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Pat*eon : Belamy20
Naruto: Uchiha Shiroge Rebellion
Medical Center – Operating Room
Adam held up the parasitic catfish, joking about it, not expecting anyone to actually want it. For a moment, he wasn't sure who to hand it off to.
Thankfully, Dr. Bailey swooped in to save the day.
"Adam, maybe you should ask the guy it came out of," Bailey said with a smirk. "Who knows? Our chairman might want to keep it as a souvenir. It's not every day you get a freaky experience like this. And even if he doesn't, I bet his wife waiting outside would love to snag it."
"Totally!" a nurse piped up, raising her hand. "It'd make an awesome keepsake!"
"…" The male doctors exchanged awkward glances, totally speechless.
"Alright, let's tuck it away for now," the surgical director decided. "We'll ask Larry… and Nancy later and figure out what to do with it. Oh, and heads up—never pee in a wild river again, especially the Amazon!"
Everyone nodded like their lives depended on it. After this surgery, who'd dare? It was too gross, too creepy! 😖
The hard part was already handled—Adam's legendary "Dr. Duncan yanks out parasitic catfish" move had taken care of the big challenge. The rest was smooth sailing.
"Did I miss anything?"
Meredith burst in, decked out in surgical gear, fresh from scrubbing in. She flashed an apologetic smile at the stares and sidled up to Christina, whispering, "Has it started?"
"Started?" Christina grinned. "It's over. You missed a blockbuster moment in medical history…" She whipped out a dramatic hand gesture—thumb and index finger forming a classic "M" shape, just like Phoebe back in the day. "Did you see that thing? That's the parasitic catfish!"
Yup, the Meredith family tradition—everyone got it.
"It's done? That fast?" Meredith's jaw dropped.
She'd been tied up earlier and rushed over, figuring she'd catch the start. Who'd have thought it was already wrapped? But following Christina's gesture, she spotted the evidence and knew Christina wasn't messing with her.
"You'll see it on the surgery footage later," Christina said, practically gloating. "It'll blow your mind, I promise. Though, let's be real—video's got nothing on being there live. I was right next to Adam—best seat in the house!"
While Meredith reeled from shock and regret, the surgery wrapped up quick.
Adam and the surgical director stepped out of the OR to meet Nancy, the chairman's wife, who'd been waiting outside.
The secretary—who'd been cleared of any parasitic hitchhikers—stood off in the distance, phone in hand, pretending to make a call. But her eyes kept darting over, brimming with worry she couldn't hide.
Nancy, on the other hand, was way calmer. Sure, she was concerned for her husband, but she had it together. Every now and then, she'd glance past Adam and Richard at the secretary, her gaze dripping with disdain.
"The surgery went great…" Adam said, giving a rundown at the director's nod.
"Richard, Adam—thank you," Nancy said, skipping the usual "thank God" spiel and going straight to the docs.
Richard was a given—he'd climbed the ranks thanks to Chairman Larry's support. They'd been tight for decades, practically family.
Adam, though? With his billionaire status, he'd rubbed elbows with the chairman's crew at fancy galas before. Then, in his third and fourth years of med school, Leonard had formally introduced him to the family when he started interning. Later, as a resident, Adam donated a hefty chunk to build a new lab, earning himself an invite to a family dinner. Both sides kept it polite, sticking to first names.
"No problem."
"It's what we do," Richard and Adam replied humbly.
They chatted a bit more before gearing up to leave.
"Oh, wait," Nancy called after them. "That thing they took out—is it still here?"
"…" Adam and Richard swapped a look, both catching the weird vibe in each other's eyes. Adam answered, "Yeah, it is."
"Can I take it?" Nancy asked coolly. "It came out of my husband. I think it'd make a nice memento."
"Sure," Adam nodded.
"Sophia!" Nancy barked over their shoulders, her tone icy.
The secretary scurried over.
"The surgery was a success," Nancy said flatly. "Go grab that thing they pulled out. I want to see it. Then get someone to turn it into a piece of art for my husband's office—so he'll remember every time he looks at it: don't mess around!"
"Y-Yes," the secretary stammered, trembling as she nodded and hurried off.
"Sorry you had to see that," Nancy said to Adam and Richard once she was gone. "If I don't keep her busy, she might lose it. And I'm not about to babysit my husband's little pet at a time like this."
"Nancy…" Richard fumbled, at a loss for words.
"Oh, I know," she said with a cold laugh. "Richard, you of all people should get it. Wives always know!"
Richard awkwardly looked away. Adam kept his eyes down, minding his own business.
He got what Nancy meant. Richard's family and the chairman's were thick as thieves. From her tone, she'd clearly known about her husband and the secretary for ages but kept it under wraps.
And Richard? He'd had his own messy fling with Meredith's mom, Alice Grey, back in the day. Before his wife kicked him out, she'd come to the hospital one last time, begging him to retire and put family first. He brushed her off with the usual "too busy" excuse.
Meredith, who'd been sent to fetch him, felt bad and tried to cheer her up. Richard's wife ended up chatting with her, saying she'd watched Meredith grow up. In a flat tone, she'd mentioned how her husband used to flirt with Alice. Whenever it happened, she'd leave—and go check on little Meredith, still a lonely kid back then.
She'd said it too: "Wives always know!" But she left out the rest: whether they speak up or stay quiet.
Clearly, Nancy and Richard's wife had bonded over this stuff—and both chose to hold their tongues.
Emmm.
What's that saying? "Men mess up, but as long as they come home, it's fine"? Guess it's the same everywhere—no racial divide, just class vibes. Same tier, same antics, same choices—different paths, same destination.
After parting ways with Nancy—who saw through the mistress like she was a pet—and the visibly uneasy Richard, who bolted off, Adam headed to the cafeteria.
It was lunchtime.
Adam, Christina, and Meredith grabbed their usual trio table, chowing down while dishing about the surgery and some gossip.
"What'd you do?!"
Mark Sloan stormed over, slamming a chart on their table and yelling, "Can you even do your job? You can't handle something this simple?"
"What's going on?" Meredith blinked, totally clueless.
"Spit it out if you've got a problem!" Adam shot back, frowning.
He figured Meredith probably screwed something up, but Mark's attitude? That was clearly him taking a swing at Adam while he was at it.
(Chapter End)