Medical Center
Seeing Jessie Peggy standing there with teary eyes and no words, Adam didn't want to jump to conclusions.
Maybe she was just tired and yawning—y'know, how your eyes water when you're beat? Totally a thing.
Beep beep.
Beep beep.
His pager went off. Adam checked it, then tucked it away, glancing at Jessie. "Looks like the paperwork's cleared. Wanna go see?"
"Sure," Jessie said after a quiet moment, nodding.
Adam led her to the room. With a lawyer watching, they went through the motions—unplugged the tubes, turned off the ventilator.
That life-support setup? Five grand a day. Without it, Jessie's grandpa would slip away in his unconscious state pretty quick.
Adam kept an eye on Jessie's face, expecting some big emotional mess. Nada. Just a blank, cold stare.
Yikes. There's gotta be some soap-opera-level drama behind this. 😬
Hmm. Looks like tonight's a good night to grab a drink with Detective Kate Beckett and chew over the wild side of human nature.
After stepping out of the room, Adam figured he'd check on Carter.
Carter's basics were still shaky. Even with Adam pushing him to double down on the fundamentals, a little positive nudge now and then was key to keeping him motivated.
Teaching wasn't just about skills—it was about how you delivered it. For Carter, just catching Dr. Duncan watching him with a smile was enough to light him up all day.
But before Adam could head over, a familiar face rolled into the ER.
"Adele?" Adam hurried over. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," said Adele—the surgical chief's soon-to-be-ex-wife, already separated and mid-divorce. She shot him a look: keep it quiet.
"What's up?" Adam caught the hint, guiding her to a room and asking with concern.
Forget that she and the chief were splitting "amicably"—even after he'd caught her cheating, he didn't blame her. Adele herself? Adam had been to the chief's place for dinner before. She was genuinely decent.
Okay, cheating before the divorce was finalized? Debatable. But with the chief's track record, Adam wouldn't be shocked if Adele couldn't even book a slot on his calendar. That divorce letter probably got buried under a pile of papers—or he saw it and played dumb to stall. Classic move.
At her age, she couldn't afford to wait around.
"I had a little fender bender. No biggie," Adele said, waving it off.
"I'll let the chief know," Adam said, pulling out his phone.
"No! Don't tell him!" Adele stopped him fast. "Adam, you've heard, right? We're separated, divorcing—my life's got nothing to do with him anymore. I mean it."
"I get it," Adam nodded. "But I also know he still cares about you. Separated or divorced, if something's up, he'd be the first one here."
"Would he?" Adele blinked, caught off guard.
"I think so," Adam said with a firm nod.
Let's be real—the chief was an old-school player. Facing the wife who'd stuck by him forever, left with an empty home and no kids, he was drowning in guilt.
Adele went quiet, then forced a smile. "I'd still rather you not tell him. Whatever we had, it's over. No kids, no love left—what's there to say?"
"Alright, if you're sure," Adam said, pocketing his phone. "But I'm checking you out anyway. You look fine, but car accidents aren't a joke—better safe than sorry."
"Yeah…" Adele nodded, then hesitated. "Actually, I'll see Addison instead. Easier with her."
"Fair enough," Adam grinned. "Want me to call her down? ER's on the first floor—farther from the chief."
Surgical ward was upstairs, after all.
"Nah, I'll head up myself," Adele said, shaking her head.
"Okay," Adam replied, giving her a surprised look. "But you have to go. I'll follow up with Dr. Montgomery."
"Got it," Adele said with a smile, heading off.
Adam watched her go, gears turning in his head.
A few hours later, he got the scoop from Dr. Montgomery—and yep, his hunch was spot on.
"She's really pregnant?"
Even with his suspicions, Adam was still floored. 😳
"What's that look?" Montgomery smirked, side-eyeing him. "Adele can't get pregnant?"
"Of course not," Adam said, shaking his head. "It's just—older moms have it rough, and she just had a car accident. The baby's okay?"
"Ultrasound says the fetus is fine," Montgomery said with a smile. "Adele's got some minor internal bleeding, though—not a big deal, I handled it. Still, I'm keeping her overnight just in case."
"She agreed?" Adam raised an eyebrow. "Watch her—she might dodge the chief by saying yes now and sneaking out later. If something goes wrong after that…"
"Oh, crap, you're right!" Montgomery jolted. "I'll get someone on it."
"I've got it," Adam said, pulling out his phone. He called one of the aides looking after Alice Grey to keep tabs on Adele full-time.
Residents and nurses? Gossip magnets. An aide was safer.
The world's wild, huh? Two rivals sharing the same guy all these years, and now, in their old age, sharing a caretaker too.
"Oh, how far along is she?" Adam asked, curiosity piqued.
"Knew you'd ask," Montgomery said, rolling her eyes. "Thirteen weeks. So? Could it be the chief's?"
"…" Adam's mouth twitched.
You're one to talk—you're nosier than me!
He ran the dates through his mental Rolodex. Those days, the chief had been glued to the hospital—no home visits.
"Poor Richard," Montgomery sighed, reading Adam's face.
"Not necessarily," Adam grinned. "It's just a guess. Maybe Adele went the unconventional route—could still be his."
"Yeah, sure," Montgomery said, totally unconvinced.
Unconventional methods—like fertility treatments—were a last resort. With Adele already moving on to a new guy, why risk it when she had "regular" options?
Those treatments? Rough on the kid and the mom. Drugs to kickstart ovulation could mess you up—ovarian overstimulation, higher cancer risks, ectopic pregnancies, you name it.
"Man, the chief…" Montgomery let out a long sigh.
"Addison, what's up?"
Right then, the chief strolled around the corner, catching her sigh. Thinking she'd called him, he walked over, hands on hips. "Something wrong?"
"…" Montgomery froze, shooting Adam a help me look.
But Adam just nodded at the chief like a random bystander and strolled off, cool as ever…
(End of Chapter)