The day had turned to night and the moon had risen high above Burgentown before Poppy saw Branch again. Getting back to their house in the tree trunk, she had promptly fallen asleep in her chair, exhausted after being up all night and walking so far.

Back in Daisy Chain's pod, Branch had stayed awake long enough to hear Daisy's assessment of how he was doing before he too fell asleep, his dreams disjointed and frayed by ever present anxiety.

Upon waking, Poppy rose her head to look blearily around. She blinked in the half light, and realised that the light that had filled the room when she'd sat in the chair had now disappeared, replaced by the dim light of the moon.

"I must've fallen asleep." She muttered to herself, and got to her feet. It was lonely, she thought, to wake up alone again. She hadn't done that in months, not since she'd moved into the tree trunk with Branch.

Making her way down the stairs and past the kitchen, she spotted the empty jug of pancake mixture left abandoned on the counter. The morning before seemed a lifetime ago. So much had happened since, and the happy playfulness that they had together, flipping pancakes and laughing, seemed so far away.

Poppy sighed. Had Branch known about his condition then? While she had been absorbed in making pancakes, had he been trying to think of the best way to tell her?

None of it mattered now, Poppy thought as she exited the trunk. And nothing would be the same again.

Poppy only had to knock once on Daisy's door before it swung open. She looked tired, clothes disheveled and with bags under her eyes. It was clear she hadn't been sleeping that night.

Without a word, she stepped back to allow Poppy to enter, and she did. The room still look inviting, despite the low light. The sound of low snoring was coming from somewhere to the left, and Poppy knew that it must be Branch.

"Sit."

Looking around, Poppy realised that Daisy was the one who had spoken. She was now sitting on the soft, and was watching Poppy expectantly.

Poppy blinked and apologised before taking the seat opposite Daisy.

"You don't have to apologise. I understand the last few days have been long and tiring for you." Her eyes flickered towards the back room, and Poppy heard the unspoken words at the end of that sentence. "And for Branch."

"It has been." The pink Troll nodded, and the fell silent, her eyes fixed on Daisy.

She seemed to be contemplating what she was about to say.

"Branch is stable. He's not losing any more blood, and he'll live. They both will."

At this, Poppy released a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. "Both? So the baby is still alive?" Her heart leapt despite her fatigue.

"Yes. But they've been lucky. I've seen other Trolls in better condition than him miscarry for less."

Poppy nodded. She would not forget how close she'd come to losing more than one loved one that day.

"Hopefully he'll be able to go back home tomorrow. I can tell you'll want to speak to him when he wakes up so…" Daisy glanced over at the remaining unoccupied sofa. "You may sleep on there for a few hours until the morning. It's nearly dawn anyway."

Poppy nodded gratefully. "Thank you so much Daisy. I don't know.. I don't know what we would've done without you."

Daisy smiled and embraced Poppy warmly. "It was my pleasure Poppy. I wish you and future king the very best for the future and for that little Troll of yours."

Lying on the cramped sofa, and finally alone, Poppy mulled over Daisy's King? She wasn't sure he still would be when all this was done.

With a start, Branch awoke from his fractured dreams. The room around him swam before his eyes, and he squinted as bright sunlight streamed through the open curtains. Blinking a few times to get used to the light, he looked around. He didn't know what he expected, but everything was still there. The white walls, and gown he wore. Perhaps a part of him had hoped the last day and a half had all been a bad dream.

Poppy's absence suddenly shot to the forefront of his mind. Where was she now? At home, asleep in the bed they usually share? Or somewhere else?

With Poppy on his mind, he sat up in bed, gazing out of the window set into the pod wall across the room. Would she still love him after everything he'd done? Was she even happy about this child?

He sighed and mentally corrected himself. Embryo. At this point it would still be tiny. Barely anything at all. He glanced down at his flat stomach. It was hard to believe anything was growing in there at all.

The sound of a door being opened beside the bed make Branch look up, and, half hoping to see Poppy in the doorway, was a little disappointed when it was Daisy that entered the room instead.

"How are we feeling this morning?" Her tone of voice was kind and her expression was that of mild concern. She was every bit the compassionate doctor that she'd been twenty years before, the one that had treated him for a scraped knee as a child. The thought that she was now looking after him and his own child was comforting. A constant in his turbulent life where everything seemed to change to quickly.

"A little rough, but I guess okay." He shifted in bed, sitting up a little higher, and was pleasantly surprised to feel no pain at all. His head still pounded, and his body ached like he'd never felt before, but the sharp stabbing in his abdomen that had plagued him so much the day the before were completely gone. "The… the pains are gone!" His spirits were lifted just a little. As least he wouldn't have to go through it again.

"Ah yes, they would have gone. The shift is over. Hurray!" She clapped twice, giving him a smile. "Now let's have a look at you."

Somewhere between Daisy feeling Branch's belly with her hands and measuring his heart rate with a stethoscope, Poppy woke up. Consciousness came to her slowly, and she was awake a good ten minutes before she opened her eyes. Another day had dawned as she slept, and just like in Branch's room, light poured in through the window. She blinked as it assaulted her eyes, and it took her a moment to get used to it. Finally, Poppy rose to her feet.

First she checked Daisy's room, and when she wasn't there, she knew that she must be with Branch in his temporary room. Tentatively and with much self-convincing, Poppy finally pushed the door open. Branch's eyes darted up to meet Poppy's as she stepped into the room. After a moment, he averted his gaze and looked back down at his lap. Daisy was in the middle of listening to his heart, and after a moment, she stood and took the stethoscope away.

"Your BPM is a little low, but that's to be expected after all the blood you lost. It should return to normal in a few days."

Neither Poppy nor Branch replied to Daisy, and she didn't seem to mind, as she turned away to write something on a clipboard. Branch didn't raise his eyes to look at Poppy again. He didn't know what was stopping him, but all he knew was that an intense sick feeling was building in the pit of his stomach. Perhaps she would leave him right then and there. Perhaps she'd be better off with an honest troll, one that didn't endanger the life of their first born child.

His ears dropped sadly, his heart heavy. It would happen any moment now.

And so it came as an intense shock that, instead of being assaulted with a barrage of sharp words, he felt warm arms wrap around him instead, and a sharp voice in his ear.

"Don't you ever do that again, you idiot."