Medical Center.
Ward Room.
As Mr. Dean, the patient, let loose a colorful string of curses, the shouts of this "Son of the Beach" echoed through the room.
Everyone broke into smiles.
That spirit!
His brain function was clearly just fine!
"Some people were saying it'd be better to just let him go," Liz quipped. "But if they heard this, they'd know exactly how much he wants to stick around."
"With something like this, how could anyone leave without letting off some steam in person?" Meredith said with a laugh. "Maybe it's that fire that's kept him going this whole time."
"I never thought I'd find someone cussing so… delightful," George muttered.
"Pretty normal," Cristina chimed in. "Because here, it's the sound of life—the voice of the soul!"
"What about that jerk?"
After a good venting session, Mr. Dean finally calmed down enough for Adam to run more tests. Still, he couldn't stop grumbling about the road-rage guy.
"He's still in the OR, waiting for his son to decide whether to save him," Liz blurted out, quick as ever.
Mr. Dean froze for a second, then snarled, "Serves him right! If you ask me, why drag his kid into this mess? Even if they save him, he's spending the rest of his life in prison—I'm suing him for attempted murder!"
Out on the highway, weaving recklessly, trying to ram other cars, and causing a crash? Yeah, that's attempted murder alright.
Adam didn't say much, just kept his focus on the exam, staying unusually low-key.
A doctor's job is to heal and save lives.
Anything else? Best to steer clear.
Once you start picking sides or mouthing off, there's a good chance the opposing side might hold a grudge—or worse. Even if it doesn't get that far, stuff like this happens way too often in hospitals.
No point wasting time or energy on it.
Leave God's work to God and Caesar's to Caesar.
Attempted murder? That's for a judge to decide.
Beep beep.
Beep beep.
Liz glanced at the pager on her hip, said a quick word, and hurried off.
"Scotty's decided to donate his liver to save his dad."
Cristina followed her out—she was handling the culprit's wife.
The group scattered, each with their own pile of work to tackle.
---
2:00 PM
Adam's phone rang out of the blue. It was Rachel.
"Of course I can help. What's up—something wrong with the baby?"
Rachel had asked him to book her an OB-GYN appointment and keep it hush-hush from Leonard. Adam agreed, but his tone was laced with concern.
Normally, she'd go to her family doctor for routine checks. Only if they couldn't handle it would they refer her to a big hospital.
"No, no, everything's fine…" Rachel rushed to explain over the phone. "It's just that those OB-GYNs aren't exactly… friendly."
"Come over now then. You good on your own? Alright, stay safe. Call me when you get here."
After hanging up, Adam's lips twitched into a smirk.
All the OB-GYNs weren't friendly?
Translation: Rachel was the unfriendly one.
But hey, pregnant women and big tempers? Par for the course.
Rachel showed up soon enough. Four months pregnant, her belly just starting to show.
Adam greeted her with a grin. "Rachel!"
"Adam!"
Her eyes lit up when she saw him, and she threw her arms wide open.
Adam sighed inwardly and went in for the hug.
But then something felt… off.
Rachel wasn't letting go. And was that… weird breathing near his ear?
"Ahem," Adam coughed lightly. "Alright, Rachel, let's not squish the baby."
"Oh, it's fine. The doctor said to just be careful…" she replied, her tone dripping with subtext.
"…"
Adam's mouth twitched again.
He was starting to see why those OB-GYNs weren't "friendly."
The awkwardness was thickening, and Rachel still hadn't let go. Adam had to pull out the big guns.
"Rachel, keep this up, and Leonard's gonna walk in any second."
"Ah!"
She jolted, eyes snapping open as she released him, glancing around nervously.
"What's really going on?" Adam asked.
"What do you mean?" Rachel's eyes darted away.
"All the OB-GYNs aren't friendly?"
He wasn't letting this slide. If he set her up with another doctor and something awkward happened, it'd be his embarrassment too.
"Um…" She tried to dodge.
She turned her head. He followed.
She turned it again. He kept up.
After nearly twisting her neck off, she finally caved under Adam's relentless, 360-degree neck-tracking stare—paired with his "just come clean" look.
"Fine, fine! I'm four months pregnant, and lately, I've been really… you know…"
"They were all male OB-GYNs?" Adam cut in.
"Yeah, all hot male OB-GYNs~" Her eyes glazed over dreamily.
"Got it. Totally normal—hormones going wild," Adam said, half-laughing, half-exasperated.
"Ha! You're a doctor, you get it, right?" Rachel beamed, relieved. "Lately, everything feels like spring's in the air. Last weekend, I hit up every store, sat on the lap of every mascot in a cartoon costume. Then I went to the OB-GYNs, and every single one made me want to… flirt like crazy."
"And then they kicked you out, huh?" Adam grinned.
"Yeah!" Rachel huffed. "What, am I not attractive to them at all? So heartless!"
"You're a patient. A pregnant patient. They're doctors," Adam said, deadpan. "What did you expect?"
"Alright, forget them."
Rachel shook her head, grabbed Adam's hand, and gave him a suggestive smile. "So… how you doing?"
"…"
Adam was now 100% sure her hormones were off the rails.
"Ow!" Rachel yelped. "Adam, what the heck?"
"Just snapping you out of it. You're Rachel, not Joey!"
He gently swatted her hand away. "If you keep this up, how am I supposed to refer you to an OB-GYN? Forget male doctors—I'm not even sure female ones are safe now!"
"I don't mean to!" Rachel pouted, genuinely upset. "It's all these stupid hormones! You're my friend and a doctor—you should help me. Like Phoebe—she's a mess, but at least she tried."
"What'd she do?" Adam asked, curious.
"She sent some 40-year-old creep to my place to 'fix my problem,'" Rachel said.
"And then?" Adam's jaw dropped.
"I kicked him out, obviously!" Rachel snapped. "I don't even know him! Plus, he was hideous. I'm not that desperate! I don't need a boyfriend right now, and I don't want one. I just want one perfect night—no strings, just… you know, with someone I like who gets how to handle it. Simple as that."
She locked eyes with him. "So, Adam… how you doing?"
"…"