╔════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ Chapter 52 – The Infirmary 🩸🌙✨ ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════╝
The second Elijah reached the infirmary, he slowed.
Careful now.
Precise.
Gone was the blur of vampire speed as he gently lowered Nova onto one of the infirmary beds.
Nova whimpered weakly the moment her body shifted.
Her fever had worsened during the drive.
Sweat dampened her skin.
Her breathing remained shallow and uneven.
And the wolfsbane poisoning still lingered beneath her skin like venom.
Elijah immediately adjusted the pillows beneath her head with surprising gentleness.
"You're safe now," he told her quietly.
Nova barely seemed to hear him.
Klaus appeared an instant later in a blur.
Then Freya.
Then Davina.
The second both witches got a proper look at Nova...
Their expressions darkened.
Freya inhaled sharply.
"Oh my god..."
Davina looked furious.
Not shocked.
Furious.
Her eyes immediately traced the bruises.
The cuts.
The lingering wolfsbane damage.
The marks on Nova's neck.
"Who did this?" Davina asked dangerously.
"Kate Argent and Scott McCall," Klaus answered flatly.
Davina's jaw tightened.
Freya moved closer to the bed immediately, carefully placing a hand against Nova's forehead.
"She's burning up," Freya murmured.
"The wolfsbane is still poisoning her system," Elijah explained calmly. "And there was a spell suppressing her healing."
Freya looked up sharply.
"A spell?"
Klaus nodded once.
"The Saltzman twins, Lizzie and Josie, managed to siphon the spells off of Nova back at the house," Elijah added calmly. "But by then the wolfsbane had already had time to circulate through her entire system."
Klaus's expression darkened further.
"Kol believes he knows a counterspell," he said.
Freya exhaled slowly before glancing toward Klaus.
"How is Hope handling this?" she asked quietly.
Klaus barked out a humorless laugh.
"How do you imagine?"
His eyes darkened.
"She's trying very hard not to murder everyone in sight."
Davina crossed her arms.
"We should probably have Hayley and Rebekah bring the twins back from the hospital," she said after a moment.
Klaus frowned slightly.
"The babies aren't going to magically calm Hope down," he muttered.
"No," Davina agreed immediately. "But they'll help ground her."
Her expression softened slightly as she looked at Nova.
"And honestly? Nova might need them too once she wakes up properly."
Elijah nodded in agreement.
"She has a point."
Klaus still looked uncertain.
Then Elijah's expression sharpened slightly.
"Nova was hidden with a cloaking spell," Elijah reminded him. "And another spell suppressing her supernatural healing."
His tone grew darker.
"That means whoever cast those spells may still be in Mystic Falls."
The room went quieter.
"It would be safer for everyone if we remained together instead of spread apart," Elijah continued calmly.
Klaus's jaw flexed.
Then he nodded once.
Without another word, he pulled out his phone.
"Rebekah," he said the second she answered. "Bring the twins home immediately."
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Barely two minutes later—
Kol appeared in a blur of motion.
"Move," he said immediately, already heading for Nova.
Freya arched a brow.
"You could at least pretend to greet people first."
Kol ignored her.
Instead he immediately began explaining the spell.
"It's an extraction spell," he said quickly, pacing beside the infirmary bed. "Not healing. Extraction."
Davina immediately understood.
"You're pulling the wolfsbane out of her bloodstream directly," she realized.
"Exactly."
Freya frowned.
"That's not an easy spell."
"No," Kol agreed. "Because the poison is already fully integrated into her system."
His expression darkened slightly.
"If we do it wrong, we could stop her heart."
Silence followed that.
Then Davina rolled up her sleeves.
"Well," she said dryly, "good thing we're terrifyingly competent."
That earned the faintest twitch of amusement from Elijah.
Nova whimpered weakly again.
Kol's expression immediately sobered.
"We need to start now."
⋆──────────────────────────────⋆
At that exact moment—
Hope reached the infirmary.
Along with Malia.
Lydia.
Lizzie.
Josie.
Penelope.
Caroline.
And Emma.
Hope barely made it two steps toward the infirmary doors before Elijah appeared in front of them in a blur.
Stopping them.
Hope's eyes widened instantly.
"Uncle Elijah—"
"They're beginning the spell," Elijah said gently but firmly. "You cannot interrupt them right now."
Hope looked ready to shove past him anyway.
"My mate is in there," she snapped.
"And they are trying to save her," Elijah answered calmly.
Hope's breathing shook.
"She's scared."
Elijah's expression softened slightly.
"I know."
Hope's eyes burned gold.
"I should be with her."
