Christmas Eve zoomed by in a flash.
Then Christmas hit!
Adam and Peggy had already celebrated Christmas Eve together, seamlessly rolling right into an early Christmas morning.
Bright and early, Adam said goodbye to a still-snoozing Peggy, humming a tune as he drove to the Medical Center.
"Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way!
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In an open sleigh, hey!
Dashing through the snow,
Laughing all the way,
The ponytail bells go jingle-jangle,
Spirits high today…"
"Merry Christmas, Dr. Duncan! You're in a great mood today, huh?"
The sweetest little nurse spotted Adam's cheer and bounced over to say hi. She'd moved up to the OR now, shadowing the veteran surgery nurses.
"Merry Christmas, Violet!" Adam grinned back. "It's Christmas—how could I not be happy?"
"This is the first time I've seen you this chipper, humming and everything!" she said, curious.
"This song's a total classic," Adam said with a laugh. "Don't you think?"
"Totally!" Violet nodded.
Jingle Bells is hands-down the ultimate Christmas jam. Sure, it started as a Thanksgiving tune by some teacher, but the lyrics and melody? Perfect for the holiday vibes.
Over a hundred years later, the second that melody hits, everyone's thinking Christmas.
For Adam, it brought up even more.
Hmmm… Pair Jingle Bells with the goofy remix culture from his past life's favorite little video site, and you've got the secret sauce for his good mood all day. Too bad he couldn't share that joy with anyone—some happiness is just too niche to explain. Music's magic, though, right? 🎶
In The Big Bang Theory, when Leonard whipped out his cello, even Leslie—who'd brutally shot him down—suddenly found him irresistible, begging him to play a duet on her "violin."
Peggy's always been into music too, strumming and singing during research breaks. Since Adam came along, duets became their thing. But last night and this morning? That was a whole new level of "playing together."
In novel terms, it was the ultimate harmony of "human and instrument as one." Adam couldn't wait to team up with Peggy again for more joyful tunes in that perfect vibe.
"Get moving while you're young,
Take your girl tonight,
Sing that sleigh song loud,
With a short-tailed mare,
Speed at 240010…"
After waving bye to Violet, Adam kept humming as he headed to the locker room.
"Adam, got plans tonight?" Liz asked, buzzing with holiday energy like always. "We've got the Christmas tree all set up—wanna join us for Christmas tonight?"
"You mean you set it up," Meredith quipped.
"Sorry, I've actually got a lot going on tonight…" Adam said, chuckling as he changed. "So, you guys have a blast without me!"
"Told you," George piped up. "Adam's all work—no play. He doesn't even hang out after shifts, let alone celebrate Christmas with us."
"Come on," Adam protested. "We're together all day at work, burning the midnight oil. We practically live together except for sleeping! Can't a guy have a little me-time?"
"Haha!" Meredith cracked up.
"Maybe George doesn't want any me-time…" Cristina drawled.
"It's Christmas—don't gross us out," Adam teased, giving her a playful scold as he finished changing and left the locker room.
First stop: Green Clinic.
Like Thanksgiving, no big surgeries were lined up. Christmas is even bigger than Thanksgiving here—the most important day of the year for Americans, like Spring Festival back East. It's all about family time.
Unless it's a dire emergency, who's booking surgery today? You really want a antsy doctor, itching to get home, accidentally botching it?
Every surgery's got risks, after all!
"Adam, come over to my place tonight for the holiday?" Leonard offered.
"Nah, no clue how late I'll be stuck here," Adam declined politely.
"You work too hard," Leonard said, shaking his head. "With your skills, you don't need to grind like this. Take a break like us attendings—go home, enjoy the holiday. You'd be fine."
"I love the feeling of helping people," Adam said with a smile. "They say holidays bring out all kinds of crazy, happy accidents—ER might get wild."
"You really love being a doctor, huh?" Leonard marveled. "With your talent and that dedication, I can't even imagine what you'll become. A legend among legends? Wild to think about."
"Heh," Adam laughed, switching gears. "Where're Rachel and the gang celebrating tonight?"
"Hmph!" Leonard's face darkened at the mention. "I spoiled her for nothing. She's taking Emma to the Gellers' for Christmas! Emma's my granddaughter—she's a Green!"
"Don't blame Rachel," Adam said, trying to smooth it over. "She and Ross are married, and he's the Gellers' only son—their golden boy. She already spent Thanksgiving with you, Ross, and Emma. If she skips Christmas with them too, the Gellers would flip."
"I'd rather she spent Christmas with us," Leonard grumbled.
"Just rotate it," Adam suggested with a grin. "First year: Thanksgiving at the Greens, Christmas at the Gellers. Next year, flip it. Keeps it fair."
That's the compromise tons of young couples back in his old life had to make—two families, two sets of parents, only one couple to go around. If both sides had only kids, it got even messier. Merging everyone? Drama city. Rotating was the only way.
"Hmph," Leonard huffed. "Should've made them divorce right after Emma was born legit. Then Rachel and Emma could spend every holiday with me."
"…" Adam's mouth twitched.
Ross really couldn't catch a break with Leonard. Once Emma got the "legitimate kid" stamp, Ross—the bio dad—was basically useless in Leonard's eyes…
After chatting with Leonard a bit more, Adam headed to the ER.
Emergency Room.
"God, it's already ten! The kids must be lined up around the block—I gotta go!" a Santa Claus stumbled toward the exit.
"You need to see a doctor," John Carter said, steadying him.
"I'm fine now, thanks, kid!" Santa brushed Carter off, fixed his hat, and rambled as he bolted. "I've gotta run—the kids are waiting!"
"Hold up!"
Adam, fresh from treating a few patients and in a great mood, stepped out of an exam room, spotted the scene, and dashed over, catching Santa before he could escape.
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