Chapter 1
Jess never imagined she would spend a full night on the beach with her closest friends.
They needed this adventure, in a peace-filled place, because that morning their lives could change forever.
Jess sat gazing at the ocean for a long time before drifting off to sleep, the gentle sea breeze ruffling her thick black hair.
She felt safe with Nick beside her, curled into a ball with Winston's coat as a blanket. Cece and Schmidt weren't far away, and she failed to notice how they cuddled. If this night could last...
When Nick awoke the following morning, his head ached from the amount of alcohol consumed, and he felt incredibly sore.
He gave Jess's shoulder a shake once he got his bearings, whispering her name. She blinked open her beautiful blue eyes, and struggled to sit.
She seemed surprised that they were still on the beach, but upon that realization a smile formed on her lips.
"Good morning," she told Nick, who smiled back, rubbing a hand over his face. "How'd you sleep?" She brushed grains of sand from her clothes that appeared over night, and Nick shrugged.
"All right, I guess," he replied. "I guess we'd better get to the hospital for that ultrasound. You get Winston ready and I'll handle CeCe and Schmidt."
Within the next ten minutes, the group piled in Winston's junk mobile, and were on the road. No one spoke the entire journey to the hospital, though Jess kept her arm locked through Nick's for support. For the first time, he didn't try to fight her.
"I wish I could tell you guys everything's gonna be okay," Nick spoke up as they found a free space in the parking lot. "But I'd be lying if I did. I don't think this is going to turn out well."
Schmidt's lower lip trembled with emotion, and CeCe nudged his arm when she heart a slight whimper.
"I wish you told us you didn't feel right sooner, man," Winston replied.
"I thought it would go away on it's own," Nick admitted. He was a stubborn son of a bitch, and no mistake.
"Let's try to think positively, okay?" Jess begged. "Nick...even if you do have cancer, which you don't...it's treatable these days. Plus...you're strong and healthy anyway."
Schmidt snorted.
"What was that?" Nick glanced over his shoulder at his friend with a playful grin.
"Nothing dude," Schmidt replied.
The five friends piled out of the car and made their way to the front entrance. Nick walked slower than the others, his hands in his pockets.
He hated doctors for this reason, for the fear they instilled in their patients. He knew Jess was in the right for having him come here, but it still didn't ease his anxiety. If he had cancer, the cost of the treatment would leave him in more debt than he already was, and he hated asking for money.
Schmidt brought up how he should have sucked it up and finished law school, that he should have tried to do more with his life than bartending.
Nick knew this, and if he got away clear, he would ask Jess what the next step to living for real would be. He envied her constant happiness, her positive outlook on everyone and everything. She forgave at the drop of a hat, she cried over a dead bird.
Nick found himself longing to be more like Jessica Day, though his fear kept him at a stand still.
They entered the air conditioned building, which smelled strongly of antiseptic and floor wax. His stomach churned when he approached the receptionist desk to sign in for his appointment, and the nurse handed him a clipboard with forms.
"I'll need your insurance information, please," she requested kindly, and Nick felt his cheeks grow warm.
"I uh..." he cleared his throat. "I don't have insurance. I was just going to pay in cash, if that's okay." He knew how stupid he sounded, but it was the truth. Bartending paid shit, and he couldn't afford insurance.
The nurse blinked in confusion for a moment, and then nodded. "All right," she replied.
"I wish I could go in with you...I hate that you have to do the testing alone," Jess admitted, and Nick smiled at her.
"I'm a big boy...I can handle it," he insisted.
When the radiologist called his name, Nick turned to his friends one final time, and followed the technician through the double doors.
"How long does it take for a person to find out if they have cancer or not?" Schmidt asked loudly when 45 minutes passed without a sign of Nick.
Jess fidgeted in her chair, trying to focus on the latest fashion magazine, but failed miserably.
When Nick did emerge from the double doors, his face looked grim, and the tech followed behind him.
"What happened?" Jess grabbed his arms, and he looked at the tech, who tried to give the group an encouraging smile.
"They think something might be up," he replied. "The swelling in my neck is an enlarged lymph node and they found others under my arms. I'm supposed to check in so they can run more tests. I told them how tired I felt all the time...yes, Jess, I openly discussed my feelings."
