"Is all of this really necessary?" Branch asked, the survivalist being forced to lay perfectly still in a hospital bed as doctors rushed around him, the medical professionals trying to quickly clean up his wounds before they became infected, although it already seemed as if they were far too late for that... "I'm fine."
He tried to sit up to prove his point, a sharp stabbing pain immediately shooting through his entire body the moment he did so, the agony of it causing the young boy to gasp sharply as he lay right back down, his eyes involuntarily squeezing shut...
"You'll be ok, Branch," Poppy assured, the young princess sitting in a chair beside the gray troll's bed, her hands finally remaining in her lap after being swatted away several times when she had tried to hold the village grump's hand. She could see the pain on his face... and it just broke her heart so much to see her friend suffering... "Just relax... you'll be ok..."
"I know I will," Branch replied stubbornly, forcing his eyes back open to look at the pink troll beside him. "I'm already ok. Just let me go home!"
Again, he tried to sit up, but this time, Poppy gently pushed him right back down, forcing the young boy to stay in the bed he was currently laying in...
"You need to rest, Branch..." she stated softly, causing the village grump to sigh angrily with a slight eye roll, his survivalist instincts having completely left his mind as all he wanted to do was go home and get out of this awful place despite the damage he knew it would certainly cause to not properly treat his injuries...
"I already told you, I'm fine," Branch insisted with the slightest attitude. "Let me leave!"
Again... he tried to sit up... but again... Poppy pushed him right back down...
"Ok... what's really going on here?" the young princess asked softly yet firmly, the pink troll knowing something was bothering her friend... something that he wasn't telling her...
"Nothing!" Branch yelled angrily as he slapped one of the many surrounding doctors' hands away from himself in frustration. "I just want to get out of here, ok!?"
Poppy crossed her arms at that answer, giving the young boy in front of her a look saying; 'don't you dare lie to me'... and... after only a few seconds under the pressure of his secret love's firm glare... Branch finally sighed in defeat, the little gray troll turning his gaze away from his only friend, doing his absolute best to try and avoid eye contact...
And then... he caved...
"Ok, ok... I... I don't... like hospitals..." he admitted softly, muttering his confession under his breath so the young princess would hopefully not hear it, the survivalist crossing his arms as he kept his 'angered' gaze focused on the window...
"Aww, Branch!" Poppy cooed, quickly catching the survivalist's attention once more. "You're afraid of hospitals!?"
"I'm not afraid!" Branch denied, quickly looking back to her to stop the pink troll from shouting out his deepest secrets to anyone in ear range. But... there was no denying his true feelings towards this place he was currently trapped in... "I'm just... a tiny bit... terrified..." he muttered softly in shame, once again lowering his head as the village grump's ears drooped down low in complete embarrassment...
"It's ok, Branch," Poppy assured gently, the young princess placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder as she saw the overwhelming fear plastered clearly all over the gray troll's face. "You've been here before. Remember? When... when Creek... shot you..."
"That's kinda different, Poppy," Branch objected, looking back to the young princess once more as he quickly shrugged her hand away. "I was unconscious... I wasn't really aware of all people, and the germs, and the... needles..." He shuddered at the simple thought of the sharp metal slipping it's way painfully through his skin and into his bloodstream...
Seeing his fear, Poppy carefully put her hand on-top of his as she looked him in the eyes, not allowing the village grump to push her away this time...
"You'll be ok..." she assured in a calming whisper. "I'm right here with you..."
Branch smiled slightly at his secret crush, her words and comforting touch actually helping to relax him in his time of need...
That is... until something suddenly caught his eye...
"Oh no... no, no, no, no, no!" he yelled firmly, the survivalist's eyes widening in horror as he stared in fear at the doctor coming towards him, a long thick needle placed prominently in her hand. "You keep that thing away from me!"
"It's just medicine," the doctor informed, trying her best to calm the gray troll's nerves. "To help with the infection."
"I don't care!" Branch yelled in response, the terrified recluse trying his best to move away from the horrifying needle. "I don't want that torture device anywhere near me!"
