Chapter Seven: Iris

The birth wasn't at all that Branch thought it would be. There were no screams, no pain, no contractions. The calmness and lack of talking from Doctor Moonbloom nearly drove him insane and he was warned twice that he was going to be taken out of the surgery room if he couldn't behave.

He was behaving, he thought. He was pacing a lot, but he was behaving. Actually - Branch thought to himself - he was an example of dignity when inside he felt like he was standing in a pile of manure.

Everything about that birth was hitting the catastrophic button in his gut. Poppy was too quiet; after a long time trying to apologize for damaging the green grass they had been standing on, her lips sealed. On the way to the hospital a confused nurse troll commented how she wasn't feeling any pain (or reacting to any pain) when there was so much blood everywhere.

Branch gripped Poppy's limp hand and she didn't respond. He had never felt so frightened in his life. She was awake, but she looked lost, hazy, like floating in emptiness. She wouldn't focus on him, even when he gently caressed her face. It wasn't right. Taking in the sight before him, with her laying there, arms full of intravenous needles and a blue sheet keeping them from seeing what was going on chest down, Branch couldn't help but think everything was going awfully wrong.

It was all his fault. If only he hadn't stormed out of her pod that day, maybe she'd have waited and they would have had a calmer pregnancy. She shouldn't have gone through all the stress he had caused. She masterly hid a hurricane of troubling emotions behind her sunny smile.

"Branch…?" her voice sounded quiet and he immediately looked down, with a racing heart and mind. "I don't feel my arms…" it took him a moment to realize why she was saying that. It was part of the thought that would end up with a request. Her blood pressure was too high, she wasn't feeling her body anymore. He did his best to give her a genuine smile, hiding how scared he was.

"I'll hold her for you."

His vision was foggy and there was red everywhere he looked. It was a nightmare and it felt completely wrong to have his child come into the world like that.

Too quiet. Endless minutes of crushing silence followed.

The sound of baby cries made him relax to the point of feeling his chest hurting from holding his breath too long.

The small bundle of pink was placed in his arms before he could even realize what was going on.

"Support the head," the nurse said, correcting the way Branch was holding his daughter. "Come with me to have her checked."

Mindlessly, he did what he was told, with his eyes hypnotically glued on the screaming baby. He only realized he had left Poppy in another room when he couldn't go back.

"Poppy needs to see her baby." He protested, watching the pink squealing baby having its first bath.

"When she's stable, she'll see her, Branch, don't worry. Everything will be fine."

As soon as he heard the word 'stable' he knew that everything was not fine.

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For endless hours Branch stared at the closed door that separated him and Poppy. He had peeked inside when a nurse left and he felt his knees turning into jelly when he saw her limp pink hand on the bed.

Tears burned his eyes and the door was one again closed. The baby was with the nurses in another room and somehow, he was glad. The fears that kept invading his mind were too much to be battled with an innocent child in his arms.

Rationally, he knew it wasn't his fault that Poppy was sick, but his heart cruelly screamed that he had made her suffer too much through the years. From stepping to her glittery invitations to refusing her wishes to have a family. He didn't consider her feelings. He broke up with her without a second thought just because he wanted things to go his way. He caused her to go gray. He made her seek love somewhere else!

It didn't matter how much he tried to fix things afterwards. The baby would never be his. Poppy's trust on him had been forever damaged.

She wasn't counting on him to stay.

His hands flashed gray for a second and he forced a happy thought to keep himself from succumbing to despair.

If Poppy died... it would be his fault.

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Branch was holding the tiny baby in his arms when Poppy woke up several hours later. Her smile, when she saw him and their daughter there, sitting by her side, was one of those things he would never forget.

"Hey, mommy's awake," Branch said, leaning over Poppy and pressing a kiss on her head. She sat up carefully, afraid to hurt herself. She was still a little hazy. He could see in her eyes. The confirmation of that came when she barely noticed his colors were faint. The unsuspicious father let her hold the baby, but stayed around in case she was too weak to do so.. "Isn't she the most precious thing you've ever seen?" he asked her.

"She's perfect," she whispered; her eyes glued on the baby. Her baby. Their daughter. Perfectly pink fingers and toes. "Is she…?"

