Medical Center.
Hallway.
"Are you serious?"
Christina rolled her eyes.
"My bad," Adam said with an apologetic smile.
Jokes were fun, but there had to be a limit.
"Speaking of that right leg, it still pisses me off!"
Christina was immediately reminded of an unpleasant memory and couldn't help but complain, "I thought assisting the Chief on a major thigh reconstruction would be a great opportunity, but who would've guessed I'd almost get fired for it? Seriously, what the hell!"
Earlier that night...
When the first wave of train accident victims arrived, even Richard, the Chief of Surgery—who wasn't on call—rushed in from home to take over a case where a patient had a severed right leg.
Christina managed to beat out George for the assistant spot and was thrilled to work under the Chief, a man who essentially held her career in his hands. It was a golden opportunity.
As the Chief and the team administered anesthesia to the patient, Christina meticulously cleaned the severed leg, ensuring every speck of dust and gravel was removed.
The wound was spotless.
Perfect pre-op prep!
But just as the Chief instructed her to deliver the severed leg for surgery, she noticed something horrifying—
The foot on the detached limb was facing the wrong way.
It was a left leg.
The patient on the table was missing his right leg.
Seconds later, she was being yelled at and kicked out of the OR to go find the correct leg.
She searched the ambulance, but it was nowhere to be found.
She called emergency responders on-site, only to be hung up on or ridiculed:
"The train derailed, slammed into a bridge, tore through the dining car, and embedded itself in another passenger car. People were literally decapitated. Your guy missing a right leg isn't our priority. So, move. You're in the way!"
Honestly, she couldn't even blame them for being so blunt.
She'd walked in acting like a superior surgeon when she should've been asking for help. Everyone knew about the hierarchy in medicine—
And paramedics, sitting at the bottom of that chain, were especially sensitive to it. Sometimes, a single condescending look was enough to set someone off.
Desperate, Christina even went to Burke for help, hoping her ex would cut her some slack.
He was busy too.
He shut her down. Hard.
Finally, she found a severed leg in a trash bin and rushed it back to the OR like she had discovered buried treasure.
Except...
It was the wrong gender this time.
Smoothly shaved, toenails painted—definitely not from her male patient.
She got screamed at again and was sent out to keep searching.
The Chief was an untouchable big shot, and crossing him could kill her career before it even started.
She was panicking.
In the end, Adam—watching this disaster unfold—made a single phone call.
Suddenly, the paramedics started caring. The real severed leg was found and delivered just in time.
Connections.
Officially? They didn't have to listen to her.
But off the record? A friend asking for a favor took priority.
And at the end of the day, bosses didn't care how you solved a problem.
They only cared that you got it done.
"So, did the Chief at least give you some credit in the end?" Adam asked.
"Yeah, he did." Christina smirked, her frustration fading. "Thanks, Adam."
"No problem." Adam chuckled.
They chatted about the day's cases for a bit before parting ways.
Christina wasn't like Adam. Once the adrenaline of surgery wore off, exhaustion hit her like a truck. She barely made it to the on-call room before passing out.
Adam, however, had another stop to make.
The Nursery.
Joey had been dragged from his date by Monica and the gang.
"OMG!"
"O~M~G!"
Through the nursery window, everyone stared in shock as Adam pointed out Joey's newborn twins.
"Two little Joeys!"
Monica and Rachel pressed against the glass, eyes filled with love.
"OMG..." Joey muttered, still processing.
Yeah.
He knew this could happen.
When he made his big donation at the sperm bank years ago, he'd been warned.
Back then, he didn't care. If women were choosing him, that was flattering!
patreon:belamy20
He even updated his file later, just to make sure everyone knew:
Joey Tribbiani—TV Star. Absolutely top-tier.
But now?
Actually standing in front of his two kids?
Completely different feeling.
Not caring?
Not his problem?
Yeah, right.
Those adorable little babies looked just like him! They were his kids!
Joey Tribbiani was a father.
"They're adorable," Phoebe gushed.
"Ross, getting déjà vu?" Chandler smirked. "You and Joey are the same now."
Ross shot his best friend a glare. "You should be more worried about yourself."
He motioned toward Monica, who was practically melting over the babies.
Chandler went pale. His eyes darted to Adam in silent desperation.
Adam patted Chandler on the shoulder, giving him a knowing good luck gesture.
Ever since Adam had pointed out that Monica and Chandler would struggle to conceive, Chandler's life had been... challenging.
Competitive, obsessive, and baby-crazy—Monica had not taken it well.
Adam had received multiple calls from Chandler, whispering in panic from the bathroom.
The moment he tried to rest?
Monica was banging on the door.
Adam had explained, medically, that Chandler needed breaks. It had helped—a little.
But after tonight?
Chandler was not sleeping.
Being a man was hard.
Being a married man pushing forty? Even harder.
"Joey, what are you gonna do?" Rachel finally asked.
Everyone turned to Joey.
"I... I don't know." Joey lifted his hands helplessly, his face a mix of confusion and dread.
"Well, first, you need to change your lifestyle." Adam grinned. "Who knows how many more kids are out there? Ten years from now, if you're still hitting on every woman in New York, you might wanna do a thorough family background check before making a move."
"Ew!"
The whole gang groaned.
"Do I even have a choice?" Joey asked, defeated.
"No!" everyone shouted.
"This isn't like jam and hot women, Joey. You can't have both." Ross smirked.
Adam blinked.
Oh.
He almost forgot.
Back when Monica lost her job, she went through a jam-making phase. Joey, being Joey, loved it.
Chandler had once asked him: "If you had to choose—hot women or a giant jar of jam?"
Joey had grinned and said, "Duh! Both."
Guess he really hadn't changed after all...