Medical Center
OR 2
Ring ring ring.
The phone in the operating room chimed.
Violet, The Nurse Who Gets It, walked over, picked it up, spoke briefly, and hung up.
"What's the update?" Adam asked, still focused on the surgery.
"Dr. Grey got the news and was about to take the baby for a check-up," Violet said, filling him in. "Then the kid's dad started grilling her about what was going on. She couldn't dodge the questions, lost her cool, and turned it back on him."
"What'd she do?" Shepherd paused mid-motion, looking over with concern.
"Listen up!" Adam said, turning to Shorty and Lexie. "Never—ever—face a dangerous person alone without police or security, no matter what you figure out. Keep your mouth shut, don't let on that you know anything weird, and call for help quietly. This is about your life—got it?"
"Got it!"
"Got it!"
Shorty and Lexie nodded quickly.
"Dr. Grey's fine," Violet added, reassuring them. "The dad couldn't believe it when she confronted him. He admitted they were cooking meth. Said he loves his son, that they were just broke and jobless back then. Claims he's a good dad—never touches the stuff himself and would never let his precious son near it. Then Dr. Grey told him your theory, Dr. Duncan. He froze, looked wrecked, and tried to snatch the kid from her and bolt. Security, who'd been watching nearby, took him down. Cops showed up and hauled him off."
"Heh," Adam let out a cold laugh.
"Dr. Duncan, you think he's lying?" Lexie couldn't help but ask.
"He might think he's telling the truth," Adam said, his voice icy. "But does he really love his son? I don't buy it. He says they were broke and out of work, so they had no choice but to take this dead-end road? Give me a break.
They were in their prime back then—no kid yet. If they'd wanted to work, they could've done anything. They got into this because it's easy money, fast. After the kid was born, they must've had some cash stashed. The smart move would've been to quit, get legit jobs, and raise their 'precious son' in a normal, happy home.
What did they expect their boy to turn into, growing up in that mess? And they even let shady characters—like some West Poison Ouyang Feng type—into their house, putting the kid right in front of those people. What if one of those creeps, broke and desperate, got a bad idea? Whether their 'precious son' would even make it to his rebellious teens—or turn into the kind of guy they'd hate—is anyone's guess.
And then there's this: doing insanely dangerous chemical experiments in their own apartment, exposing their kid to that kind of risk. They didn't even notice he'd gotten hooked, and now we've got this disaster. Parents who just say they love their kid but don't think about his safety for a second—that's what they call true love? Don't insult real parental love like that!"
"Yeah."
"He doesn't love his son—he only loves himself!"
"Locking him up and keeping the kid away might be the best shot at hope."
At first, the room had felt a pang of sympathy. Sure, these parents screwed up, but they probably still loved their son. Once the cops came, they'd both be locked up, torn from their kid—pretty tragic, right?
But after Adam's breakdown, it clicked. Real love from parents isn't about sweet words—it's about actions. These two didn't even notice the irreversible damage their "precious son" was suffering. What kind of deep parental love is that?
Adam sighed inwardly, his mind drifting to Breaking Bad's Walter White.
Now that guy started out legit—for his family. Middle-aged, with a pregnant wife, a daughter on the way, and a son with cerebral palsy. When he found out he had cancer and not much time left, he took that dark path out of desperation.
What else could he do? If he died, his wife and kids would be stuck with a mortgage they couldn't pay. No income, kicked out of their home—his wife, jobless for years, holding a newborn, trying to support the family? They'd barely scrape by. And his son, hobbling on crutches every day, about to start college with no money? He'd have to drop out—no health, no degree, no skills. How would he survive?
So Walt calculated it all: how much his son's college would cost, how much his wife needed to raise their daughter, how much to clear the mortgage. He set a number, decided to earn it in his final days, and then call it quits.
But even a guy like that changed once he stepped onto that road.
He stopped coming home, got all secretive. Sure, he made the money fast—way more than he'd planned. But his wife and kids didn't want cash earned like that. His wife, refusing to be an accomplice, pushed him out, even cheated on him to drive him away from her and the kids.
Hmm. Maybe she'd been looking for an excuse to cheat anyway. But Walt sure handed her one.
A happy family, shattered in an instant. And he ended up ruining a lot of good people along the way—including his brother-in-law's family.
Still, Walt had guts. In the end, he owned it: Yeah, it started for his family, but later? It was for him. He was the best in the game, maximizing his life's worth—way beyond what some boring high school chem teacher could ever dream of. Even family took a backseat to that rush of achievement.
By the end, he had everything—money he couldn't spend in ten lifetimes. He could've walked away. But for that sense of purpose, he kept himself and his family in danger.
So, people in this line? Doesn't matter who they say they love. Deep down, they only love themselves.
For a one-year-old kid already battered by life, getting away from parents like that might just be the start of something better.
Ring ring ring.
The OR phone rang again.
Violet picked it up, listened, then said urgently, "Dr. Shepherd, the kid's had a stroke. He's in OR 3 now—needs surgery ASAP!"
"Damn it!" Shepherd swore, unable to hold it in.
A one-year-old with a stroke? That's messed up!
"How long do you need over there, Shepherd?" Adam asked.
"About an hour," Shepherd estimated.
"I'm done here. I'll head over," Adam said.
"Alright," Shepherd agreed, trusting Adam's call.
Adam grabbed Shorty and bolted for OR 3.
(End of Chapter)