Medical Center. Self-Service Cafeteria.
"Liz isn't sick—she's just dumb!"
George, being the loyal bestie, wasn't thrilled with Adam's take.
"Alright, fine," Adam said, not bothering to argue. He grinned. "Let's call it dumb, then. Maybe this is just the start of her dumb phase. Trust me, there's probably worse to come."
"No way, really?" George said, wide-eyed.
"I studied psychology," Adam reminded her. "I've seen cases like this before. One of them was a lot like Liz right now—another female doctor. Guess what she ended up doing?"
"What'd she do?"
Meredith's attention snapped back from daydreaming about her magical weekend with Mr. Dreamy last Sunday.
"She married a cancer patient so he wouldn't die alone," Adam said, cutting straight to the punchline.
"What?!"
George and Meredith blurted it out at the same time, jaws dropping.
Everyone was floored.
If the female doctor had just dated the cancer patient to give him some happy final memories, they could wrap their heads around that.
After all, offering some physical comfort? Not a big deal around here.
But marriage? To Americans, that's still kind of a sacred thing.
How do you mix up caring for a patient with the kind of love that comes with marriage?
Imagine being a bride, only to face your husband's death right after the wedding. How brutal would that be for her?
For the rest of her life, it'd feel like a piece of her heart was carved out, quietly aching.
"She went way overboard," Meredith said, frowning.
"Liz wouldn't do that, right?" George asked, suddenly worried.
"I hope not," Meredith replied, her expression shifting.
Then it hit her—Liz's situation might actually be worse than that doctor's. Alex had only been castrated, not diagnosed with cancer. He wasn't dying anytime soon. If Liz pulled the same move as that doctor, she'd be signing up for a lifetime of misery.
That was terrifying to think about.
"You think that's the end of the story?" Adam said, smirking at them.
"What happened next?" George and Meredith asked in unison again, leaning in.
"The first part's a fairy tale. The second part? That's reality," Adam said with a sigh. "After they got married, the bride-doctor, now a wife, sparked her dying husband's will to live. He started cooperating with her treatment plans. She poured her heart into saving him, and luckily, his best friend was there by her side, helping her through it…"
At that point, George and Meredith's faces twisted into something weird.
They didn't need him to finish—they could guess where this was going.
A friend's wife, off limits?
Sorry, not here!
This is America—follow your heart, do what you want. That's freedom, baby.
"They fell in love?" Meredith asked, her expression a mix of curiosity and unease.
"Dunno," Adam said, shaking his head. "In the case study, the bride-doctor said she fell for the best friend and felt like they were in love. But I put two question marks next to that."
"Two question marks?" Meredith tilted her head, confused.
Sure, the best friend might've just been caught up in hormones—whether he actually loved her was questionable, so one question mark made sense. But what was the second one for?
"I don't think the bride-doctor really loved him either," Adam said with a chuckle. "Just like I don't think she loved her husband. If it's all 'love,' doesn't it feel like love comes way too fast and leaves just as quick? Makes it seem kinda cheap, right? I'd bet she didn't even know what love is—just got swept up in a moment of emotion and impulse and called it love."
He was reminded of that line from How I Met Your Mother. Robin once said: "I'm like this all the time—one minute we're head over heels, the next minute, he's dead to me."
Ted, her boyfriend at the time, heard that and felt his heart sink. He just stared at her, stunned, while she kept calling him "honey" and insisting he was the exception. He forced a smile and nodded along—but deep down? Yeah, right.
"So how'd it end?" George, being the guy, couldn't help but think of the real leading man in this messy love triangle. "What about her husband?"
"He died," Adam said with a sigh.
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"The bride-doctor was so 'emotional' she sucked at hiding her feelings for the new guy. I mean, she didn't exactly take her time before impulsively marrying a cancer patient, right? Her husband probably figured out she was 'in love' with his best friend before he died. Makes you wonder—if he had a do-over, would he still choose this ending, or would he rather die alone?"
George went quiet.
Meredith, though, piped up. "I think he'd pick this ending. At least in his final days, he had some happiness—even if it ended badly. It's still better than dying alone. Maybe he even blessed them in the end."
Adam's lips twitched into a half-smile.
In some cultures—like back in the East—falling "in love" and then betraying someone before they die? That's straight-up revenge. Think Empresses in the Palace or The Moon Embracing the Sun. Emperors like Yongzheng or kings like Qin nearly died with their eyes wide open in shock.
Of course, you could also argue they "blessed" the couple, wanting to see them happy together in their final romantic moment…
"The doctor lived with guilt ever after," Adam said flatly, sticking to the facts.
Meredith fell silent.
What was there to argue? Why the guilt? The answer was obvious.
Her husband didn't exactly pass away with a smile on his face.
That's a normal guy's reaction, honestly.
"Now that you've said all this, I'm even more worried about Liz," George said, his voice heavy with concern.
Reality was brutal.
He didn't want Liz going down the same road as that doctor.
"Adam, what should we do to help her?"
"Nope, nope, nope," Adam said, shaking his head. "Don't drag me into this. Stuff like this is always a thankless job—I'm not touching it. My advice? You shouldn't get too involved either. Give her a heads-up and leave it at that. Like you said, Liz is just dumb, not sick."
"…"
George looked a little embarrassed.
He'd only been trying to stick up for his bestie earlier, but now? Adam was totally right.
His bestie wasn't just dumb—she was sick. Like, needs-treatment sick!
Adam finished his food and bolted.
Dr. Burke trusted him to look after his friend, and he wasn't about to let that trust—or that favor—go to waste.
Having a chief physician in your corner opens a lot of doors.
No way was he wasting time trying to talk sense into Liz, who was probably too far gone already.
He didn't even need to see her to know how she'd react—likely going on about how she was doing something noble, how it was her freedom and her belief, and how anyone trying to stop her was either infringing on her rights or discriminating against Alex.
On his way back to the ward, a thought hit him.
It was already noon—where the heck was Elizabeth?