Late Night.
After Alice Grey's tutoring session wrapped up, Adam headed back to his apartment.
Kate had taken his call earlier and showed up right on his heels.
No small talk needed.
First things first—they "caught up" on each other's physical health.
It's an occupational hazard for Adam. Being a doctor so long, he can't help but want to check people out—medically, of course.
The catch? Doctors suck at checking themselves.
But Kate, after all their time together—and with her chops as a senior cop—had picked up some basic diagnostic skills. Through her, Adam could indirectly give himself a once-over.
The whole routine? Smooth as butter.
Both of them were in tip-top shape, which left them pretty happy.
After all, health is wealth, right? 😎
"What's up? You're not your usual chipper self tonight," Adam said, shifting gears to check on Kate's mental health post-exam.
"This isn't chipper enough for you?" Kate shot back, rolling her eyes.
"Nope," Adam said, dead serious. "You're dipping below your baseline. You can't fool me—something's been eating at you lately, hasn't it?"
"…"
Kate clammed up.
She'd long known Adam was a genius with quirks, but this? Charting her mood swings like data points, graphing it in his head, and spotting the tiniest blip? That was next-level wild.
If it was some huge emotional rollercoaster, fine—but this was barely a ripple!
"Spill it," Adam teased. "It's not me bumming you out, is it? 'Cause if it is, I'll need to do some serious soul-searching and whip up a heartfelt apology plan."
"No way!" Kate jumped in quick. "It's not you—no need for all that. I couldn't handle it… Fine, I'll tell you already!"
"I'm all ears," Adam said with a grin.
"It's about a colleague, Frankie. She quit recently," Kate explained, pressing her hands over Adam's as she talked. "You know how it is in law enforcement—women are rare, and ones who kick ass are even rarer."
"So Frankie leaving's got you down?" Adam nodded, tossing out a guess. "Why'd she go? Discrimination? Harassment?"
In TV drama world, women getting hassled or sidelined at work was dime-a-dozen stuff. Especially in gritty departments—dark corners nobody dares touch.
Kate feeling the chill from that? Totally understandable.
"She didn't say," Kate shook her head. "Frankie's case is… different."
She paused, thinking back to meeting Adam's buddies Juno and Karen last time. "She's kinda like Juno and Karen…"
"…"
Adam's lip twitched. "So, extra discriminated against?"
"Sounds like it," Kate nodded. "She's been seeing this professional guardian lately. The guardian's business is booming, and since Frankie wasn't happy at work, she got invited to team up."
"Professional guardian?" Adam's brow furrowed. "That's a murky gig. You think this guardian's after Frankie's cop connections?"
"Partly, yeah," Kate agreed. "In that line of work, they're always digging into stuff. Frankie's police ties would smooth things out big time. Plus, she's damn good at her job—switch careers, and she'd hit the ground running, no doubt helping out a ton."
"So she's a network fixer, a task juggler, a bodyguard—and a bed-warmer too?" Adam chuckled. "This guardian's got a sharp eye."
"…"
Kate ignored the jab, nodding seriously. "She is sharp. I was worried about Frankie, so I poked around. This guardian, Marla Grayson? She's a rising star in the game these past few years. Judges love her—keeps getting appointed by them."
"Judges' favor?" Adam's eyes narrowed. "One judge, or a bunch?"
"Judge Judy Loomis, mostly…" Kate blinked. "Wait, you think Marla's got some shady deal with Loomis?"
"Big chance," Adam said with a smirk. "In this money-driven world, nobody's handing out favors for free. Professional guardians aren't running charities…"
He sighed. "Ugh, it's a messy racket. Unless you've got the power to spin the planet like a Three-Body Problem pro, good luck changing it. How tight are you with Frankie?"
"Pretty good," Kate said.
Both in jobs that stare down human nature, she caught Adam's drift—this was baked into society's bones, way beyond their fix. After a brief gloom, she refocused on her friend.
"Colleagues, rare women in the field, and… well, yeah, pretty good."
"What's that 'and'?" Adam perked up, curious. "Frankie ever have a thing for you?"
"Pfft! Men!" Kate let out a scoff of pure disdain.
"Ahem," Adam coughed awkwardly, switching tracks. "If you're close, tell her to hold the line—don't swing from one extreme to another."
Sure, TV cops here just keep the peace, not protect folks. But anyone with a shred of heart still wants to shield people.
From what Adam knew, professional guardians? Pure business. They exploit legal loopholes, stripping vulnerable old folks of everything—legally, of course.
It's all about skill and tactics.
Not everyone's a female Captain America like Carolyn.
Chatting with her sometimes, Adam had heard industry dirt that'd make your skin crawl—chilling stuff.
And yet, it's untouchable.
Only a few pure souls like Carolyn kept Adam from losing all faith in this world.
Yup—just a flicker of hope, that's it.
"She probably won't listen," Kate said, shaking her head helplessly.
"Then let her roll with it," Adam said, soothing her mood for a while before it lifted. Then he grinned. "Speaking of that, it reminded me of something I wanted to ask you tonight…"
He spilled the weirdness about Jessie Paige and her grandpa.
If Jessie wasn't in the picture, her grandpa's condition would've landed him with a court-appointed guardian ages ago.
Adam wouldn't be dealing with Jessie—he'd be haggling with some pro guardian over the guy's fate.
They'd call all the shots.
"No clue," Kate said, surprised. "Jessie never told me about that…"
Then she paused, thinking. "But she did mention once how close she was with her dad. He killed himself, though. Word is, he fought with her grandpa a lot—maybe Jessie blames him for it."
"Heh, maybe," Adam said with a light laugh, dropping it there.
Kate clearly didn't know the full soap-opera scoop either.
Pushing it further was just guesswork—pointless and unverifiable.
Besides, with a cozy night like this, why keep dredging up buzzkills?
Stare into the abyss, and it stares back.
Darkness everywhere.
In this world, only good food and love deserve your time.
Onward and upward!
(Chapter End)