The delay in updating was my fault completely. I may have had three tests this week, and celebrated a little too hard on Friday night. Whoops.

How is it possible that this is my next to last update? Crazy, I tell you. Thank you all for the fabulous support - I will surely cry before I post the next (and last) chapter.

Chapter 22

Aly was released from the hospital late that night, with a prescription for some additional allergy medication and an appointment with a specialist the following Wednesday. Per the policy, they wanted Aly to leave in a wheelchair. She wouldn't go alone, so Jess ended up sitting down and holding her in her lap while they were wheeled out to the car.

While Aly had been in and out of sleep while the nurses kept tabs on her, Nick found it harder and harder in those quiet moments to push the feel of Jess's lips on his out of his head. A few bashful glances and shared smiles with Jess indicated that she, too, was processing what they had just done.

Watching Jess hold Aly as the nurse wheeled them to the car had it's own melting effect on Nick's heart.

"You're a lot bigger now than the last time I did this," Jess chuckled, holding Aly close to her chest. "And I'm a lot less sore." Nick put a hand on her shoulder, walking casually by their side.

"I guess it's never too late to play catch-up," he joked, and Jess smiled. Aly was still too groggy to say much as they all piled into Jess's car. Nick took the opportunity to drive, since Cece and Schmidt had offered to get Nick's car home while they waited for Aly's release.

They'd also returned to the hospital with an overnight bag of Nick's clothes – so he wouldn't have to leave his girls tonight – then left Aly with a balloon with a card that promised a frozen yogurt run when she was feeling better. He'd never been more thankful for his friends than in that moment. After everything that their two closest friends had been through over the years, they still found time to treat Aly like she was family.

The drive home from the hospital was silent, but not awkwardly so. Jess was situated in the back, as close to Aly as the child's carseat would allow. Nick could see the exhaustion in her body, from the way her free hand hung limply on her lap, to the way her eyelids fell as the car slid to a stop. Nick was sure he didn't look much different.

Still, as they reached her apartment, he was able to get a weak smile out of Jess when he offered to carry Aly up the stairs.

He had never really noticed how small their daughter felt in his arms. Even wrapped up in her favorite fleece blanket, she was weightless to him, fitting perfectly in his arms. Her face was almost back to normal, despite a lasting purple hue under her right eye. One of the nurses said she must have rubbed it with cookie crumbs still on her hand.

"I hope that doesn't turn into a black eye," Jess whispered as they got to the door. Nick shrugged.

"Leave it to our daughter to get a black eye from a cookie."

Jess gave him a tired – yet very satisfying – laugh, and they proceeded to tuck Aly back into bed. Although Aly's school clothes had been returned before they left the hospital, they instead decided to put her in an extra pair of pajamas that Jess kept in her car.

With very little effort, they had their toddler snuggled between the sheets and off to sleep with a few hummed chords of her favorite lullaby. It took a few minutes for the pair to will themselves to move, and when Jess finally turned around, she didn't go very far.

"Jess, go to your bed," Nick warned quietly as he spied Jess cozy up on the floor, right against Aly's nightstand.

"She's going to wake up and get scared," Jess whispered, "and I'm not going to be in the other room when that happens."

Nick sighed in defeat, resigning to the fact that Jess was right. He got up to get a change of clothes, and once he was done, grabbed some pillows and a quilt for Jess. No way was she sleeping against a wall all night. Not while he was around, anyway. He slipped back into Aly's room with the bedding, and was also able to convince Jess to go change into pajamas. No reason to wear her teacher clothes to bed.

By the time she returned, he'd set up a little corner for them. He sat against a pillow and the dresser, laying another pillow across his chest, right where she belonged. Jess, too tired to argue, gladly took her spot.

Nick pulled the blanket above the two of them, letting his hands run slowly down her pajamas until they settled at the curve of her waist. She sighed, content, burrowing deeper into his embrace. He could smell the perfume that still lingered on her skin.

He allowed himself a sleepy smile.

They didn't talk about what exactly they were doing or where their relationship was going. That would come later. Right then, they were there to be Aly's parents, and whatever that entailed for the night. It seemed they had come to that mutual understanding as they drifted off to sleep. Nick did, however, pull Jess just that much closer before he closed his eyes.

True to Jess's word, Aly did wake up a few times, asking for things like a glass of water, or just close company. Nick and Jess took turns, finding their rhythm around six AM. This continued for a few more hours; just until they were both convinced she was strong enough to get up (she started getting antsy for it by ten).

A lazy Saturday filled with cartoon watching and napping seemed to loom ahead, and they spent their first few hours indulging in cereal and a healthy dose of morning TV.

