Medical Center. Locker Room.
"So, you're saying you're not gonna scrub in for his surgery?" Meredith shot Adam a mocking look, catching him off guard and leaving him momentarily speechless.
"What surgery?" Adam perked up, clearly intrigued.
"A patient just came into the hospital with a severe skull structure developmental disorder," Christina chimed in.
"Lion syndrome?" Adam asked, surprised.
Lion syndrome—pretty self-explanatory, really. The face resembles a lion's.
"Yup," Christina nodded. "This rare condition is a plastic surgeon's dream. If the surgery's a success and they publish the before-and-after pics to the media, that surgeon's gonna be the talk of the town."
"Not just a plastic surgeon's dream—it's the hospital's too," Meredith pointed out. "Mark's the best plastic surgeon on the East Coast. You seriously don't wanna join in on a surgery like that?"
"Oh, I do," Adam admitted honestly.
He wasn't planning on becoming a plastic surgeon himself, but picking up a few extra skills never hurt. Especially since the guy in question was among the best of the best in the field.
Besides, Adam was already shadowing some top-tier docs: Burke, the leading cardiothoracic surgeon; Shepherd, the top neurosurgeon; Montgomery, the best in pediatrics; and then there was Alice Grey, a legendary doctor who was basically a cheat code in human form.
If he added the East Coast's top plastic surgeon to his mentor lineup? Well, Adam's team of teachers would be getting even more stacked. 😎
"Sounds like he's got some redeeming qualities after all," Meredith said with a grin.
"I never said he didn't," Adam replied, a bit surprised. "Skill level and personal character are two totally different things. I respect his insane talent and wanna learn from him, but that doesn't mean I'm signing off on who he is as a person."
"Exactly!" George jumped in to agree.
Christina and Liz both turned to George, their eyes teasing.
"What?" George asked, clearly annoyed.
"Adam's got a point—he can look down on the guy for legit reasons. But you? Sounds more like jealousy to me," Christina said, hitting the nail on the head.
"Right?" Liz added dreamily. "I mean, with a face like that and a body to match? I'd be all over it too. No wonder Dr. Montgomery couldn't resist. Honestly, she's living the dream—married to Mr. Perfect and sneaking around with Mr. Sexy Beast. Ugh, goals!" 😏
"Meredith, don't tell me you've got a thing for this Mark guy now?" Christina turned to Meredith, asking the million-dollar question.
"No way!" Meredith shot back immediately.
But the real reason she'd been hyping Mark up so much? It was because of something he'd said to her: "I heard about you back in Boston—an intern with a wild streak, messing around with an attending. We're both just dirty little side pieces."
That hit her hard. She got it.
Okay, fine, it also didn't hurt that Mark was hot, built, and had a way of drawing people in.
"So what if I did like him a little?" Meredith snapped, noticing the skeptical looks on everyone's faces. "They went back to their happy little families, living the dream, while the two of us 'side pieces' stick together. What's so weird about that?"
"Not weird at all," Adam nodded. "But are you sure you're over Dr. Shepherd? Last time Mark and Dr. Montgomery were in bed 'discussing life and ideals,' Shepherd just quietly closed the door and left. This time, though? You and Mark were just flirting in public, and Shepherd stormed over and threw a punch. Same setup, but the reactions are worlds apart. Don't you think that's a little telling?"
"But he didn't choose me!" Meredith suddenly shouted.
"Maybe he wants both," Adam said with a shrug, cutting the convo short as he heard someone approaching.
Everyone: "…"
Adam finished changing and headed out, with Christina hot on his heels.
"You were joking just now, right?" she asked in a low voice as she walked beside him.
"Who knows?" Adam grinned, keeping it vague.
That punch versus just closing the door—it was pretty obvious what Shepherd's real feelings were.
Most people in that situation would pick the new, fiery fling over a cheating spouse they barely had feelings for anymore. But Shepherd? His choices were always a mystery. Who knew what was going through his head?
Maybe he didn't wanna lose either—keeping the friendship and family vibe with his wife while stringing Meredith along with some half-hearted romance, playing the 'best friend with benefits' card.
Men, huh? Always trying to have it all. Pretty relatable, if you ask me. 😅
---
Morning rounds were done.
Two former best friends, turned love rivals, were now at war again.
The patient with lion syndrome also had a malignant brain tumor. Dr. Shepherd was set to perform a tumor resection, but when Mark Sloan got wind of it, he went straight to the patient and offered to fix his face—give him something closer to normal.
No surprise there: the kid, who'd faced nothing but discrimination and humiliation because of his condition, insisted on the plastic surgery.
Outside the Chief of Surgery's office, Adam and the crew were gathered, peeking through the glass window from a distance.
"What's he saying? Can you read his lips?" Christina asked, tilting her head as she tried to follow Shepherd pacing back and forth.
"'Quack doctor!'" Adam translated with a laugh.
"Whoa," Liz said, wide-eyed. "Things are heating up in there!"
"He's gesturing now—is he gonna hit Sloan again?" Christina asked, clearly loving the drama.
"Nah, you're overthinking it," Adam chuckled. "For someone like Shepherd, throwing that one punch was already his limit. Getting him to swing again? Not a chance."
Well… maybe not entirely impossible.
If Shepherd came home one day and saw Mark Sloan with Meredith on one arm and Montgomery on the other, flashing him some smug grin… yeah, even someone as chill as Shepherd might snap and go for blood. 😆
Adam couldn't help but picture it—his mind flashing to some classic drama scenes. Gotta hand it to Japanese culture; they really know how to nail those messy human conflicts.
"So, Adam, what's your take this time?" Christina gave up on lip-reading and turned to him. "Just the tumor resection, or both surgeries together?"
"Theoretically, I'm on Shepherd's side," Adam said thoughtfully. "You've all seen the MRI scans of that tumor—it's dangerous. Even with Shepherd operating, the odds aren't great. Best to focus entirely on the tumor resection and save the kid's life first. The plastic surgery afterward shouldn't affect much, but it's still a delicate procedure that takes a ton of time. Doing two intricate surgeries back-to-back means the patient's under anesthesia longer, and the risks go up, even if just a bit."
"And in reality?" Liz pressed.
"Reality?" Adam smiled. "Didn't you see the look on the kid's face? The tumor? Didn't faze him at all. He was joking around, totally unbothered—not like a 15-year-old kid, more like some wise old soul who's made peace with death. But when they mentioned he could have a normal face? He lost it. His parents tried to talk him out of the plastic surgery for now, and he just kept begging them, eyes full of hope. He knows exactly what he wants. And we're doctors—it's our job to try and give patients what they need."
"Couldn't agree more," Liz nodded. "If it were me, I'd choose the same. This world's harsh enough on regular people with all the focus on looks—imagine how brutal it's been for someone with a condition like his. I can just picture all the crap he's had to deal with."
Adam and the others side-eyed her.
You—a tall, blonde, Barbie-faced bombshell—can 'imagine' that? Who're you kidding? 🙄
"The Chief's saying something," Adam pointed out, switching to lip-reading again. "He's telling Sloan, 'If the kid's parents sign the consent form, you can do the plastic surgery.' And Sloan just turned to Shepherd and said, 'Round two goes to the jerk.'"
Mark Sloan stepped out of the office then, walking over to the group and scanning them with a smirk. "Any of you interested in joining this surgery? Help me convince the parents, and you're in."
---
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