Monday.
3:00 AM.
Adam had just finished rattling off all 31,485 pieces of heart surgery data.
Peggy, on the other hand, dove right back into her calculations, sprawled across the desk. This was all rough draft material for their future paper. Adam stood behind her, watching for a solid hour, completely lost in the maze of complex, mind-bending math formulas.
Let's be real—when it came to math, he was totally out of his league.
That realization hit him hard, and he made up his mind right then and there to double his math study time going forward. Math wasn't just a way to bond with Peggy—it could seriously boost his career as a top-tier doctor. Once this heavyweight paper got published, it wouldn't just add a splash of color to his résumé; it'd be a dazzling, standout page!
But for now, all he could do was stand there, staring blankly, understanding zilch.
The Duncan-Adler formula? Honestly, calling it that felt a little shameless.
That thought didn't even linger for a second before Adam mentally chopped it down. Without him, would Peggy have ever zeroed in on this? It's like a woman carrying a baby for ten months—sure, she gets the lion's share of the credit, no question. But without a guy kicking things off in those first few minutes, even the most capable woman's out of luck, right?
And that's just your average guy.
Adam, though? He showed up at 9:00 AM, worked straight through to 2:00 PM, and then kept going for another 14 hours. He'd earned his stripes—both in contribution and pure grind. This "brain baby" of theirs taking his last name? Totally fair!
"Peggy, I've gotta head back to the hospital. I'll swing by again tonight," Adam said, glancing at his watch.
"Mhm."
Compared to her old habit of flat-out ignoring him, this time Peggy didn't look up but at least gave a little hum of acknowledgment.
"Make sure you rest, okay?" Adam added.
Peggy didn't bother responding this time.
Adam stepped out of the room and knocked on the door across the hall.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Lisa?"
Knock, knock, knock.
"Lisa?"
Knock, knock, knock.
"Lisa?"
"Boss."
Lisa cracked the door open, still in her pajamas, rubbing sleepy eyes. She checked the time and groaned, "It's 4:00 AM!"
"This month's bonus is doubled," Adam said casually.
That shut down her grumbling real quick.
"Boss, what's up?"
Lisa perked up, her eyes practically sparkling as she looked at Adam, ready to jump into action—whatever he needed, she'd tackle it, no hesitation.
Why? Simple. On top of her hefty monthly salary, Adam tossed in bonuses depending on the situation. The amounts were enough to make the average white-collar worker jealous—doubled? Forget about it!
Then, as if something clicked, Lisa bit her lip, turned her head slightly, and tugged at the neckline of her pajamas.
"…"
Adam's mouth twitched.
What's that supposed to mean? What kind of guy do you think I am?
"Peggy's gone full-on research mode again, totally zoned out. Keep an eye on her. I'll be back tonight—make sure there's an extra dinner ready," Adam instructed.
"Oh, got it."
Lisa nodded quickly. As Adam turned to leave, she blurted out, "Boss, that's it?"
"What else do you want?" Adam shot back, half-teasing.
"Uh…"
Lisa awkwardly tugged her pajama neckline back into place and shook her head. "Nothing."
After Adam left, Lisa grabbed the keys to Peggy's apartment and shuffled over in her pajamas, muttering to herself along the way. "Can you blame me? It's 4:00 AM, my hotshot boss is banging on my door, doubling my bonus, and he's got that whole charming vibe going on. What am I supposed to think? I didn't jump straight to some wild group scenario—that's me being nice."
---
New York.
Medical Center.
Locker Room.
"Adam, where've you been? You didn't show up yesterday, and I couldn't even get you on the phone!" Christina complained as she changed. "Without you, Dr. Grey totally ignores us. Didn't you even skip a friends' dinner before? How'd you waste a whole day and night this time?"
"Relax," Adam said with a grin. He was about to be a "dad" to this project, and he couldn't wipe the smile off his face. "Dr. Grey's doing fine. Even if she doesn't fully recover, she's stable for now. We've got time."
"Sure, we've got time, but why risk it?" Christina pressed, her eyes blazing with that relentless thirst for knowledge.
"My bad," Adam admitted, his smile fading as he reflected.
She was right. He'd gotten a little too caught up in all the good stuff lately—maybe he'd been floating a bit. That wasn't okay.
Alice Grey had Alzheimer's. She might seem fine now, but no one could predict what'd happen next. He should've been pouring all his energy into soaking up her knowledge and experience while he still could.
"So, tonight?" Christina asked, her eyes lighting up when she saw him own up to it.
"Tonight's on," Adam said with a laugh.
"Sweet! I'll go spread the good news," Christina said, practically bouncing.
Adam's deal with their little crew was this: they'd have these nightly study sessions, just their tight-knit group, and then every week or two—depending on how things went—they'd open it up for a big lecture in the teaching room.
For Adam, it didn't matter either way. He wasn't worried about colleagues stealing some "top-secret technique." If they wanted to learn, go for it. No one could outpace his learning ability anyway—they weren't even in the same league. He was basically a TA, maybe even half a professor.
But for Christina and the others, it was a different story. If everything went wide open, it'd turn into a straight-up talent-and-effort showdown. Christina was confident she could keep up with Adam, but the pressure of others closing in would skyrocket.
For Meredith, Liz, and the rest? If they didn't buckle down and kept getting distracted by romance, they'd get left in the dust. People are selfish—it's human nature.
Christina whispered some bestie vibes to Meredith, and just like that, their little study group was back on. Adam didn't say no. Why would he? Meredith had guardianship over Dr. Grey. If she got upset and shipped Dr. Grey off to a nursing home, Adam would be the one losing out big time.
Plus, giving his friends a leg up felt natural. He wasn't some saint fighting for equal rights for random coworkers he barely knew.
After changing, Adam stepped out and called Lisa. "I'll probably get there around midnight. Yeah, just have some late-night snacks ready!"
He hung up, grinning to himself.
For most people, you couldn't have it all—work all day, study Dr. Grey's expertise all night, and keep tabs on Peggy "giving birth" to their project. Time and energy just didn't stretch that far.
But Adam? His stamina was off the charts—and still climbing. Skip a few days of sleep? No big deal. He'd still be buzzing with energy.
So, his plan was set: run the study session as usual, wrap up late, then zip over to Peggy's place in New Jersey to check on the "delivery" progress before hauling it back to New York without missing a beat.
When you're a parent-to-be, especially in crunch time, running yourself ragged is just part of the gig, right?