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║ Chapter 39 – Soft Wake‑Ups, Stolen Cuddles & Hospital Cabin Fever 💕🍼 ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════╝
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Hope slipped back into the dim hospital room as quietly as possible, easing the door shut behind her. She toed off her shoes with a sigh, exhaustion clinging to her like static—emotionally, physically, mentally.
Nova, who had been very clearly awake and listening for Hope, slapped her eyes shut dramatically the moment the door clicked.
Hope paused.
Then smirked.
"Nova," she whispered, crossing her arms.
Silence.
A little too much silence.
She padded over to the bed and leaned down. "If you're asleep, you won't mind if I steal a kiss, right?"
Nova immediately turned her head toward her, eyes cracking open. "...Hi."
Hope laughed softly. "You're terrible at pretending."
Nova pouted. "I just wanted you to think I was being a good girl and resting. Now... where's my kiss?"
Hope arched a brow, amused. "Oh, so that's what this is about."
She leaned down, cupping Nova's cheek gently. "Come here."
Then Hope kissed her—soft at first, barely brushing their lips together.
Nova melted instantly.
Hope smiled against her mouth before deepening it just enough to make Nova gasp softly.
When she finally pulled back, she kissed Nova's forehead too, lingering there.
"There," Hope whispered. "Happy now?"
Nova blinked up at her, dazed. "...Yes. Very."
Hope smirked. "You melt so fast it's almost unfair."
Nova groaned softly, burying her burning face in Hope's chest. "Stop... I can't help it when you kiss me like that."
Hope chuckled, running her fingers gently through Nova's hair. "Good. I like watching you fall apart for me."
Nova made a tiny squeak. "Hopey... you're going to kill me."
Hope pressed another soft kiss to her forehead. "Never. I just like reminding you you're loved."
Hope rolled her eyes but her voice softened. "Move over."
Nova instantly shuffled to make space as Hope climbed into the narrow hospital bed beside her.
The second Hope settled, Nova curled right into her—head tucked under Hope's chin, fingers gripping the front of Hope's shirt, legs tangling together.
Hope melted. "You okay?"
Nova nodded against her chest. "Mhm. Missed you."
Hope kissed her hair. "I was gone for ten minutes."
Nova huffed. "Too long."
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Day 2 – Nova vs. The Hospital Gown (Round 1)
Hope woke to Nova glaring at her own clothes.
Specifically: the hideous, itchy, beige hospital gown.
"I hate this thing," Nova grumbled, tugging at the neckline like it personally offended her entire bloodline. "It's ugly. It's drafty. And it makes me feel like a sad burrito."
Hope sipped her coffee, unbothered. "It's a medical garment."
"It's a crime."
Hope raised an eyebrow. "You're not wearing anything else until the doctor clears you."
Nova made an offended noise. "Hope Mikaelson, you can't keep me in clothing jail."
Hope smirked. "Watch me."
Nova crossed her arms dramatically. Then winced. Then uncrossed them. "This is abuse."
"It's recovery, baby."
"No—this is oppression."
Hope clicked her tongue. "Nova."
Nova slumped, defeated. "...Fine."
Hope kissed her forehead. "Good girl."
Nova glowed pink instantly. "...That's cheating."
Hope only grinned wider.
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Day 3 – Nova Tries to Escape
Hope was gone for three minutes to get more formula samples from the NICU.
Three.
She returned to see Nova halfway out of bed, legs dangling, gown askew, determination glowing like an annoying neon sign.
"Nova Hale."
Nova froze mid‑escape.
"...Yes?"
"What do you think you're doing?" Hope demanded, hands on hips.
"Um... testing gravity?"
Hope marched over and gently pushed her back into the pillows. "Testing my patience is what you're doing."
Nova pouted. "Hopey, I can walk."
"You literally passed out two days ago."
"I'm better now."
Hope squinted. "Are you?"
Nova smiled weakly. "...Mostly?"
Hope tucked the blanket around her body like she was smuggling a newborn otter back into bed. "You get up again, and I'm calling Elena to sedate you."
Nova's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."
Hope raised a brow. "Try me."
Nova groaned. "I hate it here."
"No you don't," Hope said fondly. "You just hate being told what to do."
Nova gasped. "That is a lie."
Hope laughed. "Is it?"
Nova weakly poked her side. "You're bullying me while I'm fragile."
"Someone has to," Hope teased.