"Branch..." Poppy whispered, the young girl gently tightening her grip on the gray troll's hand to catch his attention. "It's ok... I'm here..."
He looked at her for a moment, listening closely to his friend's comforting words before finally taking a deep calming breath...
"Ok... ok..." he said softly. "I'm calm... I'm calm..."
"Good... now stay still," the doctor instructed, slowly lowering the needle towards the survivalist's trembling arm, Branch clenching his hands in tight fists by his side as he watched the instrument of pain getting closer and closer to his flesh with wide terrified eyes, the poor boy shaking fiercely in fear... "You'll only feel a slight pinch..."
His eyes locked on the needle, Branch watched as the tip just barely collided with his tense muscle, the sharp object drawing the tiniest bit of blood...
"Nope! No!" he suddenly shouted just before the shot could stick completely into his arm, the paranoid hermit quickly jumping right out of his hospital bed despite the pain the harsh action had caused to shoot through him in a big whoosh of pure and utter agony. "Not doing it!"
"Assistance is needed," the doctor called out over her shoulder as she quickly grabbed hold of Branch to stop his retreat, the gray grump growling softly as he glared at her, Poppy noticing the slightest glow in his eyes as he did so, the young princess knowing exactly what was about to happen...
"Branch, please," she said calmly, the pink troll gently moving her friend back towards the bed. "Lay back down... let the doctors help..."
"I said no!" Branch denied with a growl, the young boy quickly pulling away from his love's grasp. "I'm going home!"
Quickly, the survivalist hurried towards the door, fear and rage clouding his vision as all he wanted to do was get back to his bunker where he knew he'd be safe... but... unfortunately... he didn't get far before a group of doctors quickly rushed into the room, stopping the gray troll's great escape in an instant...
"No! Let go of me!" Branch yelled out with fury, his voice filled with terror as he desperately tried to escape the doctors' grasps. "Poppy! Help!"
Poppy immediately rushed over to her best friend's side, the young princess trying her best to calm him down, but the poor boy was simply in too much of a panic, several doctors needing to hold him down as he struggled to get away...
Even being extremely injured... Branch was still much stronger than the multiple doctors holding him, more having to quickly join in just to hold the frantic Weretroll in place...
"Stop!" Branch cried out, seeing that he was now loosing the battle for his 'life'. "Let me go! Let me leave!"
As several doctors pulled the village grump against his will back towards the bed, one of them stayed behind, looking to Poppy as he spoke to her in an unusually calm tone...
"You'll need to step out into the hall for a moment, Princess Poppy," he instructed softly. "Just until we can get Branch to calm down... his overreaction isn't safe for you or him..."
Poppy reluctantly nodded at the doctor's request before then looking back to Branch, the poor terrified Weretroll still fighting against the doctors with all his might... All because of a little needle...
Slowly, Poppy began to leave the room as the doctors struggled to get Branch under control...
"No! Poppy!" Branch screamed out in fear, the survivalist looking up to see the troll he loved so much walking slowly out the door. "Don't leave me! Please!"
There were tears in his eyes as the young survivalist fought hard to pull away from the herd of doctors trying to force him back into bed, the paranoid recluse's gaze locked on his only friend as she continued walking... continued leaving...
"Poppy! Help!" Branch cried, the poor boy reaching out desperately for his best friend... "I need you!"
But... much to the young boy's dismay... the beautiful pink troll didn't turn back to him... Instead... she just shut the door behind her before letting out a long sigh of despair as she could still hear Branch's horrified screams from inside the room...
"Nooo! Poppy! Poppy, help! Save me!" she heard her best friend in the entire world... in the entire universe... crying out at the top of his lungs, the sound of his desperate pleas causing her heart to completely shatter... "Come back! I'll be good! I promise! Just come back! Please!"
But she didn't go back... she wanted to... she wanted to so badly... but she didn't...
Other patients sitting in the waiting room looked up at the sound of the horrified shrieks of pure pain and terror, all of them staring at the door Branch was behind in complete shock...
They just couldn't help but wonder... what on earth could they possibly be doing to him that was so bad?...