At the Medical Center
The test results came back just as Adam had diagnosed: Meredith wasn't pregnant—she had appendicitis.
While waiting for the next steps, Meredith couldn't handle the pain anymore and begged Cristina to give her some morphine.
And then… she turned into a giddy little fool. 😅
Not only did she blurt out to Finn and Dr. Shepherd—who'd come to check on her—that she, as a "mature woman," wanted both of them, but she also spilled the beans about her messy history with George. If George hadn't bolted so quickly back then, the even juicier (and way more awkward) details might've come out—enough to make everyone squirm!
The room got super awkward, fast. Like, cringe-level explosion. 💥
And there she was, the only one giggling like an idiot.
This girl, just to escape the pain for a bit, knowing full well what morphine does, still went for it—at work, no less!
After Adam performed the appendectomy and the drugs wore off, Meredith woke up clear-headed. Seeing both guys by her side, she flashed a blissful smile. 😊
It was straight out of her dreams!
But—plot twist—her dream didn't last more than a few seconds. Dr. Shepherd gave her and Finn his heartfelt blessing (practically breaking into song):
"The love you want, I can't learn to give. Breaking up is just another kind of clarity. My final act of love is letting go."
Translation: "Love whoever you want, but I'm out, bye!" ✌️
Meredith was dumbfounded.
She'd totally messed this up.
Talk about a complete disaster—egg cracked, chicken gone!
Dr. Shepherd walked off with a smirk, leaving her to stew.
After some serious soul-searching (and a dose of "honesty"), Meredith faced reality. She handed Finn—who'd stuck by her through it all—the good ol' "nice guy" card, broke up with him, and tearfully said goodbye.
Emmm… 🤔
She'd finally caught on to Dr. Shepherd's smile. Wanting both of them? Yeah, that was a pipe dream.
A guy like him—Mr. Dreamy—could have women lining up wherever he went. Why would he let her call the shots?
"Dream on, girl!"
---
Later that Night at the Old Friends Bar
Adam, Matthew, Lily, Ted, and Ted's "perfect" girlfriend, Anna Taylor, were all hanging out, drinking and chatting.
The reason they were at Old Friends Bar? Barney's banned from the place.
For weeks now, Ted's been meeting Anna here almost every night. He's dead-set on keeping Barney from sabotaging their relationship.
Adam doesn't come by often—this was his first proper meeting with Anna in weeks.
"Emilia? Oh, I remember her! Such a pretty little girl!" Anna's eyes lit up as she spoke. "How's she doing lately?"
"Not great," Adam said, shaking his head. He explained how Emilia's mom had passed away not long ago.
Anna froze, speechless for a while.
"You okay, Anna?" Ted asked, worried.
"I'm fine," she forced a smile. "It's just… the second piece of bad news I've heard today."
"What was the first?" Lily asked, concerned.
Being a fellow junior-grade teacher and connected through Ted, she really liked Anna.
"My old piano teacher, Mr. Hutton, passed away today," Anna said quietly. "His funeral's in three days."
"Oh, I see," Ted nodded. "I thought… Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Adam shot him a quick, thoughtful glance.
"It's not exactly something worth bringing up," Anna shrugged. "It's not happy news."
"But that's why you should talk about it," Lily chimed in. "Couples aren't just there for the good times—they're supposed to support each other through the tough stuff too."
"Exactly!" Ted grabbed Anna's hand. "You've got to tell me stuff like this from now on, okay? It'll feel better if you do."
"Okay," Anna nodded, but her expression said she wasn't quite there yet.
Adam and Lily exchanged a look—they both saw it.
Still, they didn't say anything.
Ted and Anna had only been together a few weeks, from meeting to falling hard. It's normal she'd hold back a little.
Stuff like this? It just takes time. When the connection's deep enough, it'll happen naturally—no need to force it.
A bit later, Anna got a call and had to leave early. Ted doesn't have a car, so he didn't offer to drive her.
Once she was gone, Ted's face just… dropped.
"Nooo~!" Lily gasped instinctively.
"What's wrong?" Matthew asked, confused.
"Ted, you can't keep doing this!" Lily glared at him, eyes wide.
"Doing what?" Ted blinked, totally lost.
"Don't play dumb with me!" Lily snapped. "One second you're all lovey-dovey with a girlfriend, and the next, you make that face and dump her! I'm not letting you do this again!
God, Anna's an elementary school teacher—she's got kids to inspire! You can't hurt her like this. She's the 'perfect' girl you've been searching for! What's your problem now?!"
"…"
Ted's mouth twitched. He was speechless as Lily ranted passionately. Only when she finally calmed down did he mutter, "When did I say I was doing that? Those were just… one-offs."
"So that's not what you meant?"
Lily paused, seeing Ted's earnest look. Realizing she'd jumped the gun, she cringed.
"I swear, it's not," Ted said, exasperated.
"It's not Lily's fault," Adam stepped in with a grin. "For a split second, I thought the same thing. And let's be real—it's not exactly a 'one-off' with your track record. We can't help but wonder."
"Exactly!" Lily jumped back in. "You've got too much history for us not to overthink it! Wait—if that's not it, why'd you make that face and freak me out?"
She pouted, clearly annoyed.
"Well…" Ted hesitated.
"Something to do with Anna's mood?" Adam asked, smiling. "When she mentioned the two pieces of bad news, you seemed relieved. So what did you think was bothering her before that?"
Lily and Matthew turned to Ted, curious.
"Uh…" Ted squirmed, clearly uncomfortable.
"Come on! We're your best friends—what can't you tell us?" Lily prodded.
"Fine, but don't spread this around," Ted sighed. "I was actually gonna ask Adam about it. These past few days, Anna's been… off. Nothing like the lovey-dovey vibe we had the first few weeks. She's just… distant, all the time. You get what I mean?"
"Huh?"
Lily didn't catch on at first, but after glancing at the others and seeing their knowing smirks, it clicked. She burst out laughing. "Haha, oh, we get it! Go on—it's not that weird. Why'd you need to ask Adam?"
"It's weirder than you think," Ted said with a wry smile. "She's been like a soulless shell—spacing out all the time. I ask what's wrong, she says 'nothing.' I'm starting to wonder if she wants to break up with me."
"What?!" Lily's jaw dropped.
Who'd have thought that twist was coming? Suddenly, her earlier outburst felt a little awkward.
"So why ask me?" Adam raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Well…" Ted's face turned red.
"Oh, I get it," Adam chuckled. "You think it's your fault~"
He gave Ted a teasing once-over, like he was diagnosing him, making Ted avoid Lily and Matthew's gazes.
"You're sure you two were all lovey-dovey the first few weeks?" Adam asked seriously.
"Why do you ask?" Matthew leaned in.
"Just need a baseline," Adam said. "Maybe Anna's always been like this, and Ted was too caught up in the honeymoon phase to notice?"
Ted: "…"
(End of Chapter)