Medical Center. Operating Room.
To help Peggy clear her mind and spark some inspiration, Adam went full pro mode—shoving aside any distracting thoughts about "cosplay nurses" or whatever.
He focused on being himself!
The virus injection went off without a hitch.
By the end of the surgery, Darren was still kicking.
That's a win!
Of course, the real test was still ahead.
Especially tonight—Darren's immune system would clock the virus invasion and launch a full-on attack.
That could trigger a bunch of dicey conditions.
So, Adam had to put his late-night deep-dive chat with Peggy on hold (he'd been dying to ask if she'd consider moonlighting as a medic). Instead, he stuck around the ward with the four juniors, ready to jump in for any emergency.
Naturally, he'd also collect a ton of data to give Peggy a solid foundation for her next round of calculations—setting up the next case for success.
With a reluctant goodbye, Adam sent Peggy back to New Jersey.
She wasn't like him—built for the long haul.
Staying up all night? Not her thing.
Emmm.
Lisa, ever the pro, carried a bag with Peggy's used surgical gown.
It was Peggy's first time in the OR—pretty memorable stuff!
Adam didn't even need to ask—Lisa had already disinfected and packed it up. She's got that sixth sense!
"Ross?"
After seeing Peggy off, Adam headed back to the ward, only to get a call from Ross. "You're at the medical center? I'm tied up here—come over."
Even knowing Ross was in the ER, Adam had zero plans to swing by.
Tonight's priority was guarding Darren, the second patient in this clinical research project.
Ross's loudmouth energy? Probably nothing serious. Adam couldn't be bothered to trek over there.
"What happened to you?"
Back at the nurses' station across from Darren's room, Adam spotted Ross cradling his hand. "What's up with your hand?"
"It's hurt—hurts like hell!"
Ross looked totally embarrassed. 😖
"Come here, let me check it out."
Adam waved him over, took a look, and noticed obvious swelling in the fourth and fifth metacarpals of Ross's right hand. "Who'd you hit?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't even ask," Ross said with a bitter laugh.
"What got you mad? Smashed a wall?"
Adam shot him a look.
"How'd you know?!"
Ross stared at Adam, shocked.
"Dude, you fractured it," Adam teased. "If this were Phoebe, Monica, or even Rachel, I'd say they punched someone. But you? Ross? Sure, you've got a temper, but aside from punching a wall, what else are you gonna hit?"
"…"
Ross's face darkened. He couldn't argue—Adam's logic was spot-on, leaving even him, the guy who did it, speechless.
"Why'd you punch the wall?" Adam asked with a grin. "Rachel didn't—"
"No!"
Ross glanced around, noticing the nurses giggling and watching. He clammed up.
"Alright, come with me," Adam said, picking up on his hesitation. "I'll take you for an X-ray and set that bone."
Once they were alone, Adam nodded. "Okay, no one's here. Spill it."
"It's Ben!"
Ross double-checked their surroundings before whispering.
"Shocking, right?"
Adam wasn't surprised at all. "What prank did he pull this time to make you punch a wall? Did he Saran-wrap the toilet seat so you peed everywhere?
Swap your sugar for salt so you chugged salty coffee?
Draw on your face and stick a 'poop' sign on your back to embarrass you at school?
Or—wait—did he pick up some new mischief from his 'fun Aunt Rachel'?
If that's it, punching a wall makes total sense.
Leonard's told me—Rachel was a little terror growing up. Her tricks? You couldn't help but love and hate them!
Let's hope Emma doesn't take after her mom.
But Ben's a boy—no need to coddle him. If he's too wild, discipline him.
Just, you know, skip the violence…" 😏
"None of that!" Ross cut in. "I can handle those pranks. But watching Ben do his homework? Oh my God, I'm seriously wondering if he's even my kid. He's got none of my childhood brainiac vibes…"
"You weren't a brainiac," Adam said kindly. "And trust me, Ben's definitely yours—DNA doesn't lie!"
It clicked for Adam.
Back in his past life, watching kids struggle with homework was a universal parent meltdown trigger.
So many moms and dads lose it—hovering, stressing, too soft to yell at the kid, so they just stew in frustration.
Punching or kicking a wall? Standard move.
Crying in the bedroom or breaking down in public? Not even rare.
But unlike his old world—where parents might admit to wall-punching at the hospital, even if people laughed—in this TV-drama universe, you couldn't say that out loud.
Why? Child protection groups would swoop in.
You punched a wall over homework? That's "violent tendencies"!
If a nurse reported it, you'd be in for a nightmare—legal hoops, maybe even losing custody.
And Ross? He already had a rap sheet for "violent tendencies."
Back when he got canned from the prehistoric museum, he'd flipped out—yelling like a maniac after seeing his buddy Chandler making out with his sister Monica across the street.
The museum director walked in right then, saw it all, and never gave Ross a chance to prove he wasn't a loose cannon.
With that history, no wonder Ross was paranoid! 😬
"Adam, how do I deal with Ben?" Ross asked, wincing as Adam set his bone, his face full of gloom.
"You're a teacher! He's your kid—handle him however you want!"
Adam couldn't care less how Ben turned out. He shook his head. "If you ask me, this is on you. He's with his two moms, playing with Barbies all day. You freaked out he'd turn out 'soft,' so you shoved toy soldiers in his hands. Regretting it now?"
"…I'd rather he be this wild than still playing with Barbies!"
Ross's face went pitch-black—maybe from pain, maybe from rage.
"Your call. Just don't pull this again—it's a quick way to get in trouble," Adam said, brushing it off. "And if you ever try this with Emma, don't blame me for teaching you what a real wall-punch looks like."
"You think I'd dare?" Ross whined, practically tearing up. "You've said that, Rachel's said that, Dr. Green's said that—who can I even mess with? Is Emma even my daughter anymore?"
"Take that up with Leonard," Adam said with a laugh. "I bet he'd love to hash it out with you—see whose voice cracks first!"
Ross: "…"
(End of Chapter)