These Are The Days Worth Living

"Jess, why didn't you tell me?" Nick asked desperately. How could she have not told them what was going on? How could she not have told him? Inspired by the events of "Injured." Angst, romance, fluff, and eventual Nick/Jess.

Disclaimer: I do not own New Girl, I can only be grateful for it's existence and the qualities of the characters and acting that have inspired me to write a fanfic for the first time after 7 years of enjoying quality fan fiction written by the many other talented writers on . I also do not own the music or lyrics by The Calling in which there are lyrics included throughout this story and whose songs have inspired the title of this fic. In regards to the subject matter within the story, I aim to be as accurate as I can by researching, but I'm not a doctor or even a medical student, so please forgive me if I get any of the medical procedures and terminology wrong. Lastly, my heart goes out to everyone who has ever been affected in any way from medical situations such as these, my thoughts are with you.

Author's note: This is my first ever fanfic. I hope you enjoy it. It was originally inspired by the storyline of "Injured" but quickly morphed into an alternate plotline. A bit of angst and drama to follow but I've tried to remain true to the characters. Please read and review, I would love to hear your thoughts!

Chapter 1 – Apple-y Goodness

Jess and Nick sat in the clinically lit room, the Nurse in front of Nick frowning slightly in frustration, needle at the ready in her hand. Jess sighed, the headache she woke up with this morning was getting worse by the minute, but she needed to be patient with Nick, she couldn't blame him for being a bit freaked out, what with his potentially devastating diagnosis on the horizon.

"Hey Nick?"

"Yeah, Jess."

"It's just a needle. They only need a little bit of blood, just like, a few drops, you won't even notice it's gone, cowboy! And think of the juice you'll get after... mmmm, apple juice..." Jess smiled wistfully in anticipation wondering whether she could sneak one of those delicious apple drinks too.

Nick frowned, his turtle face in full form. "It's just... I can't explain it… needles just freak me out..." He sighed and then took a slow, deep calming breath in. "You know what? You're right, I'm being ridiculous, let's do this!"

The nurse moved a fraction of an inch towards Nick with the needle before he jerked back attempting to escape through the wall.

"No! No! I can't! Nope, not happening, not today" Nick said quickly, clearly uncomfortable.

Jess smirked at him, a twinkle in her eye.

"Aw jeez, Jess, seriously, stop looking at me like that."

"Do I need to whip out my Daffy Duck impression, would that make you feel better?"

"No, Jess, that would not make me feel better right now."

"Okay, then let's do it together."

"What?"

"I'll get blood taken too, I need to practice for the blood drive later this month at school anyway. Here, hold my hand." Jess smiled and grabbed his hand, squeezing tight.

"Nurse, uh, Allison?" Jess asked as she quickly glance at the blond woman's name tag, "Could I get another nurse to, you know, fill up a tube of O Neg or...you know, whatever the medical term is" Jess scrunched her nose at her attempt to be, well, doctor-ish.

Nurse Allison signaled for her colleague.

"Ah, Nurse Sarah, thank you." Jess smiled as she looked over at the approaching woman with a sparkly pink heart sticker on her nametag. Nurse Sarah proceeded to prep her arm and held up the needle.

"Right, you ready there Nick?" Jess look up with him with that smile that always made Nick's insides flutter.

"If you bring this up with Winston or Schmidt I will deny it, but... don't let go of my hand, Jess."

"I'm not going anywhere."

They kept eye contact, Nick staring into the depths of Jess' blue eyes. He noticed the dark circles that in no way detracted from her beauty but caused a twinge of worry to shudder through him. Had she not been sleeping well? he wondered. He was so distracted with his thoughts he didn't even realize that the bad part was already over.

"All done," Nurse Allison said placing some gauze down where the needle had just been and patting Nick gently on the arm. "Just apply a little pressure. You too, dear," she said as she motioned at Jess.

"Would you like your sample tested for the same lab results as your friend?" Nurse Sarah asked Jess.

"Sure, why not?" Jess nodded.

"No, Jess, don't, you'll have to pay for those tests" Nick replied in protest.

"We're in this together Nick! 'If I could, then, I would, I'll go wherever you will go'"! Jess sung in a playful voice.

"Really, Jess, The Calling? At a time like this?" Nick smiled.

"Made you smile, didn't it? Now, where is the apple juice located?" Jess turned her attention to Nurse Sarah as she pointed at the little fridge in the corner of the room.

"Yes! Come on, Nick! There's some apple-y goodness awaiting us!" She stood up slightly dizzy for a second and decided that she definitely needed some juice. Nick followed, his gaze lingering a little too long as she closed her eyes indulging in her apple bliss. He thought about how she always smelled of fresh apples and cinnamon after her showers and then froze, wondering where that stray thought had come from. After a minute, she smiled up at him, her thirst satisfied and handed him a juice of his own.

He took it from her and then put her hand on the small of her back, gently leading her out of the room. "C'mon, let's get out of here, Jess."

They walked closely side by side, their footsteps in sync with one another as they moved through the long sterile hallways and out to the car.

Jess closed the car door and sighed as she leaned her head against the cool glass window, feeling a little hot and a bit tired and achy for the third week in a row. My cold really took up camp in my body she thought. The apple juice had helped perk her up a bit after the blood was taken, but maybe some honey and lemon tea would help when she got home. As she thought about the tests, her heart twanged a little, worry for Nick and his possible life threatening diagnosis filling her head.

"Jess?" Nick's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hmm, what?" Jess blinked.

"You okay, Jess? You spaced out there for a minute."

"Oh, yeah, I'm just tired, still feeling a bit down and out from my cold." Jess sighed.

"I thought you had that cold like, a month ago, you're still not feeling well?" Nick asked and Jess thought she could hear a concerned note behind the seemingly friendly question.

"No, I mean, yes, but I'm sure it's just because it's been really stressful at school lately, what with some of my students struggling in math and the fact that I'm always trying to avoid Paul at all costs in the hallways nowadays. I mean, who would have thought it was possible for two people to bump into each other that much?" her tone incredulous.

"Well, you do both work in the same school with the same hallways, and the same cafeteria, and the same..."

"Okay, Nick, yes, we are very much the same, I get it." Jess sighed in frustration.

"No, that's not what I meant, well, I mean there are some scary similarities, but..." Jess glared and he playfully smiled.

"Oh come on, Jess, you know I'm just joking with you. Hey, listen, to be serious for a moment, I want to thank you for coming with me to the clinic today... I don't really tell this to you very often, or well, I don't think I've ever told you, but I really appreciate having you around Jess... I like having you around." Nick smiled softly.

Jess smiled brightly in return causing Nick's smile to light up in response to her happiness.

"I'm going to make you some of that honey and lemon tea you like when we get home. That should make you feel better, right?"

"You know what kind of tea I like? I didn't know you paid that much attention to my tea routine Nick" Jess said in surprise.

"It's not like I... I don't... I've just seen you make it before, that's all" Nick muttered, and looked away from her embarrassed.

Jess just stared at Nick's profile and smiled, happiness bubbling inside her chest and momentarily distracting her from her aching head.

Lots more to come soon :) Please read and review!

- ohskylark