Medical Center.
Time flies, huh?
In a blink, the first 36-hour shift for the new batch of interns was up.
"Alright, you're off the clock! Go rest up. Just make sure I see you back here at 5 a.m. tomorrow," Adam said with a grin, looking at the four interns standing in front of him.
George's face lit up like he'd won the lottery.
Carter let out a huge sigh of relief.
Lexie kept sneaking glances at Adam, like she wanted to say something but couldn't spit it out.
And then there was Shorty, raising his hand.
"What's up, Melendez?" Adam nodded at him.
"Dr. Duncan, I heard there's a study group tonight. Can I join?" Shorty asked, all business. "It's 11 hours 'til 5 a.m.—I don't need that much downtime."
"You don't need that long to rest, sure, but don't you have a personal life or something?" Adam teased, scanning the group with a playful smirk.
"Personal life? What's that?" Shorty shot back, cool as ever. "Studying medicine is my career. It is my life!"
"…"
George's mouth twitched.
Damn, that's some next-level flexing.
But then his jaw dropped.
"Me too, Dr. Duncan! Can I join?"
Carter and Lexie raised their hands too, jumping on the bandwagon.
"Oh, really now…" Adam pretended to mull it over. "You sure about this?"
"Absolutely!" x3
Shorty, Carter, and Lexie shouted in unison.
As Adam's eyes landed on George, the other three turned to stare him down too.
"I, uh…" George forced a weak smile. "I've got a date with Callie…"
"Fair enough, go enjoy," Adam chuckled. "Work's important, but so's your girlfriend, right?"
"Thanks!" George blurted, looking like he'd just been handed a lifeline.
But under Shorty's glare—and the others' too—he couldn't even move his feet. Especially Shorty's stare. It was screaming: "A girlfriend? That just slows down our scalpel speed! What's the point?!" 😤
"Hold up, you guys aren't ready to join just yet," Adam said, letting George squirm awkwardly while he grinned at the other three. "But if you really think 11 hours is too much free time and you've got no hobbies, come with me."
With that, he led them toward his office.
Shorty, Carter, and Lexie trailed right behind, no hesitation.
George stood there, tangled up in his own head. Finally, he gritted his teeth and tagged along. In a moment like this, ditching the group just felt… wrong.
Inside the office:
"Here's every session of our study group on tape, plus a list of all the medical books referenced," Adam said, pointing at four neat stacks of tapes—clearly prepped in advance—with dense booklists perched on top. "Take 'em home, treat 'em like bedtime stories. And thank Dr. Cristina Yang—she busted her ass copying and organizing all this."
"…"
Shorty and the others practically pounced on the stacks, beaming. George, though? He nearly choked on his own spit.
Bedtime stories?!
With this pile, who'd have time to sleep?
Forget crashing with Callie—he wouldn't even get a solo nap. This was a death sentence!
Sure, he'd sat in on most of those sessions, so he didn't need to rewatch every tape. But that booklist Cristina put together? Pure nightmare fuel.
Adam and Ellis Grey's discussions were always deep dives—each tape's theories meant digging through mountains of medical texts to keep up. Cristina had been the nerd taking notes, hitting the books, or asking questions, soaking up every bit of Adam and Ellis's genius.
George and Meredith? They were just along for the ride. They caught what they could, tuned out what they couldn't. If they hadn't gone with the "chill and let it slide" vibe, they'd have bailed on that soul-crushing study group ages ago.
Now, asking him to follow Cristina's lead and wrestle with all that hardcore medical knowledge? Way too much, man.
The latest chapter's only on 69 Book Bar!
What's that?
He could just keep coasting?
If he hadn't seen those four tidy stacks of tapes, he might've bought Adam's "go prioritize your girlfriend" line as legit and not a jab.
And then, just when George thought it couldn't get worse—
Shorty was over there petting the tape stacks like they were treasure, flipping through the booklist with glee, and raising his hand again.
"What now, Melendez?" Adam asked, smiling.
"Dr. Duncan, if we finish these tapes, can we join the study group?" Shorty said, still laser-focused on it.
"Just finishing them? Nah," Adam laughed. "But if you're dead-set on it, I'll quiz you later—see how much you've actually got down. Like I said, it's your call. No pressure."
"I'm in! And I'll do it faster than anyone!" Shorty declared, eyes blazing.
"Me too!" Carter shot back, not about to lose.
"Same here!" Lexie chimed in, running her fingers over the tapes and sneaking a look at Adam.
"I…" George didn't even know what to say.
He was already in the study group, chilling nice and easy. Now, thanks to Shorty, he felt like he didn't deserve to just coast anymore.
Damn it!
This stupid Shorty!
Did he have to be so fired up? No one's got more hustle than this guy!
George squinted at Adam, then at Shorty, wondering: "Are these two in cahoots or what?"
"Heh." Adam caught his vibe and flashed a look that said, "You're overthinking it, dude."
After locking eyes, Adam looked away, kindly sparing him the follow-up: "You think you're worth that much effort?"
Truth was, Adam had prepped all this stuff. But if Shorty and the others hadn't asked, he wouldn't have said a peep. Learning's on you—always has been, always will be.
Sure, Adam wanted to mold them into star doctors. It'd prove his teaching chops and build a killer network for the future. But that was just icing. Nice to have, not a must.
If he didn't mentor George and the crew, would it tank his status?
Get real!
Ellis Grey was a cold-as-ice legend—calling people idiots and kicking them out, even her own kid—and she still became a medical icon.
Being a doctor comes down to raw skill. And Adam? He's got it in spades.
"Alright, head out," Adam said with a smile. "No stress—these are extras. Do what you can, no biggie if you don't. The books are all in the hospital library anyway. Enjoy your downtime after that first shift. See you tomorrow!"
Once they left, Adam tidied up and got ready to bounce.
He had a date tonight.
(End of Chapter)