"You will be," Elijah assured. "But right now Freya, Davina, and Kol need complete focus."
Hope looked torn apart.
Like every instinct she had was screaming at her to get to Nova.
Malia stepped closer quietly.
"She knows you're here," Malia said softly.
Hope's jaw clenched.
"She was asking for me."
"I know," Elijah repeated.
Inside the infirmary—
A loud, pained scream suddenly echoed through the doors.
Nova.
Hope physically flinched.
And for one terrifying second,
Everyone thought she was going to lose control.
Then Klaus appeared beside her.
Not as the Original Hybrid.
Not as Niklaus Mikaelson.
But as her father.
He rested a hand briefly on her shoulder.
"Hope," he said quietly.
Hope's breathing was still uneven as she looked toward the infirmary doors.
"She needs me."
"She also needs you thinking clearly," Klaus replied.
Hope swallowed hard.
Klaus's expression softened slightly.
"Your mother and aunt Rebekah are bringing the twins back from the hospital," he told her. "We agreed it would be safer if everyone stayed together until we know who cast those spells."
Hope blinked.
"The babies..."
Klaus nodded once.
"And when they arrive, they are going to need their mothers."
Hope looked torn instantly.
Every instinct in her wanted to stay outside that infirmary door.
To wait.
To fight.
To stay as close to Nova as physically possible.
But another instinct pulled just as hard.
Their daughters.
Talia Elizabeth Mikaelson-Hale.
Andrea Lydia Mikaelson-Hale.
Hope's chest tightened painfully as she pictured their tiny little faces, their adorable sleepy coos, the way Talia always grabbed onto Nova's shirt with her tiny fingers while Andrea curled against Hope's chest.
Nova would want them safe.
Nova would want someone there for them.
Klaus squeezed her shoulder gently.
"Go prepare things for when they arrive," he said softly.
Hope hesitated.
Then finally nodded once.
Reluctantly.
Painfully.
Because even now—
With Nova suffering only a few feet away—
Hope knew Nova would choose the twins first every single time.
⋆──────────────────────────────⋆
Inside the infirmary, the atmosphere had turned tense.
Focused.
Dangerously precise.
Freya and Davina stood on opposite sides of Nova's bed while Kol rapidly explained the final steps of the spell.
"The poison has already bonded to her bloodstream," Kol said, voice sharp and serious in a way it rarely was. "So the spell has to force it out without damaging the rest of her system."
Freya's brows furrowed.
"So we're essentially ripping a magical toxin out of her body while keeping her alive through the shock."
"Exactly," Kol confirmed.
Davina exhaled slowly.
"Wonderful. No pressure."
Nova whimpered weakly on the bed, feverish and half-conscious.
Her body was trembling harder now.
Every breath sounding painful.
Kol moved beside her.
"Sorry about this, sweetheart," he murmured quietly.
Then he took a small surgical blade from the infirmary tray.
With careful precision, he made a shallow incision across Nova's wrist.
Blood welled instantly.
Darkened slightly from the wolfsbane poisoning.
Nova cried out weakly at the sting.
Freya and Davina immediately began chanting.
"Sanguinem venenatum extrahimus. Natura audi nos. Veneficium solve."
(We draw out the poisoned blood. Nature, hear us. Let the corruption be undone.)
Magic surged through the room instantly.
The lights flickered.
The air grew heavier.
Nova screamed.
Not a weak cry.
A full scream of agony.
Her back arched violently off the bed as the spell took hold.
Dark veins spiderwebbed briefly beneath her skin.
"Hold her down!" Davina shouted.
Kol reacted instantly, grabbing Nova's shoulders as she thrashed.
"Nova!" Freya called sharply. "Stay with us!"
But Nova couldn't hear them.
Pain ripped through her entire body as the spell began forcibly dragging the wolfsbane through her bloodstream.
Nova struggled wildly despite how weak she was.
Her scream cracked into sobs.
"Hope...!"
Kol cursed under his breath as Nova nearly tore herself off the bed.
"Elijah!" he barked. "A little help would be appreciated!"
Outside the infirmary doors, Elijah's head snapped up instantly.
Without another word, he vamp sped back into the room.
The second Hope heard Nova screaming her name,
She broke.
"Nova!" Hope cried, immediately trying to shove past the doors.
But Klaus was faster.
He caught his daughter around the waist before she could get inside.
"Hope,"
"She's screaming!" Hope snapped, struggling against him. "She needs me!"
Klaus tightened his grip slightly, not hurting her, just stopping her.
"And if you interrupt them right now, they could lose concentration," Klaus said firmly.
Inside the infirmary another scream tore through the room.
