At the medical center.
The conversation, dripping with subtext, was still going strong.
"Addison, you're not serious, are you?" Nancy Shepherd asked, giving Dr. Montgomery a weird look. "You don't actually think Mark came here just for you, right? He slept with his tennis partner's wife, and word is the guy went to buy a gun. Mark's only here to dodge the fallout." 😬
"Is that so?" Dr. Montgomery replied coolly. "If that's his plan, then I can only feel sorry for him. In Boston, you sleep with someone's wife, they go buy a gun, and you still have time to run and hide. In New York? You sleep with someone's wife, and before you even realize you're busted, they're already at your door with a gun, ready to blast your troublemaker to bits. Nancy, you're a doctor too—don't tell me you've forgotten last year's disaster here at the center?" 😐
"…" Nancy had no comeback.
She was a seasoned player herself, so she didn't judge guys like Mark. They were all just tools to each other—who was really playing who? Still, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. When the rabbit dies, the fox mourns, right? If a guy gets his junk shot off for cheating, what about a woman who does the same? Is it just because she's bold and charismatic, charming both the husband and the scorned wife? No chance she'd run into a ruthless, no-nonsense wife herself? Dream on—unless that wife's secretly into her too. 🙄
"No need to say more. Derek's done. Mark's done. My love life? Officially dead," Dr. Montgomery said with a wistful sigh.
Nancy didn't push it further. They said their goodbyes.
Adam stepped up. "Dr. Montgomery."
"Adam, is something wrong with Noelle?" Her eyes sharpened.
"Nope," Adam said with a smile. "She's fine. My good friend Monica's here for a prenatal checkup, and I was hoping you could take a look, make sure the baby's all good."
"Sure," Dr. Montgomery nodded, smiling back. "Your friends are lucky to have you."
"That's what good friends are for," Adam grinned.
He led her over to Monica, who got checked out—everything was perfect, naturally. Everyone was thrilled. 😊
"Where's Joey?" Monica asked after the exam, finally remembering the day's main event.
"Follow me," Adam said, guiding them over.
In the ward, Joey sat by Noelle's bedside, gazing at her belly with a goofy, happy look. Adam popped in to check on things, then left Monica and the gang to chat with Joey and Noelle. They needed to meet her properly before the intervention tonight.
Night fell.
In Adam's hospital office, everyone gathered—minus Joey.
"Adam, is this really necessary?" Chandler hesitated. "Noelle didn't seem that bad to me."
"Don't judge a book by its cover—or a person by their face," Adam warned. "You think her actions are acceptable?"
"No way," Monica shook her head. "But she's pregnant with Joey's daughter. Are we really going to split them up and leave his kid without a full family from day one?"
"Does a 'full family' automatically mean a happy one?" Adam countered. "Not always—it depends. Noelle didn't want the kid after getting pregnant. She didn't just turn down the dad's proposal—she dumped him. Then, ignoring the baby in her belly, she hooked up with Joey right away, telling him not to worry and to just go for it. Does that sound like a solid mom to you?" 🤔
"Maybe she'll change," Monica said, softer now. "Once she's actually a mother, it might be different. It's a physical thing—motherhood can kick in and take over."
"Maybe," Adam nodded. "But plenty of moms never develop that instinct. If Joey ends up with a mother like that, have you thought about what he's in for?"
"Little Adam, don't worry—Mommy loves you the most," Monica cooed, rubbing her belly before shrugging. "Whatever, I'm out. I can't hear this stuff—my little Adam's gotta grow up healthy and happy, no dark vibes allowed."
"Sorry, my bad," Adam chuckled. "Monica, I'll get someone to walk with you—take a stroll, get some air."
He called over a nurse to accompany Monica for a little exercise, while he stayed with Chandler, Ross, Rachel, and Phoebe to keep hashing it out.
"She's only 26 weeks along, right? That's about 16 weeks left—four months," Rachel pointed out. "Let them hang out for a bit. If it works, then they can get married."
"It's more than 16 weeks," Adam added. "Kids don't form lasting memories before three, so Joey's got plenty of time. If Noelle's got issues, they'll show up in day-to-day life over that stretch."
Not everyone's a Sheldon, remembering every detail. No lasting memories, no trauma from a "broken home" either.
"Right!" The group perked up. "Joey's got all the time in the world."
"So our job now is to keep Joey from rushing in," Adam summed up. "He doesn't need to feel like he has to step up just because she's pregnant with his daughter. He can wait it out."
In a pure sitcom world, Adam wouldn't bother with all this. Joey wants to marry her? Go for it—flash weddings and divorces are par for the course. But this was a mixed drama universe, full of twisted characters. What if Noelle turned out to be some psycho like Huan Huan? If Joey married her, he might not even make it to the divorce—he'd just be gone. No joke. Joey's a known soap star with a decent chunk of cash. Where there's money, there's motive. Adam wasn't about to let Joey get hurt.
Even without marriage, if Noelle was a real snake, Joey was still at risk. If he died, her daughter would inherit everything, and as the guardian, Noelle would get her hands on it too—just with extra paperwork. That's the curse of reckless sowing—you never know what kind of ruthless person you'll tangle with. And once they've got your bloodline, good luck shaking them off. Claiming impotence won't even save you! 😓
After getting everyone on the same page, Joey walked in—to a wall of unified, cautionary stares. He'd already been waffling about how to deal with his future stepson situation, and now, with the whole crew piling on, his urge to propose vanished. They settled on "let's see how it goes."
Adam told Rachel and Phoebe to keep an eye on Noelle, quietly sizing her up. Later, when Juno swung by, he'd have her take a look too. If Juno gave the green light, cool. If not, they'd do their best to stop it. And if Joey wouldn't listen? Well, that'd be that. Joey wasn't Chandler—Adam could only do so much, not go all out.
As the intervention wrapped up, Adam's phone rang. He told Chandler and the others to keep talking, stepped outside with a mysterious smirk, took a deep breath, and answered. "MAX?" 😏
(End of Chapter)