Medical Center
Inside the Ward
"I… uh, Dr. Bailey gave me some stuff to do…"
Cristina couldn't even look anymore. She mumbled an excuse and bolted for the door, shooting Adam a "let's bounce" glance.
But then she regretted it instantly.
Because Adam? He just stood there, cool as a cucumber, totally ignoring her signal with a smug little smile. It was blinding.
Oh no!
I messed up!
Cristina felt like she'd been zapped by a lightning combo—five hits, full body jolt. But she'd already opened her mouth, and her feet were halfway out the door. No turning back now. She threw Adam a bitter "you're a dirty fighter" glare and sulked off.
Feelings really do screw you over! If Meredith weren't tangled up in this, Cristina would've stayed and fought tooth and nail for that surgery. She'd already done Steven's enema and needle aspiration—she had the edge!
Adam watched her exit stage left, then turned back to the awkward-as-hell vibes in the room.
A juicy surgery and prime gossip? No way he was bailing just to spare Meredith's feelings. Plus, she probably didn't want to face her "dream guy" solo in this mess anyway.
What's that? She broke up with her dream guy last night for good? She's free to do whatever, no judgment?
Oh, please.
If it was a hate-filled breakup, maybe. But a peaceful split? When you leave things too open-ended, the spark doesn't fizzle out that fast. Plenty of folks rekindle the flame after a "friendly" goodbye.
Meredith and Dr. Shepherd? They definitely still had feelings lurking. That's why this was so damn awkward.
"Meredith," Steven said, the only one clueless about the tension. He was still… standing at attention. When she didn't respond, he tried again. "So, when are we…"
He trailed off, all considerate-like, tilting his head with a "you know what I mean" look.
"Yeah, Meredith," Dr. Shepherd chimed in, snapping out of his shock. His smile didn't reach his eyes. "When did you two…"
He couldn't finish either.
This was his ex, after all. The ex he'd officially split with last night—the one he'd loved deeply.
Well, damn!
She'd said "see ya" to him, and now she'd gone and… broken some guy?
Should I thank you for not breaking me instead?
"Dr. Duncan, here's Mr. Warden's CT scan," a nurse interrupted, handing over the films and slicing through the thick air.
"Dr. Shepherd, the CT shows a tumor at the lower spine, pressing on the nerves causing the priapism," Adam said, glancing at the scan and dropping his verdict like it was no big deal.
"Tumor?" Steven blinked, still lost in the vibe. "Wait, should I be scared? Yeah, I should totally be scared right now!"
He grabbed Meredith's hand on instinct.
"…"
Dr. Shepherd's eye twitched. Forcing himself to look away from the blinding scene, he snatched the CT from Adam and gave it a dramatic shake.
Crinkle.
Crinkle.
The film whimpered in his grip. He held it up to the light, face blank. "Yup, tumor alright. But a quick surgery'll take it out—no biggie."
"Right," Meredith said, awkwardly trying to pull her hand free. "Dr. Shepherd'll set you up for surgery. Once it's gone, you're good as new."
"Yeah, cut it out clean, and everything's back to normal," Shepherd said, locking eyes with Meredith. He mimicked her "solemn goodbye" stare from last night—loaded with meaning.
"Adam, can you take this one?" Meredith's voice cracked as she turned to him.
Last night, she'd dumped Shepherd, full of self-righteous "I'm cutting ties" pride. No real sadness back then. But now, with her dream guy throwing it back in her face? She was drowning in bitterness and hurt.
"Sure thing," Adam said with a nod.
He'd stuck around through this trainwreck for the surgery—why wouldn't he jump at it?
"Steven, Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Duncan'll take care of you. I… I've got stuff to do…" Meredith forced a smile at Steven and bolted.
"Normal as in normal normal?" Steven asked, panicking a little.
"Yup," Adam said, grinning. "Urology'll chat with you after, but yeah—normal normal."
"Phew, good," Steven sighed, then frowned toward the door. "What's up with Meredith?"
"She's got stuff," Adam covered for her.
"Oh," Steven said, disappointed. "I was hoping she'd call my mom for me."
"How long have you two been dating?"
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Dr. Shepherd's face darkened. He could feel the green creeping in—from a desert wisp to a full-on prairie.
"We met last night at Joe's," Steven said, a goofy smile spreading across his face.
Adam knew that smile. It was the same one Leonard had when his professor asked, "What makes me worthy of marrying a billionaire?" and he'd shot back, "Yup, I'm just that good."
Erm… More like Leonard's "I'll take one for the team" grin before a fight—early rounds only. The later rounds? All Dr. Shepherd's current scowl.
"Joe's bar?" Shepherd forced a smile. "I met a girl there once too… long time ago, though. Duncan, you handle Warden's pre-op."
"Yes, Dr. Shepherd," Adam said, keeping his face neutral.
A smile right now? Bad move. Trouble bait.
After Shepherd stormed off—
"Why's everyone acting so weird?" Steven finally clocked it.
"Doctors, y'know," Adam said with a light shrug.
---
Operating Room
"Duncan, wanna take the lead on this one?" Shepherd asked out of nowhere while scrubbing in.
Adam blinked, then jumped. "Yes!"
"You confident?" Shepherd pressed.
"Absolutely," Adam said, steady as a rock.
"Good. You're primary on this," Shepherd said. He fired off a few surgery questions, and Adam nailed every one. No wonder they say he's attending-level, Shepherd thought, nodding.
"Thanks!" Adam said, quick and grateful.
"You earned it with your skills. Still—think about neurosurgery, yeah?" Shepherd said with a small smile, heading into the OR.
"Heh, I will," Adam said, playing along.
Then it clicked. Why was Shepherd being so generous?
Steven, the guy on the table, was basically Shepherd's rival. The surgery? Remove a spinal tumor without nicking the priapism nerves. One slip, and Steven's out of the game—permanently celibate.
Even a pro like Shepherd couldn't be 100% chill about that. What if, mid-cut, he flashed back to this whole mess starting with that guy? One emotional twitch, one wrong move?
Satisfying, sure—but not a consequence he'd wanna live with.
With any other intern, Shepherd would've taken it himself. But Adam? He knew Adam could handle it.
Better to toss him the reins—and a favor—than risk a slip-up over buried feelings.
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