to the apartment and get some rest. You look exhausted." He said to her. She met his gaze with those beautiful brown eyes. He really wished he could do more for his at this point, but after his walking session earlier it was obvious he was going to be next to useless for a while.

"I don't have a ride. Guy and Suki brought me here." She replied to him.

Before he could say anything else, a new nurse walked into the room. She offered Poppy the cot to sleep on for the night, asked if they needed anything, and then left them alone again.

"Well I think I'll go lay down." Poppy said as she walked around Branch's bed. He wanted to get up and tuck her in and thought for a second that he actually could.

Unfortunately for him, Poppy was as bad as Nurse Mandy and stopped him before he could do anything. "Oh no, you stay in that bed." She actually scolded him. Branch was a bit impressed and gave her a small smile.

"Are you gonna let me get up and so anything?"

Poppy shook her head while returning his smile, "Nope you stay right there." She then walked over to him and tucked him in. Branch wasn't sure how he felt about that, but then she kissed him, and any slightly hurt pride was forgotten.

She pulled back and their gazes met, "Good night Branch." Poppy said.

"Good night Poppy." Branch replied to her and the laid back. He didn't really want their night to be over, but both of them were exhausted.

He heard Poppy lay down and Branch was finally able to sleep easy knowing that Poppy was back with him and safe.

The next morning Branch woke up well before Poppy. He thought about waking her but decided against it. Instead he ordered his breakfast and picked up his book. The nurse promptly brought him his breakfast and left after making sure all was good. Of course, they would only bring him soft foods to eat, but they did include coffee so not all was bad. With the bruising on his face and the few teeth he'd lost they'd brought him oatmeal, yogurt, a piece of toast, as well as his coffee.

It was maybe half an hour before he heard Poppy's voice, "Morning."

He was a bit startled, he had been so lost in his book. "Morning." He replied turning to look at her.

She slowly made her way over to him and that's when he realized he didn't have anything to offer her for breakfast. Honestly, he just hadn't thought about it, he'd been barely eating anything himself during his stay in the hospital. He couldn't wait to get out and eat some real food.

"I'd offer you some breakfast, but as you can see they barely keep me fed." He said to her.

"And," Branch looked around checking for any nurses before continuing his statement, "between you and me, it's not all that great."

They shared a smile, both knowing that hospital usually wasn't that good.

"Sorry, hopefully you can go home today, and we can get you some real food." She sounded sympathetic.

"I need some real food, they'll only give me soft stuff like this due to my injuries." He looked up to meet her eyes again, "But I need some actual food. My injuries aren't that bad."

Poppy didn't say anything in return, and Branch could see her looking at the injuries that were still clearly visible on his face. He knew he was still bruised up, but it was much better than a few days ago. He noticed one of her hands laying on his bed and he put one of his over it, hoping to get her attention. It worked, and she did look at him.

"Hey, I'm okay. I promise." Branch gave her a smile, hoping she would believe him.

Thankfully Poppy smiled in return, "I know." She lightly squeezed his hand and then took her seat on the other side of the bed.

Nurse Mandy came in a few hours later per usual. "How we doing today?" She asked Branch as she checked and documented his vitals.

"Fine, do I get to go home?" Branch asked. He was ready to get out of there and start actually recovering.

Nurse Mandy turned to face him and put her hands on her hips, "Are you gonna do as you're told if we release you?"

Branch shrugged, "Probably not, but I can try." He gave her a big grin, knowing he was full of it.

She simply rolled her eyes at him, "Yes, you get to go home today. But I don't want to see you back in here, you hear?"

Branch wanted to laugh at her tone, it sounded like she talking to a child. He nodded though, "Yes ma'am."

Nurse Mandy apparently found that answer satisfactory since she left without another word.

"You know, you can be charming when you want to." Poppy said to him.

Branch scoffed, he wasn't trying to be charming he was trying to be a smartass which was something he was very good at.

"She just reminds me of my grandma. She wouldn't take any of my bad attitude since I've been here, and she's stayed on my case the whole time."

Not many people could tell him what to do. Poppy could, but she had some strange power over him he just couldn't fight. He couldn't stand it sometimes, but he was still glad to have her.

"Well thank goodness for that." He heard Poppy mumble under her breath.

He narrowed his eyes a bit and lowered his voice trying to sound menacing, "I heard that."

But unfortunately when she looked at him with rosy cheeks smiling, he couldn't keep it up and the two continued this banter back and forth for a while.

The nurse and doctor came in about an hour later and Poppy escaped so they could talk to him. All they needed to do were check his wounds and reiterate the rules that had been told to him the day before. His head wound looked good, but he was still bruised on his face and ribs. He still couldn't walk fast, but he could walk so that was something.

He was cleared to leave whenever he wanted and with that Nurse Mandy and the doctor left. Poppy hadn't come back yet but he could get dressed so they could get out of there as soon as possible. Luckily GD had brought him a pair of clean clothes and he wanted this stupid hospital gown off.

Branch had just gotten his jeans on and grabbed his shirt when the door to his room opened to reveal Poppy. She only took a couple steps in before she stopped, and Branch could see exactly where her eyes landed. The bruises on his ribs were still purple, he'd seen them and hadn't even considered how Poppy would react to them. He could tell she was about to cry though. Branch needed to stop that before it started.

"Poppy," Poppy looked back up to meet his eyes, "I know it looks bad, and I do have some broken ribs, but it's okay."

Poppy walked over to him them and hugged him lightly. Branch hugged her back, missing her touch. He didn't want to let her go but after a few minutes they finally parted. But he needed a little more. Her eyes me his, and he put a hand under her chin and leaned down to kiss her. Poppy put her hand on the back of his neck gently as they kissed. He only let this go on for a minute before he pulled back. Poppy suddenly backed up a step and blushed. This confused him for a moment until he realized he hadn't put his shirt on yet. He almost wanted to laugh that she could still be embarrassed about him being shirtless, but he'd get his shirt on if it made Poppy more comfortable.