"She's fine. She's strong." Branch encouraged her. He had already spent half a day with the baby and he was still emotional, but the crying part was over.

Or perhaps it wasn't, now he felt like crying because Poppy was okay. For hours, he had heard so many terrible theories and buzzing conversations around the hospital. From neural damage to who would be the leader in case the Queen was unable to rule, Branch had to fight off the burning sensation in his eyes now that the gladness was coming down in the form of tears.

His love was okay. Everything would be just like it was before.

"Hey, Poppy..." he called his girlfriend quietly, making her lift her eyes and look at his close face, even though she didn't meet his eyes. He bent down and kissed her sweetly on the lips. She was still in awe because of their daughter, and maybe she was groggy from sleep but Branch didn't care. He wanted that kiss since he heard from the doctor she wasn't in danger anymore. It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she looked down at the baby and her heart was almost ripped out of her chest when she actually LOOKED at the baby.

Baby blue eyes watched her mommy for a second or two before her tiny eyelids closed again, not being used to the light. She opened her mouth in a yawn and her hands lifted to brush against hers. Poppy saw her tears dropping on the blanket. She had a dark purple nose and her mouth and was just like her father's.

How could Branch not have noticed it? Or maybe he hadn't even thought about the possibility so he didn't see the evidence rubbed in his face.

"You were out for a while…" Branch said, silently studying her. "... I named her Iris, but if you don't like it…"

"Oh, Branch, it's exactly the name I wanted," Poppy was so grateful, so happy… and so guilty.

She'd have to tell him the truth before he figured it out.

"Are you hungry?" Branch asked her.

"Yes," she smiled at him, without lifting her head. "And I bet Iris is hungry, too."

"Oh," he blushed; "Well, I'll... er... go to the cafeteria to get you something and... wait about half an hour before coming back," he said, a little uncertain.

"You can stay if you want." Poppy grinned, causing him to blush.

"I'll just grab your food and hurry back then."

Making the baby eat wasn't hard, but there was something she wasn't prepared for: the pain. Nobody told her breastfeeding actually hurt. When Branch returned, he found Poppy gently rocking Iris asleep in her arms with a huge grin on her face.

"It hurts," she told him, looking a little lost and wondering if she had done it right.

"What hurts?" he asked in confusion.

"Breast feeding," but Poppy was hopeful. "Dr. Moonbloom said it will get better."

"Oh."

He didn't want to comment on the matter, it was too awkward. He had brought her a hamburger, but he didn't have the time to give it to her because at that moment their friends busted through the door, all too excited and talking at the same time.

"Poppy! Branch!" Holly cried out excited to see them okay and also to see the baby there in between them. She first hugged Poppy, which made Branch give a humorless laugh, after all they had all been scared for their Queen. "Oh darling, I'm so happy you're okay." And she turned to the baby and picked her up carefully. "She's so cute! I'm going to spoil you, sweetie."

"Poppy!" Smidge jumped forward, embracing her best friend. Branch told her to be careful, she had just awakened from a surgery after all and Smidge stuck her tongue out to him. "Jealous of me? Shame on you," she told Branch as she continued hugging Poppy, who was laughing at the whole situation.

"Congratulations, Branch." Lownote Jones bumped fists with him. And then Val, surprisingly, was very excited. She quickly hugged Poppy and went straight to the baby.

"Hey there, man." Demo said, patting his back. "Congratulations, you've got a mini version of yourselves now."

"Branch." King Peppy was the last to compliment him. "I'm so proud of you, son. Now you guys will know how it's like to spend weeks awake feeding the baby during the nights and listening to her cry out of nowhere just to get your attention," then he turned to his daughter, giving her a careful hug. "I'm sure finding time for you and your loving wife will be a little challenging."

When King Peppy said, 'loving wife', both Branch and Poppy blushed, he looked at her because the situation required a nervous exchange of glances, but she didn't look back at him.

"Branch named her Iris." Poppy announced, just to change the subject, and everyone approved.

"I'm scared." Branch told King Peppy when they were able to step out of the room for a while. It was too crowded in there and the last thing he wanted was for Poppy to start feeling smothered. "I feel like I'm going to screw this up."