Hope physically recoiled.
Tears burned in her eyes.
Klaus's expression tightened.
"I know," he said quietly.
Inside, Elijah moved to Nova's other side immediately, helping Kol keep her restrained as Freya and Davina continued chanting.
"Venenum expellimus. Corpus purgamus. Vita maneat."
(We expel the poison. We cleanse the body. Let life remain.)
The blood dripping from Nova's wrist suddenly darkened further.
Almost black.
The wolfsbane finally beginning to leave her system.
But Nova's screams only grew louder.
And outside the doors—
Hope was starting to panic.
Klaus's eyes flicked toward the others standing nearby.
Malia.
Lydia.
Penelope.
Lizzie.
Josie.
A silent order passed between them.
Get her out of here.
Before she lost control completely.
Lizzie moved first.
"Okay," she said gently, stepping toward Hope. "We should probably get you away from the screaming murder room for like... five minutes."
Hope barely looked at her.
"I'm not leaving her."
Another scream echoed through the infirmary.
Hope physically jolted.
Malia immediately moved beside her.
"Hope," Malia said softly, carefully grabbing her arm. "Come on."
Hope shook her head instantly.
"No."
"She'd want you with the babies," Malia reminded quietly.
That hit.
Hope's breathing faltered.
Lydia stepped forward next, voice calm and grounding.
"We can go get the nursery ready," she suggested gently. "Or..."
She glanced toward the front entrance.
"We could wait for your mom and aunt Rebekah to arrive with the twins."
Penelope nodded quickly.
"Yeah," she added softly. "Something to keep your mind occupied while they work on Nova."
Hope still looked wrecked.
Torn in half.
One part of her desperate to break down those infirmary doors.
The other already picturing Talia and Andrea arriving back at the school.
Scared.
Needing comfort.
Another cry of pain came from inside the infirmary.
Hope squeezed her eyes shut.
Malia gently tugged her backward.
"Come on," she murmured again. "Just until they finish the spell."
Slowly.
Reluctantly.
Hope finally let them guide her away from the infirmary doors.
But every few steps—
She looked back.
Like she was terrified Nova would disappear if she stopped watching the room.
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Hope finally stopped near the front entrance of the school.
The night air felt colder out here.
Too quiet compared to the chaos happening inside the infirmary.
For a long moment, she just stood there staring toward the doors behind her.
Listening.
Waiting for another scream.
"I can't stay in there," Hope admitted quietly after a while, voice raw. "Every time she screams I want to run back to her."
Malia moved beside her immediately.
"That's because you love her," she said simply.
Hope laughed weakly.
Broken.
"Yeah," she whispered. "I really do."
Lydia leaned lightly against one of the stone columns near the entrance.
"She knows that," Lydia said softly.
Penelope nodded.
"And she knows you're trying to protect the babies too."
Hope swallowed hard.
The babies.
Talia.
Andrea.
The tiny little girls Nova had nearly died bringing into the world.
The daughters they had spent months dreaming about together.
Hope's chest ached.
"She was so excited to bring them home," Hope whispered.
No one knew what to say to that.
So they waited.
Together.
Fifteen long minutes crawled by.
Then finally—
Headlights swept across the front lawn.
A familiar red SUV pulled into the circular driveway.
Rebekah.
The second the vehicle stopped, both Hayley and Rebekah got out quickly.
And immediately saw Hope.
Distraught.
Pale.
Looking like she was barely holding herself together.
Hayley's expression instantly softened with concern.
"Oh, baby..."
But before either of them said more, they both moved toward the passenger doors.
Carefully opening them.
Then gently unhooking the infant carrier seats.
Tiny sleepy sounds immediately filled the night air.
Soft little coos.
Small stirring noises.
Hope's head lifted instantly.
And something inside her cracked.
Her daughters.
Her innocent little girls.
The babies she and Nova would do absolutely anything to protect.
Hope slowly stood.
Then walked toward them.
Almost cautiously.
Like she was afraid this moment would break her completely.
Hayley carefully handed Andrea's carrier to Rebekah while she adjusted Talia's blanket.
The twins blinked sleepily up at the world around them.
Completely unaware of the chaos surrounding them.
Hope stared down at them.
At the children she created with the woman she loved.
And suddenly tears burned in her eyes again.
"Mama wishes mommy and her could've picked you both up together," Hope whispered softly.
Everyone nearby heard it.
"She was so excited to bring you girls back to the school."
Her voice cracked badly on the last word.
Hayley immediately stepped closer, wrapping one arm around Hope's shoulders.
And for the first time all night—
Hope finally let herself cry.