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NICU Visits – Tiny Hands, Big Hearts
When Nova was awake and stable enough, Hope took her—very slowly—to the NICU in a wheelchair.
Nova instantly melted when she saw the twins.
Andrea stretched in her sleep, tiny fingers curling. Talia wriggled, the smallest squeak escaping her.
Nova burst into tears. "Oh my god—they're still so tiny," she sniffed.
Hope wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Premature, but strong."
Nova touched the glass with trembling fingers. "They look like little marshmallows."
Hope smiled softly. "Our marshmallows."
Nova leaned into her. "I want to hold them so bad." She paused, then mumbled softly, "...and now I want marshmallows."
"You will," Hope promised. "In a few days, when the nurses say it's safe. And if you really want marshmallows now... I'll go raid the vending machines."
Nova's eyes shimmered. "They're perfect, Hopey. Now have Stiles go to the store and get the good ones."
Hope kissed her temple. "Just like their mom." Hope laughed softly, brushing her thumb over Nova's cheek. "I'll send him, baby. Anything you want."
Nova blushed. "Stop."
Hope smirked, brushing a stray curl from Nova's forehead. "What? I like spoiling you."
Nova, still pink, whispered shyly, "...Then spoil me more later."
Hope's lips curled into a slow, wicked little smirk, her voice dropping into a low, teasing murmur. "Careful, baby... you keep asking me to spoil you like that, and I'm going to start thinking you want me to climb into this bed and make you forget you're in a hospital."
Nova's entire face went cherry‑red. "H‑Hopey!" she squeaked.
Before Hope could tease her further—
The door swung open.
Lizzie and Lydia stepped in, immediately catching the flustered positions and the scandalous blush across Nova's face.
Lizzie pointed at them dramatically. "NO. Nope. Absolutely not. No making more adorable Mikaelson‑Hale babies in this hospital room!"
Lydia nodded sagely. "Yeah, please save it for when Nova isn't still recovering from pushing out two."
Nova hid her face in Hope's shoulder with a mortified groan.
Hope, on the other hand, smirked proudly. "Relax. We're being good."
Lizzie snorted. "Your definition of 'good' worries me."
Lydia added with a grin, "At least wait until she's discharged."
Right on cue, Josie walked in behind them, blinking at the scene before sighing gently. "Actually," she said matter‑of‑factly, "medically speaking, it's recommended that people who've given birth wait at least six weeks before having sex again. Longer if there were complications... which Nova definitely had."
Nova let out a dying noise. "Jooooosie—"
Josie held up her hands. "I'm just saying! Science! Safety! Common sense!"
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Day 4 – Cabin Fever Level: Maximum
Nova groaned dramatically the moment Hope walked in with breakfast.
"What now?" Hope asked, setting the tray down.
Nova pointed aggressively at the window. "I have not felt fresh air in four days, Hopey. FOUR."
Hope crossed her arms. "Nova, you went into labor at thirty weeks and almost died. You're lucky you're allowed to sit up."
Nova threw herself back against the pillow—too fast—and immediately winced. "I'm a prisoner."
"You're recovering."
"A hostage."
"A patient."
"A tragic Victorian wife wasting away in a tower."
Hope snorted. "You want me to open the window?"
Nova gasped dramatically. "You'd do that for me?"
Hope rolled her eyes but opened it an inch.
Nova inhaled deeply. "...Freedom."
Hope laughed. "You're ridiculous."
"And you love me."
"Unfortunately," Hope teased.
Nova beamed. "Good."
Hope narrowed her eyes affectionately. "And I saw that wince just now." Her voice gentled as she brushed her knuckles along Nova's cheek. "Baby... you need rest if you're going to recover."
Nova instantly pouted, bottom lip jutting out, arms crossing in the most dramatic display of stubbornness she could muster. "I don't want to rest. I'm fine. I'm bored. I want to move."
Hope gave her a look that was equal parts fond and firmly unamused. "No. Absolutely not. You're not pushing yourself, not today, not tomorrow, not until you're fully cleared. I'm putting my foot down."
Nova huffed, sinking deeper into the pillows, cheeks puffed. "You act like I'm made of glass..."
Hope leaned in, eyes softening but voice still steady and determined. "You just went through hell, Nova. You're allowed to rest. And I'm allowed to fuss."
Nova's blush deepened despite the pout. "...You fuss a lot."
Hope smirked knowingly. "And you secretly love it."
