It's the worst day of her life. Even worse than when her parents died all those years ago when she was a teenager.
Hope sits in a chair in the hospital room with a now empty bed. It's been mere hours since the doctor informed her of the unthinkable.
"We're sorry, Mrs. Mikaelson, but we couldn't save her," they told her with sadness.
She lost her wife, her soulmate. She lost Josie.
Now she doesn't know what to do or how to function. So she just sits in her hospital chair, almost waiting for them to wheel Josie back in like all of this is some sick prank.
Her Aunt Freya sits next to her and rubs her back comfortingly, repeating how sorry she is.
Hope appreciates the sentiment, but her aunt will never truly understand. Back home, her wife and son are waiting for her.
"Hope," Freya nudges her gently as the door opens.
In walks a nurse, rolling in a bassinet.
"Would you like to hold your daughter?" the nurse offers.
"No," Hope softly shakes her head, still looking down at the ground.
"I'd like to hold my grand-niece," Freya doesn't pass up the opportunity to meet the newest member of the Mikaelson family. "Hello there, sweetheart. I'm your Auntie Freya."
The little girl's eyes are only slightly open, still getting used to the brightness of the world around her.
"Are you sure you don't want to hold her?" Freya asks.
"Yes, I'm sure," Hope responds tersely.
"What's her name?"
"Fuck, I don't know," Hope growls and stands up. "Can't you see I'm grieving, Aunt Freya?"
Hope is about to storm out of the room when she quite literally runs into Caroline.
"Mrs. Salvatore..." Hope freezes, not knowing how to begin addressing what's happened. "...I'm very sorry for your loss," she manages to get out before she darts out of the room, tears flowing from her eyes again.
"Forgive her, she's understandably been having a rough time," Freya makes her presence known. "I'm so sorry, Caroline."
"Thank you, Freya," Caroline hugs her with a sniffle. "Today has been awful, but there's one good thing that's come from it," she looks down at the baby in Freya's arms.
"May I?"
"Of course," Freya hands her over. "Meet your new granddaughter."
"Aw, she's precious," Caroline looks down at the little pink blob in her arms. "Does she have a name?"
"Not yet. Hope has been too overwhelmed, but I'm sure once she finally meets this bundle of joy she'll decide on something."
"Whatever she ends up choosing, I'm sure it will be just right, little one."
They spend time just admiring her and the blessing of her obliviousness to the world around her. Her one mother unfortunately passed as she was coming into the world, her other mother is nowhere to be seen, trying to avoid reality.
"Maybe I should go look for Hope," Freya suggests.
She's about to get up to start looking when Hope suddenly walks back in.
"Let's go home," she declares.
"What?" Caroline and Freya both give her questioning looks.
"The baby has been cleared so there's no reason to stay, I want to go home."
