Medical Center.
Missy had that "caught you" look plastered all over her face.
Adam just avoided her gaze entirely. He knew with "his track record in her eyes," anything he said would be wrong.
The more he talked, the worse it'd get. Silence was his best bet.
Truth is, he'd been genuinely moved earlier and spoke from the heart. Sure, like Howard, he might be the kind of guy Beatrice warned her daughter not to marry. But he totally got where she was coming from.
Erm… Especially Howard—living with his mom at nearly thirty, still dragging her along to the dentist. If he hadn't met his soulmate Bernadette, he'd probably be single forever. 😂
A dying mom giving heartfelt advice to her teenage daughter, full of pure, simple love—it'd touch anyone who values family. Adam's family in his past life—parents, siblings, even cousins—had been super tight-knit. Same went for the Duncan "basketball team" family in this life.
To him, family was way more real and reliable than any romance. Emilia was gorgeous, no doubt, but Adam wasn't some "mine, mine, all mine!" Qin Shi Huang type. Otherwise, Missy—standing right there—would've ended up like her so-called "sisters-in-law" Veronica and Peggy in her eyes.
"Hmm, I really am a good guy," Adam thought, sneaking a glance at Missy and feeling pretty darn proud of himself.
"What're you thinking about?" Missy asked, super attuned to his looks.
"Nothing much," Adam said with a grin. "Just wondering about Sheldon. Did you guys call him?"
"Yeah, we did," Missy sighed. "Told him what's going on here."
"And?" Adam raised an eyebrow, curious.
"What do you think?" Missy rolled her eyes. 🙄
"Let me guess," Adam said, picturing Sheldon's reaction. He mimicked Sheldon's deadpan face and tone, turning to Missy: "So?"
"Exactly!" Missy huffed. "I spelled it out so clearly—wanted him to come see Aunt Beatrice—but he just hit me with that one word. Made me wanna punch him!"
"Too many nut shots aren't good," Adam teased.
"What's wrong with that?" Missy smirked. "You think Sheldon's got any use for that down the road?"
"Tsk!" Adam clicked his tongue, chuckling to himself. "If Sheldon's son Leonard Cooper heard that, I wonder if he'd go dark side and get revenge on his dear Aunt Missy…"
After all, Leonard Cooper was the kid Sheldon and Amy predicted before they even met—a perfect mix of two genius gene pools, destined to be brilliant, kind, and lead humanity to a bright future. His odds of turning evil were way higher than his dad's, who once got chased up a tree by a chicken. Especially with half his DNA coming from his sly, sharp-witted mom, Amy.
Maybe Howard was onto something—future historians might curse them all for not taking Sheldon out right then and there, or sigh over Missy not landing enough low blows to stop the rise of "Dark Lord" Leonard Cooper.
"Sheldon can be so cold it's chilling," Missy grumbled.
"At least he loves his mom and grandma," Adam said, shaking his head. "It's not weird he's distant with an aunt he's never met."
"He doesn't love me or Georgie," Missy snapped, annoyed.
"That's easy to get," Adam laughed. "Biologically, you and Georgie are his rivals. His mom and grandma? They raised him. Different roles, different vibes. Genes are selfish like that!"
"So he's just a cold, selfish jerk!" Missy growled through gritted teeth.
Adam shrugged, staying quiet. She wasn't wrong.
If Sheldon didn't have that cute, innocent charm to cover his quirks, he'd have been beaten up a million times as a kid. With his genius brain, who's to say he hadn't figured out his strengths and flaws early on and leaned into the "cute troublemaker" act?
Think about it—Sheldon's favorite animals were always the adorable, heart-melting types. When Leonard and the gang dreamed up their ultimate animal forms—fierce, badass mutants—Sheldon still picked cute critters. Why? Because they're so lovable, no one can bring themselves to fight them. He'd win by cuteness alone, climbing to the top. 🐾
While Missy vented about Sheldon, back in the ward, Beatrice calmly finished comforting her daughter. It was a stark contrast to Sheldon's grandma, who sat there cool as a cucumber, holding a teary, heartbroken Mary—Sheldon's mom.
Mothers really do get tough and strong for their kids. If Beatrice could've lived long enough to see Emilia become a mom and herself a grandma, she might've turned out as carefree and wise as Sheldon's grandma.
Adam pushed the door open.
"I'm ready," Beatrice said with a smile. "I hope I can make it to Emilia's birthday party the day after tomorrow."
"Mom…" Emilia sobbed, barely holding it together.
"Adam, can't the surgery wait?" Mary asked, wiping her tears. "Maybe after Emilia's birthday party?"
"I'm afraid not," Adam shook his head. "Beatrice was admitted for breathing trouble—there's a tumor blocking her bronchus. If we don't remove it soon, she could suffocate any time."
Seeing Emilia's teary eyes on him, he added, "The surgery's got some risks, but Dr. Burke and I are pretty confident. There's a good chance Beatrice can join Emilia's birthday party after."
"Really?" Beatrice lit up with hope.
"Big chance," Adam said. "But the party'd have to be here in the hospital. After we remove as much of the tumor as we can, you'll need bed rest and observation to avoid infection or internal bleeding."
"Right," Mary chimed in. "We'll throw Emilia's birthday right here in this room. Beatrice, you'll definitely be there."
"I can't wait," Beatrice said, stroking Emilia's hair, her eyes full of longing.
She'd love to stay by her daughter's side forever, but she knew that wasn't possible. So her biggest wish was to share one more birthday with her. That was her limit.
Operating Room.
"Sigh…"
When they opened Beatrice's chest and saw the metastatic tumors—way worse than the CT scans showed—Adam let out a heavy breath.
"Not looking great," Dr. Burke said, glancing at Adam. "Even if we clean it up, she's got a month, tops."
"Yeah," Adam nodded. "Let's do our best to give her that month."
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