Nova tried—tried—to keep the pout.
But her cheeks warmed, her eyes softened, and she curled just a little closer.
"...Maybe," she whispered.
Hope kissed the top of her head. "Thought so."
Then, with zero warning, she grabbed the blanket at the foot of the bed, gave it a dramatic fwip, and proceeded to wrap Nova up tightly—tucking, folding, pulling until Nova was a snug, helpless little bundle.
Nova blinked, bewildered. "Hopey—what are you doing?"
Hope secured the last corner with a smug pat. "Tucking you in like the grumpy little burrito you are."
Nova's eyes widened as she wriggled, entirely immobilized. "I—this is illegal."
Hope smirked, leaning down to kiss the tip of Nova's nose. "No, baby. This is love."
Nova blushed furiously. "I hate how much I like this."
Hope whispered, "I know." Her voice gentled as she brushed her knuckles along Nova's cheek. "Baby... you need rest if you're going to recover."
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Day 5 – Cute Chaos Before Discharge
Hope entered the room with a small bag of shampoo and conditioner sample bottles from the nurses' station.
Nova perked up instantly. "Is that real shampoo? With an actual scent? Not that... hospital lemon‑something tragedy?"
Hope laughed. "Nope. Lydia and Lizzie brought you the shampoo and soap you like. Apparently hospital‑grade hygiene products were an insult to your soul."
Nova clutched the bottles dramatically to her chest. "Bless you. You're my hero. My goddess." Then she gasped, eyes widening as she added with absolute seriousness, "Lydia and Lizzie are angels. Actual angels. I would die for them."
Hope snorted. "You say that now, but give it an hour and you'll be calling them menaces again."
Nova nodded solemnly. "I contain multitudes."
Hope rolled her eyes fondly. "You're so dramatic."
"I've been imprisoned in this sterile nightmare for five days. FIVE. DAYS."
Hope smirked. "You say that like it's been years."
"It feels like years." Nova flopped back against the pillows again. "The gown is itchy, the food tastes like sadness, and I swear the walls are watching me."
Hope sat beside her on the bed. "Good news then—Elena said you might get discharged tomorrow if everything still looks good."
Nova gasped, eyes wide, hands clasped. "Hopey... don't play with me like that."
"I'm serious," Hope replied gently. "One more stable check, and you're out of here."
Nova practically vibrated. "Clothes! Real clothes! A shower where I don't feel like a cryptid!"
Hope snorted. "You're impossible."
Nova grinned. "And you love me."
Hope slid an arm around her waist, pulling her into a warm, full‑body cuddle instead. "I do. Now come here—let me hold you for a minute. Then I'll take you in the wheelchair to see the twins again."
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More NICU Time – Mommy & Mama Moments
Hope wheeled Nova back into the NICU later that afternoon.
Today was special.
Today they were finally allowed to hold the twins.
Nova cried instantly.
Hope cried a few seconds after.
Andrea was placed gently into Nova's arms, tiny and perfect, wrapped in a soft pink blanket. Talia was handed to Hope.
Nova sniffed, staring down at Andrea. "She's... she's so warm..."
Hope's voice cracked. "I know..."
Nova leaned her head against Hope's shoulder, the two of them sitting as close as humanly possible, both holding their daughters for the first time.
"This is the best day ever," Nova whispered.
Hope kissed her temple. "Yeah... it really is."
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Far from the warm glow of the NICU, in a dimly lit parking garage, Allison stood with the mystery woman she had called.
The woman leaned against a dark SUV, arms crossed, expression unreadable. "So. Hale girl's still in the hospital?"
Allison nodded, fingers tapping anxiously against her thigh. "Yes. And her little guard dog hasn't left her side."
The woman smirked. "Relax. We don't need Hope. We just need a moment when she isn't looking."
Allison's eyes darkened. "Nova shouldn't be with her. The Mikaelsons have poisoned her. They stole her from me."
The woman tilted her head. "So what's the plan?"
Allison swallowed, voice trembling with determination and delusion. "We wait until Hope or the pack leaves the room. Nova's weak—recovering. She won't fight hard. We take her. Bring her somewhere safe. Somewhere she can... remember she loved me."
The woman's smirk widened. "Kidnapping. Bold."
Allison didn't flinch. "I'm getting her back. No matter what."
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End of Chapter 39 – Soft Wake‑Ups, Stolen Cuddles & Hospital Cabin Fever 💕🍼