At the medical center.
Late at night.
In a VIP ward:
"How's she doing?"
Adam had just finished his tasks for the day. After popping by Alice Gray's place for a quick catch-up and swinging by Danny's, he finally made it to check on this adorable yet pitiful little girl.
"The fever's gone down, and her cough's much better. She just fell asleep," Nurse Carol said fondly, gazing at Tatiana, who was sleeping peacefully on her side.
Tatiana had a mother-to-child infection. She'd just passed the incubation period and started showing symptoms. Right now, there wasn't much in the way of treatment. But with proper care, it was still possible to give her a decent quality of life within her limited time. Of course, that depended on having the right resources.
"Good to hear."
Adam gently touched Tatiana's forehead and nodded with a smile. 😊
"Dr. Duncan…" Nurse Carol hesitated, like she wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to start.
"What's up?" Adam looked at her curiously.
"I've been thinking…" Carol paused, then continued, "I want to adopt Tatiana. She's so cute and so pitiful. She needs a home, someone to look after her—and I think I'm the right person for that."
"True," Adam agreed. "Carol, you've got a big heart. But what does Dr. Tagg think about it?"
"…I'll talk to him," she replied after a beat.
She was already engaged to Dr. Tagg, and their wedding was coming up soon.
"If he's on board, you two would definitely be a great fit," Adam mused. "But I wouldn't recommend it. Adopting a kid means going through the child protection agency's review process. We all know you'd take amazing care of Tatiana, but they only care about records…"
Carol's eyes dimmed. She instinctively touched her wrist, where a faint red scar lingered. She'd once tried to take her own life over love. Even though she genuinely wanted to care for Tatiana now, that past would disqualify her from passing the agency's scrutiny.
"Ugh!" Carol glanced at the sleeping Tatiana, covered her mouth, and bolted out of the room.
"Carol!" Adam followed her, grabbing her arm gently. "Hey, it's okay. This might be for the best. You and Dr. Tagg will have your own kids someday. And don't worry about Tatiana—someone will look after her."
"No, they won't!" Carol wiped her tears and shook her head. "They'll just stick her in a foster center. If she's lucky, maybe a place like Sunshine House. But those places? She'd just be waiting to die. She needs a real home, somewhere she can feel loved for however long she has left."
Sunshine House was one of those U.S. charities that took in kids with AIDS, staffed with nurses and teachers. But places like that were a roll of the dice. A kind-hearted manager could make it a beacon of hope for unlucky kids. A bad one? It'd be a living hell for kids who were already suffering. Nobody really cared about them. Regular foster homes at least had families dropping by to adopt. Kids with AIDS? Almost zero chance. No one bothered to visit.
If you've seen how foster systems work in American TV dramas, you get the picture—yikes. 😬 Are there truly good-hearted people out there? Sure! Look at Carol. But they're rare. Most folks are either indifferent or downright cruel.
"Don't stress. I'll figure something out," Adam said with a reassuring grin. "You don't trust my skills by now?"
Carol glanced around the VIP ward—proof of Adam's influence with just a word. Seeing he was serious, she realized Tatiana's charm and plight hadn't just tugged at her heart alone. Her sadness flipped to a small smile. Everyone trusted Dr. Duncan's abilities!
"I'll stay with her the next few days," Carol said, wiping her face and stepping back into the ward. "I don't want her waking up scared with no one around."
"Sounds good," Adam nodded, smiling. "Carol, you're gonna be an awesome mom someday."
Because of Danny and Tatiana, Adam didn't bother heading back to his apartment. He crashed in his fancy office instead. During his usual nightly call with Juno, he brought it up.
"I'm thinking of having Caroline adopt her," Adam said, bouncing the idea off Juno. "What do you think?"
"Caroline again, huh?" Juno teased over the phone. "She's basically your go-to fixer at this point."
"Oh, come on, it's not like that," Adam laughed. "She loves doing this kind of thing anyway. I'm just helping her out. If anything, I'm her tool— in every sense of the word."
"Is this Tatiana really that adorable?" Juno asked, intrigued. "I mean, a sad backstory alone wouldn't get you this invested."
"She's super cute and sweet," Adam confirmed. "Think about it: Carol, our young nurse, isn't infertile or anything. She's about to marry her doctor fiancé. And even now, she's dying to adopt Tatiana. That's how much of a heart-melter this kid is!"
"Or maybe Carol's got some subconscious doubts about marrying her doctor guy and wants an excuse to stall the wedding," Juno said playfully.
"…" Adam was speechless for a sec before groaning. "Don't make everyone sound so shady! Even if that's true, Tatiana's still giving her a solid reason. Most people wouldn't step up like that."
"Heh," Juno chuckled. "Fair point. People say kids are the most fun between 2 and 6. Before 2, they're crying nonstop; after 6, they're little terrors. A 4-year-old angel with a face like a painting? Yeah, she'd melt most hearts—especially with that tragic backstory. No wonder she's got you wrapped around her finger."
"What else am I supposed to do?" Adam shrugged. "There are tons of pitiful people out there. She just happened to cross my path, and her mix of cute and sad got to me. So I'm lending a hand—call it my good deed of the day. I've been at the medical center for over half a year, seen all kinds of tragedies, and including her, I've only helped four people total. Trust me, I've heard worse stories at the hospital. If I tried to save everyone, I'd burn out fast."
"Are you the one helping?" Juno teased. "You just say a word, then dump it all on Caroline. She's the real hero here."
"Of course she is! I never said I was the hero," Adam laughed. "I've always admired her shining goodness. She's like the female Captain America."
"Coming from you, that sounds suspiciously cheeky," Juno quipped. "You've probably made her cosplay that with you, haven't you?"
"No way! I haven't! Stop making stuff up!" Adam protested, dead serious. "I genuinely respect her from the bottom of my heart."
"Sure, sure," Juno cut in. "Enough with the straight-faced nonsense. Like there's any woman you're close to who hasn't ended up in one of your cosplay schemes? Caroline's perfect for adopting Tatiana, no doubt. But what about Heather?"
"Heather?" Adam blinked, then smirked. "Wait, are you kidding me?"
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