New Jersey.
Peggy's apartment.
Unlike last time, Adam didn't head back to New York until the wee hours of the morning, driving through the night.
When he finally got back to his apartment and turned on his phone, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Dozens of missed calls from Leonard.
Yup, you heard that right!
After calling Lisa to grab a late lunch or dinner, Adam had gone full tactical blackout—phone off. He was just a lowly intern right now, not some irreplaceable surgeon with emergencies begging for his magic hands. Even robots need a break, right?
Shutting off for a bit? No big deal.
Once he became a resident or attending physician, though, he'd never pull this again. That's when you're on call 24/7, ready to roll at a moment's notice.
"Leonard, what's going on?" Adam said, quickly dialing him back.
The call connected almost instantly. Clearly, Leonard was a nervous wreck, probably glued to his phone.
"Adam…" Leonard's voice came through, dripping with that choked-up, speechless vibe.
"What's wrong?" Adam pressed.
"I messed up so bad," Leonard whined, his tone a mix of regret and self-pity. "I thought if I painted you as some sleazy playboy, Dr. Plimpton wouldn't be into you. But… but…"
"What did you say?" Adam's mouth twitched.
Jerk!
Sure, he'd been a bit of a flirt back in the day, but sleazy? When had he ever sunk that low? A guy like him didn't even belong in the same sentence as "sleazy."
"Sorry," Leonard said, realizing he'd let the cat out of the bag. He dialed back the whining and apologized fast. "I just wanted to kill any chance she'd be into you. I mean, competing with you? I've got no shot."
"Hmph," Adam snorted.
"I screwed up," Leonard said, sounding genuinely down. "I shouldn't have done it. But the thing is, after I said all that, she somehow got more interested in you…"
"You idiot!" Adam groaned.
Wasn't it obvious?
"Bad boys get the girls" isn't exactly rocket science—even a nerd like Leonard should've known that. And Elizabeth Plimpton? She's a Fifty Shades-level cosplay legend. She was already curious about Adam, and hearing he's some "flirty sleaze" just poured fuel on the fire.
Adam could practically see it now:
"Doctor, do you make house calls?"
"Doctor, my chest hurts."
"Doctor, thanks for fixing me up, but I can't pay the bill. How about a special deal instead~?"
"…"
As Adam laid out the logic, Leonard sounded like he was about to cry. He'd totally outsmarted himself.
"…After you left, we talked for ages, but it was all about you. When I ran out of stuff to say, she asked for your number and took off."
"You gave it to her?" Adam asked, suddenly thinking about those other mystery missed calls.
"She asked! How could I say no?" Leonard mumbled awkwardly. "Adam, has she called you?"
"No clue," Adam snapped. "I just turned my phone on and saw you blowing it up with fifty calls."
"Sorry," Leonard said meekly. "Adam, what do we do now?"
"'We'? Oh, no, no, no, buddy! There's no 'we' here!" Adam cut him off. "This is all you! What are you gonna do?"
"But—" Leonard started, only to get shut down again.
"No buts," Adam said, exasperated. "I've done everything I could. I even let you trash-talk me without punching you in the face. And you still can't seal the deal? What else do you want—me to swoop in, charm Dr. Plimpton, break her heart, then shove you in there to pick up the pieces?"
Silence on the other end. Then Leonard let out a sheepish laugh. "Adam…"
Click. Adam hung up.
No need to say more. That one "Adam…" and the mental image of Leonard's "Hey, that could work, I'm cool with it" face said it all.
Sometimes, Adam really wanted to tell him, "Dude, you're such a creep~."
Leonard wasn't dumb, though. He didn't call back to bug Adam again.
Adam glanced at those few missed calls from the same unknown number. He was tempted to ignore them.
But what if he was overthinking it? If it wasn't Elizabeth Plimpton with some flirty "emergency," and someone else actually needed him, brushing it off wouldn't be smart.
Besides, as long as he kept his cool, he could just say no once and be done with it.
Elizabeth Plimpton was a genius scientist, a future quantum cosmology big shot. Even if she wasn't as hardcore as Peggy or Sheldon, she still poured most of her time into research. She wouldn't have that much free time to mess with him, right?
With that sorted in his head, Adam called the number back.
"Hello, this is Adam Duncan."
"Dr. Duncan! Hi, it's Elizabeth!" The phone rang a bit before she picked up, her voice bright and cheerful.
"Dr. Plimpton, something up?" Adam asked, playing dumb.
"Well, Dr. Duncan, I've got a little medical question I'd love to ask you in person. When are you free?"
Her soft, sweet tone sounded innocent enough, but to Adam, it felt… off.
"Can't we handle it over the phone?" he said, dodging.
"It's tricky to explain," she replied. "Is something making it inconvenient?"
"Yeah," Adam said with a nod. "I'm just an intern. I'm not licensed to do house calls. Don't you have a family doctor? They've got a full license and way more experience than me."
"I know," Elizabeth said, her voice still gentle. "But I believe someone ordinary could work their whole life and not match what a gifted genius can do in a day.
"Leonard told me all about you—how amazing you were in med school. Now that you're a real doctor, you must be even better. I bet you've got plenty of experience too.
"Plus, this is kind of personal. I'd rather it be handled by someone who's not just a doctor, but a friend. Dr. Duncan, could you be my friend?"
"…" Adam's mouth twitched.
Why did it feel like she was flirting hard?
But there was no proof.
And she wasn't wrong. With her own life as proof, a genius could outdo a regular person's lifetime of effort in a single day.
"Of course," Adam said, thinking of Leonard. He couldn't flat-out reject her friendliness, so he went for a sidestep. "If you really need help, you can come see me at the outpatient clinic at New York Medical Center."
"Really?" Elizabeth practically squealed. "I'll be there tomorrow!"
Adam: "…"
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