| Nichole Osborne |
Nichole Holly Osborne, temporarily named Nichole Waterford, is the biological baby daughter of Nick Blaine and June Osborne. She was initially named Holly by her mother when giving birth (after her maternal grandmother) and renamed Nichole by the Waterfords. June later approved the latter name [1].
In the TV series[]
Season Two[]
"Holly"[]
After a brief reunion with her older daughter Hannah and Nick is taken away by two Guardians. June, heavily pregnant is left alone at the Mackenzie's lake house.
June makes an attempt to run away, wanting to give the child she's currently pregnant with a better life outside of Gilead. While preparing for the journey to the Canadian border, she starts having contractions. After her water breaks, she realizes she's not going to escape before the baby comes. Complications arise when she starts bleeding heavily. In an attempt to save her baby incase she doesn't make it, June fires a gun to give away her position. June then goes inside and begins to deliver her baby. While pushing, she remembers giving birth to Hannah and then when Janine gave birth to baby Angela/Charlotte. June then finally gives birth to a healthy baby girl and names her baby girl Holly, in honor of her mother, the baby’s grandmother. As they're laying there, a car drives up outside[2].
Postpartum[]
Serena Joy is seen bathing Holly, or Nichole as she calls her. June is seen using a breast pump when Aunt Lydia arrives. She commends June on her surviving and giving birth on her own. Aunt Elizabeth mentions that June's milk is less than yesterday. Aunt Lydia says she knows this already. Apparently, Mrs. Waterford wants the milk. Aunt Lydia tells June that other families have made offers for her to be in their households. Commander Fred is seen setting up his office when Nick walks in and praises him. Commander Waterford then tells him opportunities are going to open up for him and Nick says he appreciates that. Before leaving, Nick hangs up a picture on the wall and it's of Serena, Fred, and the new baby.
Eden is seen holding the baby. Rita walks in with a bottle and Serena takes the baby to feed her. Rita tells Serena that they are running low on breast milk because June's milk supply is drying up. Serena says that they can't have that. Aunt Lydia leads June to meet with the Commander and Nick who have brought Nichole. June initially refuses to see the baby, due to the pain of being separated from her for the last few weeks, but Aunt Lydia tells her that it'll help her produce more milk. It's true because no sooner does she say this that her breasts start to leak as soon as she sees her daughter. Fred turns to leave but June offers to nurse Nichole. Fred says no but Aunt Lydia convinces him to take June back to the house so that she can pump there. June returns to the Waterford's house but this upsets Serena. She says that June can't touch the baby and she must only pump in the room.
June is using the breast pump when she hears Nichole crying from below, she lies down on the floor and strokes it as if to comfort the baby she isn't allowed to hold. She then walks downstairs and runs into Eden in the kitchen. Eden asks her if she agrees that a baby should be raised by two people who love each other. June tells her that she thinks they should grab love wherever they can. The next day, Nick is looking for Eden but can't find her. Nick tells her that their baby is so beautiful and that he wishes he could hold her. The two fantasize out loud about running away to Hawaii (which is still part of the USA) to be a real family; June says Holly "will love the beach." June tells him that she wants to name her Holly after her Mom. Nick tells her it sounds right.
Commander Fred walks in telling him that guardian Isaac never showed up for his shift this morning. Nick puts two and two together and realizes that they must've run off together. Serena is dealing with a crying Nichole. She gets the idea to try and breastfeed her (almost as strange as the "mating" ritual) but of course it doesn't work.
June is in the kitchen helping clean the kitchen when Rita is called by Serena. Now alone, June takes a moment to smell some of Nichole’s clothes, clearly longing to hold her child. Fred walks in and asks her why Eden would runaway. June says she doesn't know and he asks where she was hiding when they went searching for her in the house. She says the attic and he says that she was avoiding going home with him. June tells him that she wanted to spend more time with Hannah and he asks how the reunion went. June says she was surprised to see her. Fred says that he was glad he made it happen for her. She thanks him and he asks if that's all the thanks he gets. She offers to play scrabble with him.
June goes downstairs and finds Nick sitting at the table. She tries to offer comfort but he just gets up and walks away. As she's going back upstairs, she spots Serena in the baby's room. She asks Serena if she's okay. The baby starts to cry, Serena then surprisingly offers the baby to June, finally willing to do what's best for Nichole after seeing Eden executed. June sits in the rocking chair, then Serena passes the baby to her. June then greets the child she had been separated from for weeks with a kiss on the head and begins to breastfeed her as Serena watches.
The Word[]
June is going through Eden's things and finds a Bible. June goes to see Serena and shows her the bible and how Eden wrote notes all over it. Serena says that Eden has been hiding a multitude of sins. This upsets June who asks Serena how she's gonna raise Nichole. Serena Joy says that she'll be raised properly and understand the Word of God. June says that she won't be able to read it, and leaves, upset.
Later, June is feeding Nichole when she hears a commotion outside. Rita comes in and tells her that they can get her out but that she needs to leave now. Rita tells her where to go so June hugs her and then leaves. Inside, Fred watches what's going on from his office. He goes and asks Rita what's going on but she says she doesn't know. Realizing something is up, he runs upstairs to check on Nichole. Nick follows him up and when Fred tells him to put together a search party Nick tells him to stay inside.
Serena spots June trying to escape with Nichole and tries to stop them. June manages to convince Serena to let them go. Serena asks to hold the baby one last time, and June passes the baby over. After saying goodbye, Serena returns the baby to June and watches as they leave. June goes from Martha to Martha as they guide her out of the Waterford's neighborhood. They lead June and Nichole to the train tracks where she's instructed to wait. June remembers when she sang to Hannah. She shows the picture of Hannah to Holly and tells her that maybe she'll meet her one day. That she is going to meet her one day.
