Medical Center.

Hallway.

Meredith and Liz leaned against the wall, slumped on a gurney, staring blankly ahead. Both of them looked drained, their moods in the gutter.

Adam walked up.

"Meredith, you worked on a TTTS case this afternoon?"

TTTS—twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. A rare condition where twins sharing a placenta are connected by blood vessels, but the balance is off: one gets too much blood, the other too little. It's dangerous for both.

Sheldon often joked about how he should've taken out his twin sister, Missy, back in the womb, but that was a flawed flex. For one, he probably couldn't have beaten her—Missy would've laid him out with a swift kick to the jewels. And two, if something like TTTS had hit, trying to hog more nutrients might've ended with both of them toast.

Separating the twins' blood vessels is insanely tricky, so TTTS is usually untreatable—unless you've got a top-tier OB-GYN. Enter Dr. Montgomery, Shephard's wife. Surgical Chief Richard had invited her for two reasons. First, he knew Shephard was messing around with intern Grey—Meredith—and as the boss, he hated seeing hospital rules broken. Plus, Montgomery was his friend, and he didn't want their marriage to tank, so he figured she could reel Shephard in. Second, they'd just admitted a pregnant patient with TTTS, and Montgomery was the best in the game.

Bringing in elite doctors to boost the hospital's rep? That was Richard's job. When Shephard confronted him, he had a rock-solid excuse. Business is business!

"Yeah, I did," Meredith said, her voice flat. No trace of the excitement you'd expect from assisting on a surgery that big.

What a waste! Adam thought. If it were him—cluelessly getting cozy with a hotshot doctor's wife, only for her to slap him with a rare, high-level procedure and demand he scrub in—he'd be over the moon. Sign me up for a dozen of those!

"So, how'd it go?" Adam asked, swallowing his inner commentary. "Give me the surgery details."

"You only care about the surgery details!" Liz cut in, glaring at him. "Don't you get Meredith's situation? Don't you care how she's feeling?"

"Alright, my bad," Adam said, raising his hands in surrender. Then he pivoted, all concern: "Meredith, how'd you feel during the surgery? What did Dr. Montgomery do—every move—what ran through your head?"

"…" Liz's face darkened.

"I'm fine," Meredith said, forcing a tough front. "I'm good."

"Glad to hear it," Adam nodded, then got serious again. "So, what was Dr. Montgomery doing when you felt that? Oh, I bet it was when she made the incision, right?"

"…" Meredith's fake smile cracked. Sure, the patient had ripped into her with snide remarks and public humiliation, but she wasn't petty enough to feel glee over Montgomery cutting into someone.

"Okay, enough about my feelings—let me just tell you the surgery details!" Meredith blurted, cutting Adam off before he could ask another nerve-jangling question. She launched into it: "We started with a laparoscopy, using a thin blade for a three-millimeter incision… The surgery went perfectly. You know what I felt then? Watching her, so focused, I forgot she was Shephard's wife—my rival. Forgot the hostility. I just stared, totally caught up in it. It hit me—my aunt used to say all the time: 'It's always the men and their brothers' fault, never us women. Never!'"

"Heh," Adam chuckled, satisfied with the detailed rundown. Then her last bit sank in, and he couldn't hold back a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Meredith snapped. "You don't think it's the men and their brothers' fault?"

"Nah, not that," Adam grinned. "I'm just thinking—you were so mesmerized by her focus, saying it's all the men's fault, never the women's, ever? Sounds like you might've awakened your inner lesbian. If that's the case, you two could ditch Shephard and live your own legendary love story."

"I'm here for it!" Liz chimed in. "Men are unreliable anyway—that's why so many women are going full-on lace-curtain these days."

Adam shot her a sideways glance, wondering: Is this solidarity with Meredith, or is Alex about to transition, and Liz is laying the groundwork for her own lace-curtain era…?

"I just admire her skill and authority," Meredith said, shaking her head. "And her courage."

"Courage?" Adam raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"After the surgery, Mrs. Phillips—the patient—lost it," Meredith said, her expression tangled. "She didn't want me anywhere near her. Montgomery could've piled on, but instead, she shut her down. Said it wasn't my fault, that she wouldn't have had my grace or patience. Said it wasn't me or her husband cheating—it was her who cheated first. Told Mrs. Phillips she owed me an apology."

"She actually said that?" Liz's jaw dropped.

"Yeah," Meredith nodded.

Whoa. This redheaded doctor had some serious guts. Adam was impressed.

"So, are they divorced or what?" Liz asked, still confused.

"No idea," Meredith said, lost.

"Definitely not," Adam said, breaking it down. "If they were, this whole scene wouldn't be happening. From what we know, it sounds like Shephard found out Montgomery cheated, stormed off in a rage, and she showed up two months later—probably after he'd cooled off—to patch things up."

"Then what's Meredith in all this?" Liz asked, indignant.

"Probably a tool to smooth things over with Shephard," Adam said matter-of-factly. "Otherwise, no woman—well, most women—would treat their husband's mistress like this…" He didn't say the rest out loud: Meredith should know—she's the queen of using tools herself.

Meredith froze.

A tool? Me?

Just then, a sweet melody floated in through the window—someone strumming a guitar.

"Hold me close and hold me tight,

Whisper softly by my side,

Life blooms sweet like roses bright.

Kisses deep, the heavens sigh,

Eyes shut tight, my heart's alive,

Life blooms sweet like roses high.

When you stormed into my soul,

Joy flowed free like rivers roll,

Roses blossom, full and whole.

Soft words hum, angels take flight,

Daily chatter turns to rhyme,

Stay with me, body and mind,

Life will bloom like roses, time after time."

The song—"La Vie en Rose"—was sung with a aching, tearful beauty. Everyone who heard it stopped in their tracks, mouths shut, ears tuned in. The woman's voice carried a sadness so raw it hit straight to the core.

Adam just zoned out a bit, lost in it.

Meredith and Liz, though? They were already sobbing…