Hearing Juno say that, Adam let out a sigh of relief. 😌
Even though deep down he had a feeling Peggy probably wouldn't mind Heather's presence, he still tried his best to avoid ending up in a messy love triangle.
The last guy who was this confident—let's call him "Honest Bro"—ended up sailing straight to the afterlife.
"Alright, then it's settled," Juno said with a smile.
"Sounds good," Adam nodded. "I'll give the keys to Monica. You guys handle the big meal. I still want to work during the day and save a few more people."
"Got it," Juno agreed without hesitation.
After hanging up, Adam shook his head.
"Drunk on wine, I once whipped a famous horse; fearing too much love would burden a beauty."
Before, that line was just something he said to sound cool. Now, it felt like every word mirrored his true feelings.
Sigh.
Without the carefree, player mindset of guys like Barney or Ted, this was just too hard for him.
Three days flew by in a blink.
November 25th, noon, at the cafeteria.
"Adam, got any plans for tomorrow? If not, come spend Thanksgiving with us!" Liz invited. "It's just Meredith, George, Christina, and a few others. I'm making a big meal—join us!"
"Sorry," Adam shook his head. "I already made plans with some friends. They've started prepping and everything."
"I told you," Christina said, munching on her food and casually throwing shade. "Adam's girlfriends are all getting together. His Thanksgiving's gonna be lively enough. Does he really need to hang out with us?
Besides, we're interns. What Thanksgiving?
Wouldn't it be better to spend that time doing more surgeries?
I hear every Thanksgiving, there are always some unlucky folks…"
"Christina!" Liz glared at her. "You promised you'd come! It's already a small group—you can't bail!"
"I said I'd see how it goes," Christina shrugged. "What if there's a huge accident tomorrow, and we all have to come in for overtime?"
"Meredith!" Liz turned to her roommate for help.
"Alright, Christina," Meredith said, not too fussed either way. "Just join us tomorrow. We're interns, always busy, barely in touch with family or friends. On a day like this, if we don't hang out with our coworkers, we'll really turn into robots."
"That's you guys!" Christina laughed. "Look at Adam. He spends just as much time at the hospital as you, right? But he's still super close with his friends."
"I've lost touch with my family too," Adam waved it off. "My friends are nearby, sure, but I don't see them as much as before. If they weren't organizing something, I'd probably be like you guys this year—no one to celebrate with except coworkers.
And it's not just Thanksgiving. Christmas, New Year's—it's all the same.
This will probably go on for years, until I get my attending license. Then maybe it'll get better."
"See!" Christina exclaimed, impressed. "Now that's what a driven doctor should be doing! These are the years to learn and grow fast. Who cares about holidays?
If I could be a surgical robot, I'd probably die laughing!"
"…" Liz and the others were speechless.
They knew Christina wasn't joking—she really meant it.
"It's not about the number of people," Adam said with a smile. "You three, as roommates, are actually perfect for celebrating together. Thanksgiving isn't even that great of a holiday anyway. Christmas and New Year's are way more exciting."
"What do you mean?" Liz blinked, confused.
"How did Thanksgiving start?" Adam asked. "It's about giving thanks for a good harvest and for the help of Native Americans. But do you know how they helped Americans, so much so that Americans made a holiday to be thankful?"
"Uh, well…" Liz faltered.
She was educated, after all, and knew that history.
Back then, these things were unspoken scandals, swept under the rug.
Everyone just used it as an excuse for a holiday.
Now that Adam brought it up, it felt awkward.
"Looks like everyone knows," Adam said with a cold smile. "Thanksgiving, huh? Thanking Native Americans for offering their scalps, nearly being wiped out? I don't know if the person who created this holiday was some twisted anti-human freak! Shouldn't it be called Atonement Day instead?"
The room fell silent.
Liz lost all enthusiasm for inviting others to celebrate.
A lot of things seem nice on the surface, but peel it back, and it's all bloody truths.
Still, holidays are holidays.
Not for some nonsense gratitude, but just an excuse to hang out with loved ones.
Can't help it—everyone's off work that day.
The next morning, Chandler and Monica showed up.
"Thanks for helping out," Adam handed them the keys. "Juno and Karen will come by later. They'll help too."
"Don't worry," Monica took the keys confidently. "A Thanksgiving meal? I've got this."
"Karen's a great cook too. You guys can swap tips," Adam smiled. "Oh, is Phoebe coming tonight?"
"She is," Monica said with a grin. "Ross and Rachel wanted to come too, but Dr. Green dragged them away."
"Well, Emma's name is Emma Geller-Green, after all!" Adam teased. "Ross is the son-in-law. Of course he's gotta spend the holiday at his in-laws'."
After a few laughs, Adam left.
This busyness now was for a better life later.
First, a small goal:
Before turning 30 in five years, extend his lifespan to 50 years.
After that, with a 20-year buffer, as long as he could offset the yearly drain—saving someone every three or four days—it'd be no pressure for a well-known attending.
By then, Adam wouldn't have to worry about dying young. He could finally enjoy life freely.
At the medical center, since it was Thanksgiving, there were almost no scheduled patients.
Unless someone was so sick they couldn't wait a day, everyone was celebrating.
The hospital, aside from a few essential staff, was mostly empty, everyone off to reunite with family.
It felt a bit desolate.
Adam did a round in surgery, then headed straight to the ER.
Today's lifespan gains depended entirely on the ER.
But to his disappointment, the ER was practically empty too.
"Damn it," Adam muttered under his breath.
The staff on duty were gathered together, decorating the hospital for some holiday vibe or just messing around.
Someone was belting out songs at the nurse's station, switching between rap and group singing.
There were even nurses roller-skating down the halls, a few "accidentally" crashing into Adam.
After the third time he steadied a blushing nurse, Adam was thinking maybe he should just go back and hang out with Juno and Peggy when the ER doors swung open.
An elderly cop walked in, escorting a woman with blood all over her head.
Adam's eyes lit up at first, but then he recognized her, his heart tightening as he hurried over.