One week later.
At the medical center.
"I like Martin Channing!" Cristina shouted energetically in the locker room. 😍
"Keep it down a bit," Adam warned her. "Don't keep saying that so loud, or the chief might overhear. He's already taken a big hit from this."
"The chief's not that petty," Cristina replied, brushing it off. "He was an intern like us once. If he were in my shoes back then, he'd feel the same way I do now. I'm his intern—he should be thrilled about that!" 😎
Adam started changing, not saying much more. Honestly, though it wasn't exactly ideal, he'd been pretty happy this past week too. Thanks to the Channing scam, he'd been swamped every day—busy in a good way. At least five surgeries a day! In just one week, he'd earned nearly half a year's worth of lifespan. Even Dr. Burke and the others were giving him weird looks. 🤔
In most cardiothoracic surgeries, Adam wasn't just skilled—he was fast. Crazy fast. While Adam finished three surgeries, Dr. Burke could only manage two. Back in the day, Burke used to pride himself on his hard work. At Johns Hopkins, he wasn't the most naturally gifted, but his relentless effort always landed him at the top of the class. He graduated first, firmly believing that hard work trumped talent.
But now, watching Adam? He wasn't so sure anymore. Burke was at his peak, yet Adam had effortlessly left him in the dust. And as Adam kept growing, that gap was only going to widen. It left Burke muttering to himself, "Damn this ridiculous talent!" 😤
Once Adam and Cristina finished getting ready, they hurried to the wards, hoping it'd be like yesterday—rooms packed with patients. But to their disappointment, after a week of chaos from the Channing scam, things had calmed down. The heart attack cases triggered by the scam? They'd already peaked—some people had multiple episodes by now. The storm had passed, though the ripples would linger for years.
Seeing this, Adam quickly shrugged it off and headed to the ER. "Dr. Montgomery," he greeted, spotting her standing outside.
"Adam," she replied, her tone flat. She'd lost some weight, and it was clear the Hell Town mess—cooked up single-handedly by Elliot Deacon—had hit her hard. Still, she didn't blame Adam. He'd uncovered that monster while saving a friend, indirectly sparing her too. After the initial shock, she'd pulled herself together. Her cold demeanor wasn't aimed at him—it was just her default now, for everyone.
Just then, an ambulance rolled up. "What's the situation?" Adam asked.
"Noelle Labatt, 28, 32 weeks pregnant with twins," the paramedic explained. "Transferred from another hospital. One's growing a lot slower than the other."
"Interesting," Adam said, his eyes lighting up. That was rare! 😮
"Let's go together," Dr. Montgomery said, knowing he'd be hooked.
"Cool," Adam nodded.
"Greeley Standen," a twenty-something African-American guy introduced himself, hovering near the stretcher. "This is my fiancée, the future Mrs. Standen."
"Greeley, you're the only one obsessed with whether we're married or not," Noelle teased, then looked at Dr. Montgomery. "Doctor, Dr. Tyson said my case is serious. I need a specialist."
Dr. Montgomery flipped through the chart and gasped, "You have two uteruses?"
"Uh, yeah," Noelle admitted, a little shy.
"Adam, do a full checkup on her first," Dr. Montgomery instructed.
"Got it," Adam said with a grin. Two uteruses? That's not something you see every day! 😲
Sure enough, it didn't take long for a crowd of staff to gather and peek in. Adam ran all the tests, then called Dr. Montgomery over. Outside the room, nurses and doctors lingered, sneaking glances inside.
"He pushes past the cornerback, he's at the 30-yard line, the 20, the 10—touchdown!" Inside, Greeley was rubbing Noelle's belly, giving the babies a football-style pep talk.
Emmm. Football prenatal education? In a drama world, that's peak African-American vibes. 🏈
"Greeley, Noelle, I've got good news," Dr. Montgomery said with a professional smile. "Both babies are healthy. But due to a very unique reason, they're different sizes. Tests show they've got different due dates."
"Here's the deal," Adam chimed in. "The bigger one's a boy, conceived about six weeks earlier than the girl."
"OMG!" Greeley froze. "Wait, that doesn't add up."
Adam was about to explain that it's totally possible, but then he noticed Noelle's face shift. And suddenly, it clicked.
"It's very likely," Dr. Montgomery said, still oblivious. "Our tests are spot-on."
"But we were broken up back then," Greeley cut in, dropping the bombshell. "She was pregnant, I wanted to marry her, but she didn't. I gave her an ultimatum, she said no, and she left. We didn't even talk for six weeks after that—let alone get her pregnant."
Dr. Montgomery went silent. This wasn't a medical issue anymore.
"I'm sorry, Greeley," Noelle sobbed.
It all made sense now.
"Oh, so I didn't get her pregnant," Greeley muttered, piecing it together.
"I'm so sorry," Noelle cried harder.
"I can't believe you did this to me," Greeley said, giving her one last look before walking out.
"Don't go!" Noelle screamed, wincing in pain. "Ahh!"
"She's hyperventilating, and the fetal heart rate's dropping," Adam warned. "Lie back, take deep breaths!"
"Noelle, any cramps, contractions, or pressure?" Dr. Montgomery asked, holding her steady.
"I can't do this without him," Noelle whimpered. She was clearly having contractions but didn't want to face it alone.
"Adam, go get him back," Dr. Montgomery ordered.
"On it," Adam said, sprinting after Greeley. But no matter how much he pleaded, the guy was done—stone-cold and set on leaving. Adam gave up on dragging him back by force.
"Where is he?" Dr. Montgomery asked, annoyed when Adam returned solo.
"He's not coming back," Adam said, stepping in to help calm Noelle. "Noelle, who's the girl's dad? Maybe we can call him to be here with you?"
Dr. Montgomery shot him a weird look. The daughter was obviously a one-night-stand surprise—good luck finding that dad!
"Ahh!" Noelle yelped in pain, then—to both Adam and Dr. Montgomery's shock—blurted out a name.
Dr. Montgomery was floored that Noelle actually remembered the guy and wanted him there. But Adam? He was stunned because the name she dropped was someone he knew.
It took him back to when Barney swore he and African-American James were brothers—Adam hadn't believed a word. But now, a famous scene from his past life flashed through his mind. Only this time, he was the clueless one in the spotlight.
"Teacher Duncan, don't do this, don't do this, Teacher Duncan…" 😱
(End of Chapter)