"You'll get past your insecurities in no time." King Peppy told him. "I felt so nervous when Poppy was born, but with time I saw that small details didn't matter as long as you love them with all your heart. Poppy was only seven months old when she fell down her crib and I felt horrible about that. She cried and cried and I felt like I was the worst father in the world. But then, she stopped crying and giggled at me and I knew everything would be all right."

"Thank you." Branch said, "I needed to hear that."

"Can I ask you something private?" the retired King asked, looking at the younger troll straight in the eyes, but not in a threatening way. "I'm not expecting anything, but are you and Poppy intending to get married?"

"We haven't discussed it," he shrugged. "I was going to propose just yesterday, but everything happened so fast..."

The conversation stopped when Iris started crying. She was in Biggie's arms at that time and she immediately was handed back to Poppy who rocked her softly until she fell asleep.

"You mastered the Sleepy Rocking Technique." Cooper joked.

"The feeding technique as well." Poppy laughed.

"Talking about food, where's the cafeteria? I'm dying here." Val complained and as if to confirm her words her stomach growled.

"It's outside." Branch explained. "It's quite a nice cafeteria. Great burgers."

"I'm going with you." Holly said.

Eventually everyone, except Branch and Poppy, left the room. Smidge needed a bathroom and King Peppy followed the nurse when she took Iris to the nursery, saying something about taking as many pictures as possible.

"I'm very proud of you, Poppy." Branch said, sitting down next to her and placing a sweet kiss on her lips. She didn't respond to him and he noticed how disappointed she was. He tried to kiss her again, but she moved away from his reach. "Have I done something to you?" Poppy shook her head, but didn't lift her face. "Okay… take your time." Branch said, designing small patterns on her arms, making her shiver slightly. "I wish you'd tell me who he was." Branch said quietly, sensing that her retreat was about the baby's father.

"I will tell you eventually when... I'm ready," she reached out and held his hand in hers.

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, but this secret is killing me. Seriously," he watched their intertwined fingers. Her hands were so small.

"It's killing me, too," she confessed.

The sad atmosphere was soon lifted when Guy Diamond returned to the room, looking frantically at Poppy and closing the door quickly behind him.

"What happened, Guy?" Branch asked half laughing, expecting some joke.

"Poppy, Queen Barb is here. She's coming this way."

"Are you sure?" Branch stood up and looked down at Poppy who sat up quickly and winced slightly, remembering she was still sore. "Be careful," he told her, helping her up gently.

"I missed Barb so muuuuuch." Poppy squealed.

Queen Barb busted through the door holding a 'rock on' bodysuit that she hadn't wrapped. The Queen of Rock stopped for a few seconds, getting confused when she saw her friend lying down on a hospital bed, as white as a ghost, with an IV feeding her blood. But she recovered her rockish air a second later and walked directly past Branch.

"I believe congratulations are in order," she said and Poppy bit her lower lip, keeping herself from jumping up. Then, she turned to Branch. "I guess you're the kind who won't play on duty, hey, boy-toy?" she snickered, making both new parents blush.

"Congratulations,Branch." Riff said, still smiling.

"Thank you, man." Branch first bumped him.

At that moment, Val, Demo and Cooper entered the room. There was a real crowd there now. Poppy felt all special to see so many people there happy that she and the baby were okay.

"Hey, mommy," a nurse walked inside the room carrying Iris. "She missed you."

"Oh let me hold her!" Queen Barb said, almost snatching Iris from the nurse's arms. "She's so small." Cooper leaned closer to play with the baby's fingers and laughed happily when Iris opened her eyes to see what was happening around her.

"Hey, Branch." Cooper laughed in his goofy way and said the words Poppy feared someone would say since she had woken up. "She looks exactly like you."

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Poppy was in clear pain the first days after the birth, but she refused to show any kind of weakness and once again, it was up for Branch to be understanding and act on the boundaries to what seemed to be acceptable instead of insulting.

"Darling," He whispered against her hair, taking the tiny baby from her arms as she dozed off in her nursing chair. Poppy opened her eyes lazily, barely awake and waited for him to speak. "I'll bathe Iris, you go to bed."

