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This is the coin I had in my pocket the first night we kissed. And I always have it.
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Nick secured the last button on his black suit jacket and released a breath. He took a moment to gaze at his appearance in the full-length mirror situated in the corner of his office. It’s not often he takes stock of his appearance, but he wants to look his absolute best when his bride-to-be sees him at the end of the aisle. He already knows that Jess is going to look stunning so he wants to look like the guy she deserves, even if it means wearing a stiff monkey-suit for a day.
He’s never been surer of anything, but he still can’t seem to help the nerves forming in his stomach. His right hand slithers into his pants pocket until he feels what he’s looking for. He pulls out the silver circle and rubs his thumb over the engraved George Washington. His lucky quarter.
As he roams over the etchings in the coin, a series of flashbacks filter through his head and Jess’s face is in every one of them. He remembers the first time he saw her struggling outside the loft, their first kiss. all the way up to the day she said she would marry him.
It just so happened that he had the same coin in his pocket when they reunited officially as a couple in the elevator. And he swore from then on that he would never let it go.
A knock on the door pulls him out of his thoughts. Nick shoves it back into his pocket just in time to see Schmidt and Winston enter to bring him up to the roof.
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He looks across the room where his wife lay in a peaceful sleep. He was in complete awe of her. His eyes drop back down to the small bundle he’s holding close to his chest. If he listened close enough, he could hear the small, almost miraculous, breaths coming from his baby boy’s nose.
The new father knows that it won’t be soon before long that Reginald will wake up for his next meal, and so he should be sleeping too; after all, Jess was in labor for 14 hours and he hasn’t slept since long before that. But he can’t. Frequently switching his gaze between Reggie and Jess, everything in his life suddenly makes sense.
Winston and Schmidt tried their best to explain the feeling, but ultimately, they knew he wouldn’t truly understand until he could experience it for himself. Now he gets it.
Being extra careful not to drop the tiny human, Nick uses his other hand to reach into his pocket and pulls out his anchor. The wedding band on his finger is also a pleasant token to remind him of how far he’s come, but his lucky quarter was there years before he and Jess tied the knot.
He rubs his thumb over Washington’s face, and he was brought back all the way to his childhood as if it were a personal time machine. Every stupid decision, every hopeless crush, every alcoholic beverage he consumed to forget the pain of his breakups all brought him to this moment.
Nick briefly wonders if his own dad had some sort of lucky novelty when he and his brother were born. Of course he did. He’s a Miller. Though, he concluded that it was most likely in the form of a poker chip or some form of conned merchandise.
With a firm grip on the coin, he looks back down to his sleeping son. He silently whispers a promise to Reggie that Nick would always be there for him as long as he is breathing.
A soft hey interrupts his thoughts as he looks up to see the new mom looking back at them. Despite her hair sprawled in different directions and the hospital gown hanging off one shoulder, he’s never thought she’s looked more beautiful. Gently, he stands and crosses the room to bring their son closer to her.
Jess gazes at her boy, appreciating every beautiful nuance about him, then brings her eyes back up to her husband’s. Nick is already looking back at her. He gets lost in her crystal blue eyes, and he swears he can see his whole life in them.
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Nick perches his son on the edge of the water fountain with one arm secured around him, while the other goes in his pocket and pulls out a few loose coins. He hands a penny to Reggie and instructs him to make a wish and throw it in the fountain. He watches as his little boy’s eyes fluttered close then wound his arm to throw the coin as far as he could.
“Daddy, why didn’t you make a wish.”
“My wishes already came true,” he responds showing Reggie his lucky quarter laying in the palm of his hand.
Nick closes his fist tightly around the coin one more time before putting it back in its rightful spot. He lowers Reggie back to the ground and takes the toddler’s hand in his.
“Come on. Let’s go meet your new sister,” guiding them back through the hospital doors.