Medical Center. Locker Room.
"Looks like Dr. House is in for some trouble now," Christina said with a sly grin đ, her eyes darting around as she tried to shift the conversation away from herself. Adam and the others had been teasing her a bit too much lately.
"What kind of trouble could he possibly have?" Adam raised an eyebrow at her.
"Princeton Teaching Hospital is basically the eye of the storm, and his teaching style? Way harsher than mine," Christina replied with a chuckle đ.
She'd watched Adam and Dr. House go head-to-head at the last expert meetup, and in her mind, House was toast. Adam had to be loving this.
"You're not him!" Adam shot back, seeing right through her little game. He wasn't the type to gloat over someone else's misfortune.
"Of course I'm not him!" Christina rolled her eyes đ as she caught the slight smirk tugging at Adam's lips.
"He might be in a bit of a mess, but it's not a big deal," Adam said, shaking his head.
"Why not?" Christina asked, eyeing him with a mix of curiosity and mock pity.
"Because he's just that good," Adam said with a grin đ. "Sure, the three doctors under him hate his quirks and cold attitude, but deep down, they respect his skills. If someone tries to grill them about him, they won't throw him under the busâunless their careers are on the line, of course. Can you say the same? Could you win over your interns with pure skill, so even if they can't stand you, they'd still stick up for you when it counts?"
"I could have!" Christina huffed, crossing her arms. "But then you came along and ruined it!"
"âŠ" Adam just stared at her, speechless, as she gave him that 'you wrecked my shot at being a good guy' look.
She wasn't entirely wrong, though. Adam was the perfect combo of skill and teaching ability as an attending mentor. That raised the bar for people like Christina, who leaned hard into the cold, technical vibe. Why put up with a mentor who's not as skilled and has a worse attitude when someone like Adam existed? No comparison, no pain, right? It seriously lowered the interns' tolerance for her style.
"Anyway," Adam said after a pause, "tell your interns we're all hanging out tonight. Meredith, bring yours too!"
"Cool!" Meredith nodded with a smile đ.
Christina rubbed her neck awkwardly, avoiding their eyes. She knew exactly why Adam was doing this.
"Christina!" Meredith nudged her.
"I know, I know! I've got it!" Christina mumbled, embarrassed. "Thanks, Adam."
"Just try to tweak your approach, okay?" Adam sighed. "I thought you were benchmarking yourself against me. If you're gonna do that, go all inâdeal?"
"You're so full of yourself!" Christina teased, then softened. "Fine, I get it."
"Good," Adam said with a nod and a grin đ. "Whether it's the legendary Dr. Grey or the infamous Dr. House, neither of them are known for their sunny dispositions. But we're not here to be themâwe're here to beat them. Pushing the limits in medical skills? That's the challenge. Being better at dealing with people? That's the easy part. Just act a little normal, a little human, and we've already crushed them! Sounds pretty sweet, right? And for you, it's not even that hardâunless you're deliberately copying their jerk moves, which⊠you don't have to do."
"âŠ" Christina had no comeback for that. But the glint in her eyes showed she was actually listening this time.
She couldn't help it. That recent subway suicide incident with the intern had hit her hard. Turns out, being a tough-as-nails teacher didn't always cut it. She didn't want to end up like some brilliant attending getting pummeled on the floor, too defeated to even fight back. Adam smiled, relieved. Finally!
He kept nudging herânot because he loved nagging, but because she'd earned his respect way back when she'd helped him out with some wisdom and strength. They were friends, and friends bug each other about stuff like this. It's normal! đ
"Adam!" Just then, a worn-out Dr. Bailey shuffled in. "I need a favor."
"What's up?" Adam asked, nodding.
"Here," Bailey said, handing him a set of keys. "I thought about it all night and finally figured it out. The free clinic's yours now. Hear me out first! It's been my dream, but after what happened with little George, I realized something: you've got to let go of some things to hold onto others. I can't juggle it allâsurgery, the free clinic, chief resident, family, little George. I've got to drop something. So, I'm letting go of the free clinic and chief resident. From now on, I'm just a surgeon and a mom. The free clinic? I only trust you with it. It wouldn't even exist without your help. Please don't say no."
"Alright," Adam said, taking the keys without hesitation.
"Oh, and one more thing!" Bailey turned to Christina and Meredith. "From now on, if you need something, go to Callie or Adam. I'm out of the game!"
"Got it!" Christina and Meredith nodded in unison.
Even though Bailey hadn't officially been chief resident, tons of doctorsâincluding Christinaâalways went to her first. She'd been the unofficial go-to, no title needed.
"That's it, then," Bailey said, giving Adam a nod before heading out.
"Here's to a fresh start!" Adam said with a smile đ.
"Doctors really aren't cut out for family life, huh?" Meredith mused.
Christina nodded, totally agreeing.
---
Morning News Buzz
By morning, the hospital was still whispering about last night's big intern suicide story, but most eyes had shifted to Mark Sloan and the anti-Mark Sloan Nurse Alliance. That drama was just as juicyâand way closer to home. The alliance had finally made their move, uniting every nurse to refuse working with Mark. No nurses, no surgeries. Even the surgical chief couldn't fix it.
The once-cocky playboy was now a wilted mess. All day, he just sat there, watching everyone bustle around him. Bailey walked by a few times, looking like she wanted to say something but holding back. Finally, as night fell, she couldn't take it anymore and stopped in front of him.
"Do you get it now?" she asked.
"Yeah," Mark said with a bitter laugh đ.
"Want to get back in the OR?"
"More than anything," he replied, looking at her like a lost puppy đ„ș.
"I can't help you, and I'm done with this nonsense," Bailey said, shaking her head. "But you can go to Adam. If he's willing to step in, you'll make it through."
"He'd help me?" Mark hesitated.
"Don't judge Adam by your standards," Bailey snapped. "There's a reason he's got so many people behind him here. I don't know what went down between you two before, but I'd bet it wasn't his fault. If you stop ticking him off, he might not be your buddy, but he won't be your enemy either. So, if you're serious about fixing this, go talk to him."
(End of Chapter)
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