Medical Center.

"Look!"

Adam nudged Bianca and pointed toward the nurse's station, where Cristina was looking full of energy.

"She's really pushing herself!"

Bianca felt exhausted just watching.

Thankfully, she was crashing at Adam's apartment, which was right next to the hospital. Otherwise, with the time spent commuting, she'd have to wake up at 3 AM just to get here earlier than everyone else.

Technically, after their 5 AM to 7 PM shifts, she should be able to sleep early.

But in reality, no one actually leaves work on time.

And even after getting home, could she go straight to bed?

Yeah, right.

Thinking about this, Bianca glanced at Adam and started weighing her options—should she keep staying at Adam's place to save on commute time, or move out and get a bit more sleep instead?

Outside the hospital, a loud, frustrated voice interrupted her thoughts.

"You don't understand! I'm a guy, and you're a girl! You can't just walk around in front of me wearing Hello Kitty while I'm showering!"

It was George, the chubby, slightly effeminate guy.

"Oh, that reminds me—don't forget to buy us tampons!" Liz called out casually.

"I'm a man! I don't buy feminine products!"

George was on the verge of a breakdown.

"Adam! Say something!"

Seeing Adam and Bianca, George hurried over, desperate for backup.

"Oh, oh, oh!"

Adam raised his hand, stopping him. "How does whether you're a man or not have anything to do with me? Why should I say anything?"

"Hahaha!"

Meredith and Liz burst into laughter and walked away.

"…"

George looked at Adam with a pitiful expression.

"Don't look at me like that," Adam shrugged. "You chose to live with them. Are you telling me you couldn't find any other place to stay after moving out of your parents' house? Bianca, what's that phrase again?"

"You just want to get with them. You're shameless!"

Bianca chimed in without missing a beat.

She had heard Adam say this line countless times. As close friends who knew each other well, she immediately caught on to what he wanted her to say with just a glance.

"I do not!"

George protested. "Meredith's place is great, and since we're all colleagues, living together is convenient. That's why I moved in."

"Well, you can move out now."

Adam smirked. "Otherwise, when Liz walks around in Hello Kitty again, will you be able to handle it? Wait—don't answer yet! Let me analyze this for you: If you can handle it, that means you're not a man.

But if you can't handle it, then why haven't you moved out yet? Could it be that you're just hoping for something? A thief at heart but too afraid to act? Bianca, what's that other phrase?"

"If you won't be a beast, then don't act like one. Pick a side!"

Bianca instantly caught on again, responding as if on instinct.

"…"

George was nearly in tears. He threw down a final remark before storming off.

"You guys are the worst!"

"Who does he like?"

Bianca asked, intrigued.

"What do you think?"

Adam replied with another question.

"Liz is prettier, but if George saw her in that situation and wasn't secretly enjoying it, and instead was freaking out… Hmm…"

Bianca pondered. "That must mean he likes Meredith!"

"Bingo."

Adam grinned as they headed toward the locker room. "Now take another guess—do you think Meredith knows that George has a crush on her?"

"Of course she does."

Bianca said matter-of-factly. "It's such an obvious situation. Even someone inexperienced in love could figure it out with a little thought. Plus, women have a natural instinct for this kind of thing. Meredith is a pro in the dating game—there's no way she wouldn't know."

"Exactly."

Adam snapped his fingers.

"She's just pretending not to know?"

Bianca suddenly realized.

Adam just smiled knowingly.

Locker Room.

Cristina leaned against the wall, softly murmuring something under her breath. Adam, with his sharp hearing, caught every word clearly.

"55-year-old female, diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, has undergone chemotherapy to control the spread. Abdominal pain level: 3 out of 10. Nausea present but no vomiting, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, or black stools. Max temperature: 37.2°C, no fever, stable vitals. Lab results: bilirubin level at 7, elevated liver enzymes…"

"Congratulations!"

Adam smiled at Cristina.

"For what?"

Cristina stopped reciting the case file and looked at Adam warily.

"Relax."

Adam chuckled. "This case belongs to Dr. Burke. There's no way I'd be competing with you for it."

"Glad you understand."

Cristina let out a relieved sigh. "I got here at 4 AM just to prepare for this surgery."

"Surgery? What surgery?"

Meredith immediately walked over. "What do you know?"

Liz and George also turned their attention toward Cristina.

"It has nothing to do with you."

Cristina quickly stuffed her notebook into her pocket and shook her head, refusing to reveal anything.

Adam was right—he wasn't in the same team as her, so he wasn't a direct competitor. But Meredith, Liz, and Alex were—they were the real threats.

Even though Meredith was her best friend, in this environment, competition was everything.

There are no friends in the operating room.

She would never forget the time Meredith stole her thunder.

Friday Morning.

Leonard's coronary artery bypass surgery was scheduled for the morning.

Adam, of course, was going to be in the OR, so he wasn't assigned to the ER today.

Hospital Cafeteria, Noon.

"Meredith, that was an incredible surgery."

Adam complimented.

"Thanks."

Meredith beamed. "It's so rare to see a case where a nail gun shoots seven 3.5-inch nails into someone's skull without instantly killing them. None of the other nerves were damaged—only the optic nerve was compressed.

We managed to remove them at the exact angles they went in, with zero bleeding. The surgery was a complete success. I have to say, Dr. Shepherd is a genius."

"Heh."

Adam couldn't help but chuckle.

"Heh."

Cristina also laughed, but her smile wasn't as bright.

Meredith lowered her head, feeling a bit guilty under their knowing gazes.

Dr. Shepherd was amazing—in more ways than one. Just because she and he had an indescribable relationship now, did that mean she couldn't compliment his skills anymore?

"How's your pancreatic resection prep going?"

Adam turned to Cristina, who now looked a little less energetic. "Not going well?"

"How did you know?"

Cristina looked up sharply. "Do you know something?"

"I know she's been a nurse here for a long time."

Adam reminded her. "She's in bad shape. If she undergoes pancreatic resection, she probably won't survive…"

"I know, but she has no choice—if she doesn't do the surgery, she's just waiting to die. Dr. Burke is making me run every possible test to prepare…"

Cristina trailed off, then met Adam's pointed gaze—one that practically screamed, Think about it carefully.

Her face darkened as realization hit her.

"Son of a bitch! She's only here to die! Burke knew! Everyone knew! Except me!"