"So, what did the doctor say?" She asked him.

"Basically, what the nurse told me yesterday: no school for now, no excess exercise, no sex," He gave her a smile as he pulled his shirt on, "keep my wound clean and to call if anything changes."

"Doesn't sound too bad. All you left for school is finals, right?"

"Yeah, but GD has talked to my professors and I'll e-mail them once I get home, so I can get that settled. Then I won't have to worry about classes until they start back up next semester." Branch had already been preparing for his finals for a few weeks, so he knew he'd be fine.

Suddenly Poppy gasped, and that snapped Branch to attention, "What is it?"

"My performance?!" Her eyes met his, "It's in a week and now I don't have anyone to sing with."

Branch had completely forgotten with everything going on. He walked over to her slowly and put his hands on her shoulders, "Hey, it'll be okay. You've still got a week, surely GD can help you out."

Poppy smiled at him, "You're right, I just remembered it. With everything going on I'd completely forgotten about it. But it's still too soon to freak out about it."

He was about ready to pull her in for another hug when there was a knock on the still open door to his room. They both looked up to a man he didn't recognize. But before he could ask any questions Poppy ran over to him, "Dad!" She yelled as she hugged him.

So, this was Poppy's dad, not exactly what Branch had expected. The orange mad-scientist hair took him by surprise, plus the man's huge mustache. He was a bit taller than Poppy but not as tall as Branch and was on the pudgier side.

Her father gave a light laugh, "It's nice to see you too Poppy."

Branch knew he needed to make a good impression on this man. When Poppy pulled back from her father he knew this was his chance. He stepped up beside her, actually feeling nervous now. He put his hand out towards Poppy's father, "It's nice to finally meet you sir."

Branch held his breath but luckily her father put his hand out as well and shook his.

"You must be Branch." Her father said.

They released hands and Branch replied, "Yes I am."

"I've heard quite bit from Poppy about you." Branch and her father both looked towards her. Poppy blushed, but he knew she had told her father about him.

"Poppy, do you think you could go find me some coffee? I could really use a cup." He father asked.

Branch knew exactly what this meant. But this was a long-awaited chat. He wasn't planning on having it today but might as well get it over with.

"Sure, I'll be back in a few minutes." Poppy replied, and then she walked out, leaving the two alone.

"I'm Peppy, by the way." Branch looked back to Poppy's father.

Branch wasn't sure what to say to that, but luckily for him he didn't have to come up with a reply.

"I'm going to cut right to the chase Branch, you seem like a decent young man from what Poppy has told me, so what are your intentions with her?"

This did surprise Branch, he wasn't prepared for Poppy's father, er Peppy, to be so bold. He figured his best bet was to be honest and bold back and hopefully earn his respect. Branch mustered up his courage and let out a breath before speaking.

"To be honest sir, I care deeply for your daughter. In fact, I love her. I want nothing but the best for her, but I hope one day I can marry her."

There, he'd said it out loud. But Peppy didn't even look surprised. He looked to just be thinking about what he'd just been told. Of course, Branch's heart was racing, and he was having to remind himself to breathe evenly.

"Well, Poppy seems like she's completely head over heels for you. I want the best for her too. What are you studying in college?"

Now this was easy for Branch, "Architecture and engineering."

Peppy looked slightly impressed for just a second, "Double major, impressive. What are your plans after graduating?"

"To be honest I'm not 100% sure yet, I've had an internship interview for next summer with a firm here in the city that I'm hoping to get. If I can get there, I've got my foot in the door for a job after graduation."

Peppy simply nodded, and Branch wasn't sure what the man was thinking. He was usually good at reading people, but Poppy's father was very good at remaining neutral. He was even having a hard time not fidgeting. Branch was not a nervous guy, but Peppy's silence was starting to get to him.

Luckily right before he started to sweat Peppy spoke, "Well Branch, obviously I don't really know you yet, but I think you have a bright future. And since you did quite literally take a bullet for my daughter, I think it will be fine for you to eventually ask for her hand."

"Thank you, sir." This thrilled Branch more than he could show right now. He was still trying to get a feel for Peppy, he seemed like a serious man but with Poppy being his daughter he had to have a fun, optimistic side.

Peppy smiled in return, "Now, if you don't mind I wanna hear about you took a bullet for my Poppy."

Most people wouldn't like talking about their injuries, especially if it included getting shot. But Branch would tell the story a thousand times over if it meant getting in Peppy's good graces. Plus, it didn't really bother him. In fact, he made the story more amusing and entertaining, and Peppy seemed to enjoy it.

The two were still talking when Poppy walked back in with her father's coffee.

"Thank you Poppy." Peppy said to her as he took the cup from her and took a sip. "So, are you two ready to go?"

Branch and Poppy both nodded. He couldn't wait to get out of here, he wanted badly to be home, to sleep in his own bed and eat some real food.

After he finished checking out of the hospital the three of them walked out into the parking lot. It was the first time in days Branch had tasted fresh air and felt sunshine on his face. Even though it was colder outside with a chilly wind, he didn't think he could be much happier. Until he remembered his ribs hurt and he had to slow his pace.

They walked up to a nice black Lexus and Peppy unlocked it. Geez, he knew Poppy's dad had money, but this was impressive. He saw Poppy hesitate to get in though and walked over the open the front passenger door for him. She gave him a sweet him as she got in. Branch gently climbed into the back seat behind Poppy trying not to cause himself any pain. Now he just couldn't wait to get home.

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