Medical Center

"Dr. Duncan, Dr. Shephard's looking for you," the nurse called out, holding the phone.

"Got it," Adam replied with a quick smile to Joe before stepping out of the room. He walked over to the nurses' station and took the receiver.

On the other end, Dr. Shephard's tone was off—clearly rattled. Not that it was surprising. His wife had shown up out of nowhere, his mistress had dumped him, and Dr. Burke had leapfrogged over him to become interim chief of surgery. With all that mess, anyone would be on edge.

Adam gave a rundown of the initial exam.

"Get a CT first. You're on watch tonight. Call me if his condition worsens; otherwise, I'll check in tomorrow morning," Shephard said briskly before hanging up.

Adam's sharp ears caught a snippet of Meredith's voice—shrill and dramatic—just as the call ended. Lines like "You're heartless, shameless, and unreasonable!" and "Oh, and you're not?" flashed through his mind like some cheesy soap opera script.

"Joe, we need to get you a CT," Adam said, stepping back into the room where Joe was waiting, eyes wide with anticipation.

"Okay," Joe agreed without hesitation this time.

When death starts feeling real, money suddenly becomes less of an issue. He'd grit his teeth and pay up. That's the leverage the medical industry has to charge outrageous fees without blinking: no tests, no treatment. No treatment, you die. Your call.

Adam personally took Joe down for the CT. If things went as expected, Joe was in for major surgery—a thrill for every intern.

"Adam!"

"Ted?"

Halfway down the hall, Ted came barreling toward him, all frantic energy.

"I need to ask you something," Ted blurted out, breathless.

"I'm working. Can it wait 'til I'm off?" Adam brushed him off, already guessing where this was headed.

"I can't wait that long," Ted insisted, practically buzzing with urgency.

"It's fine. I don't mind," Joe chimed in from the gurney, flashing a kind smile.

Adam glanced at him, reading the subtext. Joe was scared of the test results—any excuse to delay the inevitable probably felt like a relief.

"Fine, spill it," Adam said, keeping pace toward the CT room.

"You remember that girl outside earlier?" Ted asked, voice rushed. "Do you have her number?"

"Nope," Adam replied without missing a beat, though he'd seen this coming.

Ted narrowed his eyes. "The nurse said her boyfriend was the one you resuscitated. If I want her contact info, it needs your approval."

Clearly, he'd already tried the nurses' station, only to hit the hospital's patient privacy wall.

"And who are you to her, exactly?" Adam asked with a teasing grin.

"…" Ted faltered, stumped.

Adam shrugged and kept pushing Joe's gurney.

Ted stood there for a second before jogging to catch up. "Adam, I've got a gut feeling—she's the one. My future Mrs. Ted Mosby."

"Whoa, that sounds familiar," Adam quipped. "Didn't someone say that before? Oh, right—Lily mentioned you said the same thing about Robin the other day. So what's the plan, Ted? Moving to the Middle East for a harem of 'true loves' and future Mrs. Mosbys?"

"Robin's different from her," Ted shot back, giving Adam a sideways look. "And you'd know exactly why."

Robin had been his blue French horn—his big romantic fixation. Now? Not so much.

"…" Adam blinked, caught off guard. What did this have to do with him?

"So, give me her number. It's the best outcome for all of us," Ted said, his smile a weird mix of hope and strain.

Last night's party had been a disaster for Ted. He'd gone in carefree and come out crushed. When he heard Robin had chased after Adam, his heart shattered. He wanted to blame Adam, but Matthew and Lily both backed Adam up. Plus, Adam had left early on his own—above and beyond what friendship required. Matthew and Lily's words hit him hard, shaking him to his core.

He always ragged on Barney's wild antics, half-joining in while pretending to disapprove. But now? He was starting to act like Barney himself. After a sleepless night, he'd come to the hospital after work to see Barney, hoping to figure out if Matthew and Lily were right. Did he need to change?

Then he heard La Vie en Rose. As a guy who loved music and had a knack for bands, the raw emotion in that voice floored him. When it looped again and again before cutting off, that soulful, heartbroken sound filled his head. Robin's image faded, replaced by the hazy outline of this singer he'd never even seen. His romantic side kicked into overdrive—she was his real true love.

That's what sparked his mad dash to shield her from the rain earlier. And when he saw her tiny figure sobbing freely in the downpour, he didn't need his friends to tell him: this was his destiny.

"Sorry," Adam said, shaking his head.

"Come on!" Ted pleaded. "I'm serious."

"You know why she's here, right?" Adam gave him an odd look. "You heard the love and pain in her voice. Her boyfriend—the love of her life—just died. And you're ready to swoop in now? Are you even human?"

Ted froze, flustered. "I didn't mean right now… I just don't want to miss my chance. I could wait quietly on the sidelines…"

"If that's the case, she's not changing her number anytime soon," Adam said with a smirk. "If you're really waiting quietly, you don't need to be near her. Let's talk in six months and decide if you should reach out."

"Six months?!" Ted yelped.

"Problem?" Adam shot him a disdainful look. "What, your so-called 'true love' can't survive half a year? Or do you think so little of her—that her grief won't last that long, and she'll just bounce into your arms, all happy and healed?"

"…" Ted had no comeback. Adam had him cornered with logic.

Wait—something felt off.

"We? No way!" Ted snapped out of it, glaring. "There's no 'we'! You stay away from her!"

"Depends on you," Adam said, grinning. "If your feelings hold steady for six months, it's just you—no 'we.' But if you waver and start chasing some new 'feeling,' then sorry, man. A girl like that deserves to stay far away from guys like us."

Guys like us? Were they even the same kind of guy? Adam had some nerve saying that.

Ted's mouth twitched. After a beat, he gritted his teeth. "Fine, it's a deal. But you cannot contact her on your own."

"Don't worry," Adam said with a cryptic smile. "Deep down, I lean toward option two. A girl like that should stay far away from guys like us."

"…" Ted was speechless.

Could he stop saying "us"? It was freaking him out.