June then sees a car flashing its headlights. She comes closer and sees Emily talking with Commander Lawrence. They embrace but Emily asks what is happening, Lawrence remarking that he's getting into deep trouble for what he's doing. June tells Emily that she's getting out of Gilead as a truck carrying two Guardians arrives. June helps Emily into the truck as Commander Lawrence drives away. After a moment June gives Emily the baby, and tells her to call her Nichole and "tell her I love her." June then shuts the door and the truck drives away. While Emily continues to scream her name. June stands there teary eyed for a moment but as she pulls the hood of her cape over her head, she has a determined look on her face. She's saved her baby daughter from Gilead and has to stay to save Hannah. With her resolve in place, June walks away into the darkness.
Season Three[]
Night (Season 3)[]
As drones circle through the night sky, Emily continues her journey on foot with Nichole in her arms trying to keep her quiet. She ducks behind bridges and goes low to the ground at various points to evade them, and as she wades through the river, it swallows her up and takes her downstream. However, she manages to get out of the water and collapses to the ground, exhausted. She is spotted by two Canadian police officers who offer her a blanket and asks if she wished to seek asylum, to which Emily says yes.
Upon arrival at hospital, the police officers lead Emily through a hospital corridor. Emily meets Dr. Chung, who welcomes her and promises that she will take care of her and the baby. Emily accepts the treatment, and as they continue down the corridor the doctors and nurses applaud her bravery.
Serena is sitting at her vanity putting antiseptic on her severed finger when Fred comes into the room. He tells her that he's on his way to the office and is working on setting up an investigation into Nicole’s kidnapping.
In Little America, Luke rushes to the post office with Moira hot on her heels. He receives an envelope, inside is a picture of Hannah. Luke is relieved that she is safe. Emily appears behind him with Nichole, telling him his wife (June) saved her life.
June is punished by scrubbing floors in the Red Center, the soles of her feet battered. A Handmaid with a bucket lets her know that Emily and Nicole made it safely to Canada, giving her some hope.
Mary and Martha[]
In Canada, Baby Nichole is now living with Luke, Moira and Erin.
God Bless the Child[]
At the front of a congregation in Gilead, the Commander who’s leading the proceedings brings up Nichole, whom he says was taken "by an unrepentant sinner." He asks those assembled to pray for her safety.
Luke is at a Canadian protest showing solidarity with Chicago, and he’s wearing Nichole in a carrier. Luke and Moira make arrangements to have Nichole baptized because "this little one should be absolved of their sins", as Luke points out.
Unknown Caller[]
The Waterfords ask June to make a call to Luke, in exchange for a favor. June asks Luke to let the Waterfords say an in person goodbye to Nichole at the Toronto airport. Luke agrees to only meet Serena at the airport.
Serena comes and she comments on how big Nichole has become. She gives her a gift and asks Luke to tell her about her story and her "mother" when she's older. Serena holds Nicole and tears up while saying goodbye.
Serena leaves and Nichole is left with Luke.
June manages to smuggle a tape to Luke where she explains that Nicole was "born out of love", between her and Nick and that her real name is Holly.
Season 4[]
"The Crossing"[]
Luke takes care of Nichole after he finds out that June has been imprisoned in Gilead. Together, they bury a green persimmon in the garden for luck, just as Rachel Tapping said she used to do.[3]
During her debriefing June asks Luke when Nichole is coming. To which, Tuello replies that Moira will bring her by later. Luke senses June's desire to see her daughter and offers to take her home to see her. At the house, June is reunited with Emily who hands Nichole back to her mother. June becomes visibly emotional upon holding her baby daughter for the first time in months. Later, June rocks Nichole in the nursey and tells her she's amazing and they're so lucky that Moira and Luke have been raising her. She then tells Nichole that she wants her to know that "your daddy and I love you so much. Your first daddy."
“Progress”
After Luke asks June to meet up with Nick, she takes Nichole and visits an abandoned school where they meet up with him. As the two interact with their daughter, June comments "she's a little bigger, isn't she?" To which Nick replies, "oh she's a whole different person." Inside the school, Nick and June discuss Hannah's whereabouts and have a moment. Nichole then begins to fuss and June brings her over to sit with them. She tells Nick that Nichole is stubborn, which comes as no surprise to him, given June's stubbornness. Nick then gives her a doll and calls her ‘my beautiful girl’. The two then play with their baby daughter.
After June kills Fred, she returns to the house and goes into the nursery to see Nichole. She cries as she leans against the crib, before picking up her baby daughter. Luke then comes into the room to see June covered in blood and realizes what happened. June asks for "five minutes with her" before she leaves. June tells Nichole that she loves her. The two are bathed in sunlight while Fred's body hangs in the woods.
Nichole is first seen in her crib, as June returns briefly to hold her again after getting blood on the baby's washcloth in the bathroom. June coos at her daughter and thinks back to murdering Fred with the same hands, which now gently cradle her daughter. June then puts Nichole back down into her crib and says "I love you" before leaving the house. Later, Moira is seen holding Nichole after June and Luke return from the police station, Moira then passes her off to Luke. In the kitchen, Moira and June talk. Moira says she needs to give Nichole a bath. June offers to do it but Moira says she doesn't feel comfortable leaving Nichole in June's care right now, June agrees. However after having a conversation outside with Tuello, June goes upstairs to see Nichole crying in the bathtub, Nichole is having none of it. Luke then draws the baby's attention to her mommy and encourages June to come in the room. Nichole still screaming, toddles over to June as she approaches the tub. June holds Nichole and tells her "you don't have to have a bath if you don't want to, okay?" Once Nichole is content, June tells Luke and Moira, she's got her. They leave the room, leaving June to cuddle with her daughter.
Photos