There was a knock at the door shortly after lunch. Nick went to answer it, as Jess had taken the opportunity to take a shower while Aly napped on the couch. It floored him how simply domestic everything already was.

Nick pulled open the door.

His immediate impression of the couple that stood on the doorstep was that of typical American suburb-dwellers – the woman was young and brunette, wearing a summer dress with a headband in her hair and holding a casserole dish. The man, also young, wore a polo and a pair of cargo shorts, glancing nervously between Nick and the number on the door.

"Hello?" Nick asked, curious as to who such visitors could be and why exactly they were at Jess's apartment, of all places.

"Is this where Aly lives?"

Nick immediately glanced down at the sound of a child's voice, to meet the worried stare of a little boy around Aly's age. He couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, she's here," he told the boy, thinking of her snoring form on the couch, "but she had a pretty rough day yesterday and – "

"That's why we're here," the woman spoke up. Nick looked back at her, surprised to see genuine worry etched in her face. "Our son is in Aly's class… And I think he shared his snack with her yesterday." Her eyes were downcast… guilty.

Nick opened his mouth to reply – although with what, he wasn't sure – only to be shut out.

"Melissa?"

Nick whipped around to find Jess standing in the living room, her dripping hair piled on top of her head. It looked like she'd thrown on a t-shirt and some shorts when she realized people were at the door.

"Oh, Jess," the woman (Melissa, Nick assumed) replied, much more at ease, "I'm so sorry about this, I feel awful – "

Nick moved out of the way, beckoning the family in as Jess assured Melissa that it was not her fault. Nick tried to follow the blabbering that ensued, but found himself awkwardly standing by the man that he decided was the boy's father and, presumably, Melissa's husband. He tried not to make that assumption, though, as he and Jess had been far from that fact until just last night.

"From what I gather," the man said to Nick, "Aly ate part of the cookie that my son brought for snack yesterday. He's on a gluten-free diet, so we usually pack his own snack. My wife bakes cookies for him on Friday, and the only thing that makes gluten-free cookies taste good for him is Nutella."

"Oh," Nick replied, not exactly sure how to respond. The irony was definitely there. As a business owner, though, he found a good go-to, holding out his hand. "I'm Nick, by the way. Aly's dad."

It felt pretty good to say that.

No big deal, I'm only Aly's dad.

"Daniel," the man replied, taking the handshake. "Noah's dad."

Before they could get another word out, Melissa seemed to notice that the little boy, Noah, was climbing onto the couch next to Aly. Nick hadn't noticed this before, but he was holding a book that he sat gently next to Aly before shaking her awake.

"Noah, don't wake her up!" Melissa chided, but it was too late. Aly's eyes slowly opened, focusing first on the crowd huddled by the doorway, then glancing over to her friend.

"I'm sorry my cookie made you sick," Noah apologized, with the kind of sincere concern that Nick would've been impressed with coming from an adult.

"It's okay," Aly replied, pulling the book close. "I got an ouchie, though." She stuck out her hand, bandaged where the IV hand been put in.

Melissa took this chance to go over to the couch and give Aly a hug, assuring her that she was so brave for going through all of that. Daniel joined them a second later, leaving Nick and Jess stand off to the side while Aly recounted her suddenly long (and quite embellished) hospital story.

They weren't going to correct her this time. She deserved a little bit of extra attention from what she had been through, and it was encouraging to see her in such high spirits.

Jess sighed.

"I met Melissa at meet the teacher a few weeks back," she began, her lips close to Nick's ear. "She said that Aly has really helped Noah come out of his shell."

Nick chuckled, leaning down to her ear. "Sounds like a familiar story."

Jess's eyes flickered to his briefly, sparking a smile. If only she knew how her sunlight was just what his cloudy day needed all those years ago.

Feeling forward, Nick put his arm around her waist. She sunk into his grip, and Nick was allowed to momentarily enjoy how her curves fit perfectly against him. However, the moment was short-lived, as the smile on her face as she watched the toddlers interact was entirely too insinuating for Nick's comfort zone.

"Please don't tell me," he began, keeping his voice low "that you actually like the idea of our daughter – who, might I remind you, is barely turning four in July – being friends with a boy who basically gave her a poisonous cookie."

This time, Nick was prepared Jess's scoff. "It was an honest mistake, and look at how cute they are! I've been thinking about setting up a play date for weeks – "

"There will be no use of the word 'date,'" Nick looked at her, "around here until the time she is thirty. And even then…"

Jess swatted his arm. "Nicholas Miller! Their names are Aly and Noah. Can you ask for a better match?"