Jess covered her mouth with her hand, and Schmidt cursed loudly, receiving annoyed looks from the other people in the waiting room.
"He also has a low grade fever we'd like to monitor," the tech explained. "It is possible he could just have an infection, but we want to be positively certain. We'll take good care of him, I promise."
Jess hugged Nick tightly, and Schmidt fiddled with the hem of his jacket.
"We're staying with you tonight, man," he said, and Nick arched an eyebrow. "You're not going through this alone..."
The tech cut him off. "I'm sorry, but we can't allow so many people staying in the room at once," she explained. "One or two is fine, but more than that can be distraction."
Jess looked at the rest of her friends. "We can take shifts until he's out of here."
Nick tried to argue the issue, but he couldn't get a word in edge wise. It was decided that Jess and Schmidt would take tonight, and CeCe would join Winston on Monday.
"You guys really don't have to do this," Nick pointed out. "I'm 30 years old for God's sake."
"I don't care if you're 30," Jess retorted. "I am going home to pack you a bag of things for your stay and we'll be back. Don't..." she pointed a finger at Nick when he started to argue again, finally sagging with defeat.
"Okay, fine, if you insist." He rolled his eyes, and the tech got him set up at the counter. "Whoa wait wait...if I'm staying, how will I be able to afford this without insurance?" He turned to Jess, who put a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry about the money. We can cover it. You my good sir, need to focus on getting well."
Nick felt his throat choke up with emotion.
"I'll pay you back," he squeaked, and Schmidt grinned.
"Your only debt to us is getting better, man."
The tech got Nick signed in, and the group walked with him to his room on the third floor once available.
"Not bad," Winston admitted, peering through the doorway.
Inside sat two twin sized hospital beds, two dressers, a bathroom with a shower, and two large windows that let in plenty of sunshine. The beds were separated by a thin curtain, and the nurse explained that while the room was unoccupied, Nick could get a roommate at any point.
"Hopefully I won't be here long enough to experience that," He mumbled, and the nurse, who finally introduced herself as Morgan, held up a thin paper gown.
"You'll have to wear this while you're here," she explained. "To make testing easier."
Nick stared at the object in horror, and turned back to his friends. "Please leave, guys...the last thing I want..."
"Modesty...right," Jess teased, ushering the other three out into the hallway, before turning around.
"You too," Nick demanded, and Jess rolled her eyes.
"Nothing I haven't seen before," She laughed, and Nick glared at her.
"I'll see you when you come back with my stuff," He said, and she gave him a hug, pecking a kiss on his cheek.
"You're not alone," she insisted, and Nick watched her vanish from sight.
Jess drove CeCe home first, and then brought Schmidt and WInston back to the loft.
She cried when she went through Nick's dresser, trying to stop but finding it impossible. Schmidt found her sobbing while lying on Nick's bed, hugging a pair of his jeans to her face.
"You okay?" Schmidt asked, joining her. He hadn't seen Jess this distraught since she first moved in, following her break-up with the famous Spencer.
"He looked so scared," Jess choked. "I don't want Nick to die, Schmidt. He just can't leave us." She used his jeans as a tissue, and Schmidt winced at the gesture.
"He won't die," Schmidt urged. "He may not even have cancer. It could just be the flu, or mono, like the tech said. Glands swell all the time for that stuff, and you know how Nick is...he catches everything a mile away. Plus...you said that cancer is treatable, especially nowadays. He's gonna be fine."
Jess sniffed and struggled to sit up, needing to pull herself together.
"You're right," she hiccoughed. "We have to be strong, we have to be Nick's rock. He'll need us more than ever now." she held up the jeans, and Schmidt gingerly pointed at them.
"You might not want to pack those...it has your snot all over it," he said with a grimace, and Jess laughed.
"They do not," she argued. "Just a little damp, see?" she held them closer to Schmidt, who immediately backed away. "I just hate thinking of him stuck in the hospital. The poor guy just has one disaster after another."
Schmidt nodded in understanding, fiddling with them hem of his shirt. "Me too. Hey...thanks for letting me take the first shift with you, Jess," he added as he volunteered to get Nick's bathroom supplies.
"No problem," she answered, and after the bag had been packed and zipped closed, they headed for the front door.