The Next Day.
Medical Center.
Cafeteria.
"Still sulking?"
Adam looked at a glum Christina with surprise. "Don't tell me Dr. Campbell actually got under your skin?"
Christina just shot him a look and stayed quiet.
"She really did get to you," Adam said with a sigh. "That's no small feat."
It wasn't all that shocking, though. Christina had opened up about her tragic past, baring her scars—and then Dr. Campbell's sharp tongue had torn right through her defenses. It made sense she'd be rattled.
"What's up with you?" Adam turned to Meredith, who wasn't exactly jumping to defend her best friend.
"Nothing," Meredith mumbled, sounding drained.
Adam nodded and let it drop. But Meredith, after fidgeting for a moment, couldn't hold back. "Adam, do you support the death penalty?"
He chuckled, catching on instantly. "This is about that death row patient from this morning, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Meredith said, deflated. "The director assigned me, Christina, Burke, and Derek to treat him. I saw how much pain he was in and suggested giving him a bit more morphine to ease it. Derek wouldn't have it—he was so hostile about the guy being a death row inmate. And then he got mad at me too!"
"Did you end up giving him more morphine?" Adam asked pointedly.
"…" Meredith faltered. "We're doctors. We shouldn't treat him worse just because he's a death row inmate. That's inhumane and goes against our ethics."
"Did Dr. Shepherd give him less than the standard dose?" Adam asked with a smirk.
"No…" Meredith admitted, stumped. "But he was still in pain…"
"So?" Adam snorted. "Normal people lie. Addicts lie. But a death row inmate's a saint who's gotta be telling the truth?"
Meredith had no comeback.
"Not convinced?" Adam glanced at her, his tone mocking. "If you've got this much energy, maybe focus it on Dr. Shepherd instead. Don't you think his reaction was a little off? There's probably a sad story behind it. You're his girlfriend—shouldn't you be more worried about his baggage than whether some death row guy needs extra morphine for his maybe-real-maybe-not pain?"
"Oh!" Meredith gasped. "You mean Derek's got some sad history? Did this guy—Mr. Dunn—hit a nerve he doesn't want to talk about? I thought he was just offended by what Dunn said. He told Derek they were the same, just two sides of a coin…"
"…" Adam's mouth twitched, and he said dryly, "Does it matter? Either way, it set Dr. Shepherd off, and you, as his girlfriend, decided to plant yourself firmly on the opposite side. Tsk tsk. He must really love you~"
"I'm going to find Derek," Meredith said, brushing off his jab. She stood up and headed out.
"You're not in a good headspace either," Adam said, turning to Christina, who was still reeling from her own breakdown. "Do you even know what that death row guy did?"
"What'd he do?" Christina asked, lifting her eyes curiously.
"Serial killer. Total psychopath," Adam said. "He'd stare at his female coworker's pale neck, fighting this overwhelming urge to draw blood. One day, he couldn't hold back anymore and slashed a red line across that white skin. He thought he'd feel sick, but nope—nothing. It was like flipping a switch. He got a rush. That was a Monday—he killed his coworker. Tuesday, he was out on the street, randomly slit the throats of two women passing by. Wednesday, three more. Thursday, he spotted a mom with her three adorable little girls—a family of four—and thought he'd hit the jackpot, ready to meet his daily quota. A brave bystander stopped him, and that's how he ended up with a death sentence. Eleven years later, a week before his execution, one of his prison buddies stabbed him in the back with a sharpened toothbrush. That's how he landed here."
Christina went pale, her body trembling slightly.
"So snap out of it and stay sharp," Adam said earnestly. "Keep an eye out for your friend too. Don't let him fool you. Given the chance, that guy's a remorseless killer. You two wouldn't even be a blip on his daily target list."
"Adam!"
George came rushing over.
"Hm?" Adam looked at him, surprised. During work hours at the hospital, George usually called him Dr. Duncan.
"It's Liz," George said, panicked. "She's been admitted. Can you check on her?"
"Liz is in the hospital?" Adam asked, caught off guard. "Did Danny come with her?"
"No," George shook his head. "She came alone."
"Oh?" Adam's curiosity piqued.
"Did they break up?" Christina blurted out exactly what Adam was thinking.
"No," George snapped, annoyed. "Liz just didn't want Danny to worry. They're still totally in love! She gave up her career for him, you know!"
"Fairy tales about princes and princesses always end with a happy embrace," Adam said with a grin. "Nobody writes what happens after."
He stood up, adding playfully, "Come on! Let's go see how this real-life footnote and sequel plays out!"
---
### The Ward
"Adam!"
Liz was lying in bed, her expression stiffening when she saw him walk in. "I told George not to bother you. I'm fine."
"Whether you're fine or not is for a doctor to decide," Adam said with a half-smile. "You're not a doctor anymore, and even if you were, you can't diagnose yourself. Besides, if you're really fine, why are you here? Look how worked up you've got George!"
"…" Liz hesitated, glancing at George's worried face before giving a faint smile. "George, could you call Danny for me? I didn't want him to worry before, but now that it's like this, go ahead and tell him."
"Sure!" George nodded and stepped out to make the call.
"So, what's your self-diagnosis?" Adam asked.
"Hallucinations," Liz said after a quiet pause.
"What kind?" Adam pressed.
"Lately, I keep seeing a heart…" Liz murmured, avoiding his gaze.
"You and Danny still good?" Adam asked, his tone loaded with meaning.
"We're fine," she replied softly.
"I called him," George said, walking back in. "He's on his way."
"Alright," Adam said, giving Liz—whose face lit up—a long look. "O'Malley, take Liz for a full workup."
With that, he left.
"Adam, how's Liz?"
Meredith caught him in the hallway, having heard the news and come to check in.
"Physically, we don't know yet," Adam teased. "Mentally, though? Not great."
"What's wrong?" Meredith asked, puzzled.
"Let's just say fairy tales shouldn't get sequels," Adam said with a laugh before walking off.
Hmm.
The drama queen's back.
The hospital's about to get lively again.
This time, she's not a doctor, so she won't harm any patients.
Adam was happy to sit back and watch the show.
(End of Chapter)