"Oh no," forgetting that she was supposed to be careful, Poppy moved fast, which caused her to wince in pain, "Oh, fine. Jeez…"

"Careful," Branch warned her. He knew the pink queen was going to be obsessed with being the perfect mom, but she needed to trust him to do as much as he could so she would rest and heal. "Hold my hand." He also realized it hurt to stand up on her own, especially if she was sitting down on the nurse chair.

With Iris quietly drooling on his shoulder, he gave Poppy a supportive hand and she was up on her feet with no bigger effort.

"Careful when washing her hair," Poppy instructed him, which made Branch internally chuckle. The nurses had given him hours of classes at how to bathe a baby while mommy was still knocked out. It amused him how instinctively worried she was. "Support her head. Careful with her belly button…"

"Poppy," He silenced her with a quick peck on her lips. "Trust me, darling."

He made sure Poppy was laying down before he attended to his daughter. He couldn't get over the fact that he was holding a tiny version of his queen in his arms. She was so small that she easily fit in one hand, like a doll.

The small bathtub was filled while he took her bodysuit off. A full diaper wasn't exactly a pleasant sight, but he decided to focus on her moving face, like she was judging his capacity to give her a satisfying bath.

He checked the temperature of the water and looked down at Iris.

"I think it's good. Just… yell or something if you don't enjoy it." chucking at himself, he placed her inside, holding her body up with one hand. Iris immediately squealed with joy and kicked her chubby legs around, splashing him enthusiastically. "Okay… I see you like it. Let's get you cleaned now, shall we?"

Branch had an impression his hands were too big and he was too awkward at holding the baby. Not that Iris minded. Instead, she amusedly tried to hold his fingers as he shampooed her, like she was enchanted by his teal color. The strands of her hair were so thin that they looked more like fur than hair.

Her big blue eyes watched him full of curiosity. It was true that he was captivated by that little creature, but it seemed she mirrored his feelings, imprinting that he was her dad and someone that would care for her with love and dedication.

It was so much more complex than raising birds, but… he was filling up with courage. He could do it. He could help raise Iris.

"Look…" Branch said, while drying her with a fluffy towel. "... I am not your real dad, but I already love you like you were mine, so… if you need anything you can count on me." Iris buzzed her lips as if trying to answer him, which only made Branch to chuckle and continue with what he was doing.

"Jeez, your hair is the exact color of your mom's." He said, brushing it with so much care that he would have taken hours to finish if it was bigger. "Talking about your mom, I'm sorry I messed up and got her under stress. I hope it wasn't too horrible for you there."

The diaper wasn't an easy job to get in the right place. It took him a while to figure it out that he had placed it backwards and had to lay her down again to change it. Iris giggled, as if mocking him and he glared at her playfully.

"I will get better at this." Branch replied. "I'll watch you tonight, okay? Your mom needs a night of sleep."

But of course, Iris wouldn't behave all night. She needed to be fed and she didn't know how to distinguish time, yet. All Branch could do was to make Poppy's job easier.

"Poppy…" Branch approached the bed, seeing his beautiful girl softly breathing, taking all the sleep she could. "... darling," he called again and she stirred at the same time Iris pouted, curling her face to start crying. "She's hungry."

"Huh… sure." barely balancing herself up, Poppy adjusted the pillows so she could sit up and get Iris in her arms.

"Does it still hurt?" Branch asked, sitting down and watching while the baby happily helped herself.

Poppy gave him an awkward smile as an answer and he just gave her a peck on the lips.

"I'm sure it will get better." Branch replied, caressing Iris's hair while perching his chin on Poppy's shoulder.

He didn't realize Poppy tensed when seeing both father and daughter so close. Her head was still buzzing and she was still terribly weak from blood loss, but her heart, still carrying the burden of a secret, felt heavy with the need to burst out the truth at once.

Two pairs of cerulean eyes stared at each other in fascination and Poppy internally squirmed in anguish.

Would he hate her once she told him the truth?

Should she wait for Iris to grow up a little?

"Here, I'll take her." Branch said as soon as he realized Iris was satisfied. Poppy opened her mouth to instruct him how to hold her, when he interrupted when playfully. "Pat on the back, make sure she burps, lay her down on her side and make sure she won't roll on her back."

"Hm… you're too smart." The pink queen teased, leaning back down.

"Of course, I am." The survivalist replied. "I have two girls to look after now."