"I don't want to know where you're going with this," he groaned, his suspicions from the hardware store almost confirmed. Their daughter was three years old, and Jess was here entertaining the idea of a life-long romance…

"All I'm saying," she continued, "is that they are already good friends. With the names shared by one of the greatest love stories ever – "

This time, Nick's groan was loud. He had finally made the connection to a certain cry-your-eyes-out movie, and it made him even less comfortable thinking about the situation.

Melissa and Daniel looked up from their spot on the couch, concerned by Nick's sudden outburst. Jess muffled a giggle, lightening the mood. The distraction was just long enough that, by the time they all turned their attention back to Aly, she was dozing off again on the arm of the couch.

The family took this chance to get up, prying Noah away with promises to arrange some play time (Nick refused to associate the word date with it) later that week. The little boy said a shy goodbye to Nick, with hugs, another apology, and a final handshake coming from his parents. The casserole dish was stuffed with homemade (Nutella free) chocolate chip cookies.

Aly barely made it through the goodbyes before she was curled back up against the arm of the couch, hugging the new picture book to her chest. Jess wordlessly went to the TV and put a nearby DVD in, then returned to Aly to whisper something in her ear. Aly smiled groggily up at her. Nick took in the entire scene, his heart swelling more and more with each passing second, until he felt Jess lightly grasp his arm and pull him back into her room.

He raised his eyebrows as she shut the door, half of him hoping that her mind was going right along with his, and the other half still riding the high of the wild ride he had endured over the past 24 hours.

Nick's eyes continued to follow Jess until she casually took a seat on the edge of her bed, patting the spot right next to her. Out of sheer curiosity, Nick played along and took a seat, almost identical to the night she'd brought him there to tell him about Aly for the first time.

Man, how things changed since then.

"Before she wakes up again," Jess started, "and before anyone else drops by, I just wanted to really thank you for everything, now that we're almost out of the clear," her smiled widened. "You know, a proper thank you."

"Uh, you're welcome?" Nick replied, only to be silenced by Jess's lips pressing quickly into his. She pressed the length of her chest against him, pulling for more. Although unexpected, he responded in a way that echoed her forward manner, his hands sliding from the exposed skin of her neck to the slight curve around her ear.

"Whoa," he muttered, pulling away, his laugh reverberating from somewhere deep in his chest. "Where is this coming from?"

Those crazy wide blue eyes looked back up at him. Her breath tickled his skin.

"From the Jess that hasn't been kissed like that in a long time," she teased, tugging at the front of his shirt, beckoning his response. He felt the top button come open as her skillful fingers worked their magic, and Nick was finding it difficult to resist pulling at the hem of her t-shirt. The scent of her shampoo, still clinging to her damp hair, was difficult to resist.

"Should we really be doing this with Aly in the other room?" Nick hesitated, instantly annoyed at his own concern. Here he was with Jess, sitting in front of him, pulling at him, and he chose this very opportunity to think?

She sighed dramatically and shook her head. "Nicholas, you will soon learn to never question the quiet time bought by a movie and a sleepy kid."

He could feel himself laugh, following her as they flopped back on the bed. His free hand traced a path down her waist. The way her eyes widened, combined with the irresistible pull of her smile, gave Nick little need for any further convincing.

"How long do we have?"

Jess giggled. "Well, the movie is an hour and forty-seven minutes long, and with previews, we - "

He cut her off by grabbing her hand and kissing her with every ounce of pent-up desire that he'd held back the past few months. He pushed a few curls back from her cheek, running his nose along her jaw until he reached her ear. She gripped the front of his shirt a little tighter as he breathed in to whisper into it.

"I can work with that."

For one hour and thirty-eight minutes, they allowed themselves to rediscover exactly what made them Nick and Jess. Where their relationship had started in a flurry of passion and simply not thinking about the consequences, they seemed to recognize that they had so much more to lose this time.

So, they took their time, savoring every precious moment.

Nick knew, though, that their time alone was coming to a halt when he noticed between kisses that Jess was humming along to the end credits of the movie. He kissed her for one last, fleeting second.

This assurance didn't stop Jess from groaning loudly when Nick got up to retrieve his clothes, but unlike four years ago, she released him to go. Nick smirked as he tossed her shirt back at her. She stuck her tongue out at him. If his heart wasn't still beating madly from her touch, he would've probably done the same back to her.

They didn't need to say a lot. Their time together said more than Nick could ever muster, anyway.

Beneath all of the changes, and around all of the things that had pulled them apart, he knew nothing would really ever change how Jessica Day could make him feel like he was on top of the world. He watched as Jess started to get dressed again, sifting through the pile they'd left at the end of the bed for her things. He felt her sneak a few gazes at him as he finished pulling on his undershirt. He reached for the spot where his shirt was, only to discover that it had already been taken.

