It took her several minutes to come around. Her face had been washed, it seemed, and her curls were damp against her pillow. If Francis were to feel his hair, he would notice a similar treatment. Her face reflected her time in the Experimentation Room; she had deep circles under her eyes, and she was incredibly pale despite the IVs that fed into her arm. The hospital gown revealed several large scratches up and down her body that her blouse had previously covered. However, her face was relaxed and her eyelashes were almost black against her pale cheek. She was breathing steadily, and her chin was defiant, even in sleep. Her paleness revealed that faint freckles trailed down her neck and scattered onto her shoulders, and her collarbones shifted under her skin whenever she inhaled deeply. At the sound of his voice, she stirred but didn't quite wake up.
He sighed, his tone full of worry, leaning back into the bed. Covering his face with his hands for a moment, he seemed a bit frustrated. "God, I'm so stupid. I never should have let any of this happen." He didn't know if he was just talking to himself, sounding like a crazy person.
Poppy stirred a little more, and finally opened one grey eye. "Francis," she murmured, her mouth dry.
He laughed weakly in relief, seeing that she was alright. "Nope. We didn't," he said, sitting back. Getting up would be hard for him right now. "I was so worried about you."
She reached a hand out and intertwined her fingers with his. Her grip was fairly weak, but her hands were warm in his as she squeezed lightly. "God. I was really worried about you too. I can't believe that we got captured again."
He glanced at her, his thumb gently brushing the back of her hand. "Me too. And for so long..." He chuckled. "Y'know, I think I had to be sedated."
"No," he said, shaking his head. "Well, I mean- the only bad part was that you were bleeding a lot, which was terrifying."
She paused for a moment, frowning. "Do you think it would be breaking the rules for me to come over there?" she asked, her head tilted. "I want to hug you. I can't do that from over here."
"Yes, it is against the rules, therefore I'll come over there." He went and sat on the side of the bed, rubbing his eyes for a moment. He stood up and went closer to her, leaning down at kissing her forehead.
She scootched over on the bed, taking his hand and squeezing it. "Here," she said. "Sit. You shouldn't be standing."
He didn't face her, instead her nervously wrung his hands. His expression was blank, but had a hint of hesitance on it. "Marry me." His voice was adamant, but it suddenly turned into panic. "I- I mean, I know it seems early, but if anything like that ever happens again, and- and.. Well I wouldn't forgive myself if anything like that happened and we just stayed the way we are."
