Grey's Apartment.
The party was in full swing.
In America, social circles are a thing.
Even though this was a party with over a hundred guests, after Christina, Meredith, and George finished their awkward dance on the table, they stepped down and ended up gathering in a room with Bianca—drinking and chatting.
Everyone else was just there to fill the space and set the mood.
Since this was Meredith's home, it made sense that she wasn't a fan of such a big party.
After all, once the party was over, she'd be the one dealing with the mess—who knew what kind of trash or unmentionable things she'd find scattered around?
What really made her grit her teeth in frustration was the fact that Liz, the party's supposed organizer, was still stuck in the hospital—doing the very brain surgery they all wished they could be performing.
Adding insult to injury, Meredith had just been disciplined, so she decided to go back to her old ways—chugging alcohol like there was no tomorrow and letting out wild screams every now and then.
"You're not jealous?"
Christina, her eyes hazy from alcohol, glanced at Bianca before gesturing toward Adam, who was surrounded by women.
"Why would I be jealous?"
Bianca took a few sips of her drink, feeling more outgoing than usual. "Adam and I are just friends. I'm not his girlfriend. Besides, he's a beast—I'm actually kind of relieved when he's like this."
The moment she said that, Christina and Meredith's eyes lit up with the fire of a million degrees of gossip.
"A beast? How so?"
"Spill it!"
"It's nothing."
Bianca wasn't that drunk yet. She knew Adam didn't like her talking about their private affairs, so she quickly changed the subject.
"There's definitely something!"
"We're all friends here, and we're doctors. What haven't we seen? What's the big deal?"
"Exactly! Bianca, do you not think of us as friends?"
There was no way Christina and Meredith were letting her off the hook. They took turns pushing her, their words getting heavier and heavier, determined to satisfy their curiosity.
Opportunities like this were rare.
If it were any other guy, and he was as impressive as they suspected, he'd probably be bragging about it non-stop.
But Adam was too low-key. He was clearly extraordinary, yet he never showed it off.
Mysterious and powerful—exactly the type that drew women in.
"I really can't say…"
Bianca, unable to withstand the pressure, half-heartedly admitted, "Let's just say… I can't keep up."
"OMG!"
Christina and Meredith, both seasoned veterans, immediately understood and gasped dramatically.
"What's going on?"
George, who was a bit tipsy, looked at them in confusion.
"She just said she can't keep up. What's so shocking about that?"
"I'm seriously thinking about moving out."
Bianca took another swig of her drink, unable to hold back her complaints. "Otherwise, after working 14-hour shifts every day, I come home only to have another exhausting shift. I feel like I'm falling apart. If any of you can get Adam's attention, I honestly wouldn't mind."
Not everyone had Adam's never-ending stamina.
Look at Meredith—ever since she got involved with Dr. Shepherd, she'd been seriously sleep-deprived. The first time she held a real human heart, an adrenaline-pumping moment for any surgeon, she nearly dozed off, almost causing a fatal mistake.
That was how Bianca felt.
Sure, she enjoyed what Adam brought to the table, but that wasn't her whole life.
Becoming a doctor had been her dream since childhood.
Her father was a dentist, and many of his friends were doctors. That was why she had originally planned to return to Chicago for her medical internship after graduation.
Growing up in a medical circle, she often heard people joke that "dentists aren't real doctors." It left a lasting impression on her.
So, she was determined to become a surgeon—standing at the top of the medical hierarchy—to make her father proud.
If being with Adam jeopardized that dream, Bianca wouldn't allow it.
She was human, not a lab rat with an electrode implanted in its brain, pressing a pleasure button until it dropped dead.
"Incredible…"
Meredith's usually sentimental eyes shimmered with curiosity.
Dreamy Guy was pretty impressive, but from her experienced perspective, she had always been in control.
She even used her award-winning acting skills to boost his ego when necessary.
Throughout her many, many experiences, she had never encountered something like this.
What a shame.
If she were still in her early twenties, she would definitely give it a try.
But now, she was deeply involved with Dreamy Guy. And judging from his reaction the last time that injured racer stole a kiss from her—his jealousy ran deep. There was no way he'd be okay with an open relationship.
Bianca, meanwhile, was looking at them through drunken, squinting eyes.
She had spoken from the heart, but she hadn't mentioned that Adam wasn't even interested in them.
Internally, she chuckled: Even if you had the chance, you wouldn't stand a chance.
Adam, outwardly calm, continued entertaining his overly friendly female colleagues. But deep down, he was grumbling to himself—making a firm resolution to attend fewer of these parties in the future.
They were just too exhausting.
In every sense of the word…
Not getting involved with female colleagues had been a strict rule of his ever since Barney showed him that video.
That's right.
Barney had, quite literally, taken the first step—with a limp.
And he had proof.
Barney was staying in a private VIP hospital room, the perfect setting for his antics. Given his smooth-talking nature, willingness to spend money, and decent looks, it wasn't hard for him to charm some easygoing, attractive nurses.
The hard part was getting them to agree to let him play the role of Professor Stinson.
But Barney could spin a lie in his sleep.
In the first video Adam saw, a nurse noticed his phone was pointed at them, flash on, and immediately asked, "Are you recording this?"
Without missing a beat, Barney replied, "Nah, my phone's just out of battery."
The party wrapped up quickly.
Everyone was at the bottom of the hospital food chain, meaning they had to be up early for work. They couldn't party until sunrise like Ted and Barney.
The party started at 7 PM, and by 9 PM, people were already trickling out. By 10 PM, only Meredith and her roommates were left—staring at the mess.
### The Next Day
The life of an intern continued.
When a story spread about an ER intern falling asleep while using the bathroom, it became yet another example of their brutal work hours—alongside Meredith nearly stabbing a patient's heart in her sleep and Dr. Burke accidentally leaving a towel inside a patient due to exhaustion.
To prevent more medical mishaps (and potential lawsuits), the hospital board quickly passed a mandatory work-hour limit.
Just as Adam had predicted, they adopted the infamous 80-hour workweek policy.
Finally, the interns got their first official weekend off.
Adam was just about to use the time to catch up with Chandler and the gang—when he got a call.
"Peggy?"
Surprised, he picked up.