"Hey!" He complained, leaning back into her as she buttoned the last button. "You already have a shirt."

She only smirked again, her eyes bright, then ran a finger across his undershirt. "Well, so do you."

"But that's my shirt."

"And if you want it so bad, come get it."

Nick tried to manage a turtle face, but didn't get very far before chuckling. A few bunches of fabric rested at her elbows, reminding him of the thin layers that now separated their bodies. Did she know what the sight of her in his shirt did to him?

"Nah, keep it. It looks good on ya."

She pouted. Clearly, that's not what she wanted him to do. When had he suddenly become the mature, time-conscious one?

"Hey," he said, this time much softer, stretching out next to her, "we've got plenty of time for that. Promise."

"Do we?" She replied, a small hint of doubt lacing her voice. She flopped back onto the pillows. "This isn't just some weird dream where I'll wake up by myself to a screaming newborn?"

He chuckled, leaning down on his elbow. "Not unless I'm dreaming, too."

Jess turned her head to him then, drawing her hand slowly to comb through his hair. He closed his eyes at her touch, enjoying a feeling that hadn't been there in far too long.

"What are we going to do, Nick?" Jess then questioned as Nick opened his eyes, her own eyes wide with concern. "What if we end up like last time?"

He would've laughed at how it was a little too late for that kind of question, but the seriousness in her eyes was enough to give him a reason not to.

"That won't happen," he assured, rolling to put his arm around her waist. She relaxed into his grip, her fingers still tracing circles in his hair. He very gently touched his lips to hers. "Not like that, anyway."

"But what if we come out of this hating each other?"

He considered this, then laughed. "We already hate each other half of the time. Otherwise, why can't we act like adults? I think we've done a pretty good job with Aly so far."

"Aly," Jess breathed, her eyes distant. "She's a pretty amazing kid."

"She's got some pretty amazing genetics."

They shared a quiet laugh at this, content where they were, despite the dynamic energy still humming between their bodies. Nick pulled her against him, hugging her like he never wanted to let go.

"It's good to have you back, Jess," he murmured. His body had chosen that this was a nice time to remind him that he was running off of two-hour sleep intervals. Jess was apparently feeling the same, as her breathing came to a content sigh.

"Back for what?" She asked lazily.

"With me." Nick knew she couldn't see it, but he was smiling anyway.

"Am I?" She pulled back to meet his gaze, "Back with you, that is."

"Only if you'll have me."

Her smile was dazzling, not requiring an answer. He brought his lips down to hers, much softer this time, and she relaxed into his chest. If Nick weren't running off of such little rest, he would've laid back and simply savored such a moment with her. However, as it was, they were starting to nod off again.

"We'll go slow this time," Jess tried to explain through a yawn. "No funny business… We'll ease the idea on Aly… Take a few months to… you know…" another yawn, "plan things out."

"Yeah, yeah," Nick agreed, only half listening through his own yawn. "Slow. Easy. Got it."

Jess chuckled into his chest one last time before becoming silent, Nick's body not far behind. As his muscles relaxed into the throes of sleep, the bedroom door creaked slowly open. Things were too hazy for Nick to respond, so as a small weight wiggled its way in between them, his body automatically adjusted to fit her, like she belonged in the little spot between him and Jess.

Maybe their relationship had been missing something before, just not in the way they expected.

Four months ago, he had been determined to marry someone who had to be considered such a steal for a guy like him. By the time he'd been given a second shot at her, though, he'd already had a small taste of what love really was, and in the same relationship merely settled for what he thought was good for him.

Then, a little girl by the name of Allison Cora Day came along and changed the entire game plan, showing him what true, unwavering love really was. She'd even led him back to a certain blue-eyed princess in the short time that he had known her. How could two people, so small in their very own ways, hold so much of his heart?

As sleep finally began to overtake Nick, the words to a tried and true lullaby very close to his heart played in the back of his mind. Take the keys to my car and the keys to my heart, and just drive... He hugged his girls closer.

He and Jess may not have it all figured out just yet. They may not always set the best examples for Aly. They may even truly hate each other sometimes. There were plenty of things that they still had to learn.

But they had a lot going for them, and it would all come back with time.

It always did.

Of course, Newgirl78 deserves another HUGE round of applause for her contributions to this chapter! I don't know where this story would have ended up without her help. And, if you're itching for a good read, check out her newest story "A Rolling Die." It's gonna be a good one!

Thanks again everyone, and I'll be posting the Epilogue sometime during the next week!