Emergency Room.
"Wow, Adam, you really look like a doctor now."
Joey pointed both fingers at Adam, winking playfully, as a new mother followed a nurse to get her baby vaccinated.
"I am a doctor."
Adam responded, speechless.
"Before, it was just a title. Now, you actually look the part."
Joey chuckled.
"What's going on with you? That woman just had a baby, and you're already hitting on her?"
Adam teased.
"I wasn't planning on it!"
Joey defended himself. "At first, I just thought she was gorgeous and had a great figure, so I went over to chat. Who knew she was a single mom? By the time I realized it, there was no backing out…"
"No backing out? Really?"
Adam gave him a skeptical look.
"This time, it's not like I didn't want to back out."
Joey looked aggrieved. "The thing is, she locked me in! I never expected a single mom to be this persistent. I guess being single for too long really makes you resourceful."
"…"
Adam couldn't help but feel a little offended and rolled his eyes. "Are you sure she's actually single? You don't want the baby's Marine dad showing up out of nowhere and putting a bullet in you."
"That… shouldn't happen, right?"
Joey suddenly looked nervous. "She said she was single. But we did just meet tonight…"
"Better start praying."
Adam patted Joey's shoulder.
Joey pulled a worried face.
Situations like this weren't uncommon—in fact, they happened a lot.
Long-distance relationships were already unreliable in the U.S., let alone when one partner was a Marine frequently deployed overseas and hard to reach.
While they were out causing trouble abroad, their families often had their own problems back home.
Guys like Joey—charming playboys—were often the biggest threat to these relationships, essentially acting as… weed removers.
Why is it that in Western culture, love and relationships are seen as separate?
Because of the sheer number of one-night stands.
If love and relationships were treated the same way, the divorce rate would skyrocket, possibly even dismantling the very concept of family and causing social instability.
"As long as I love you, but I momentarily lost control because of hormones and made a mistake that anyone could make, you should forgive me."
When society collectively accepts this idea, marriage counseling and therapists can then step in to say things like, "This kind of thing happens all the time. If you want a successful marriage, you need to be a little more open-minded."
Only then can divorce rates be kept under control, and people can continue to believe in family values.
"Enough of that gloomy face. I've got some good news for you."
Adam, feeling refreshed after scaring Joey a little, changed the subject.
"What good news?"
Joey looked at Adam curiously.
"Barney is in the hospital."
Adam smirked. "Isn't that great news?"
"Barney Stinson is in the hospital?"
Joey's eyes lit up. "Why? Did he get sick? Which room is he in?"
Adam quickly filled him in.
"I have to see this."
Joey couldn't contain his excitement and bolted off.
Adam chuckled.
The bet with Barney was supposed to last two months, which was way too long. Letting Joey go and mock him for a bit was like collecting some early interest.
No wonder so many brilliant minds are also incredibly sarcastic—mocking people really is satisfying.
"Dr. Drake Ramoray?"
"You're Dr. Drake Ramoray from Days of Our Lives?"
"It's me!"
Before Joey even reached Barney's room, someone recognized him.
Apparently, plenty of hospital staff were fans of the show.
There was even a time when a beautiful woman, completely obsessed with Joey's character, chased after him.
Joey initially turned her down, but when he saw how stunning she was, he assumed she just wanted to roleplay. Since he had nothing to lose, he played along.
Turned out, she had serious mental health issues. She scared him so badly that he swore never to use his on-screen doctor persona to pick up women again.
Now, getting recognized at the hospital gave Joey a massive ego boost. Smirking, he mimicked Dr. Drake Ramoray's mannerisms and responded to everyone's greetings in character.
"Adam, lend me a white coat."
Joey, fully in the zone, momentarily forgot about visiting Barney. He just had to embrace his role as Dr. Drake Ramoray again.
"Nope."
Adam shook his head firmly.
No way was he indulging Joey's antics.
Joey's acting skills aside, his passion for fully immersing himself in a role was intense—almost on par with the greats.
Adam had no doubt that if Joey got too into it, he'd probably stick around the hospital for days, just to get his fix.
And in a real hospital, if Joey overacted and caused any trouble, it could turn into a huge problem.
"Buzzkill."
Seeing Adam's firm refusal, Joey had no choice but to give up on the idea. Instead, he ran off to Barney's room to roast him.
"Adam, thank you!"
As Adam walked down the hall, he ran into Liz, who beamed at him with excitement.
"You saved the nerve?"
Adam asked, surprised.
"Yeah."
Liz nodded enthusiastically. "I rushed to the OR and stopped Dr. Victor. I told him that Dr. Bailey taught us to always respect the patient's wishes, and this patient wanted to keep their heart function intact."
"And Victor actually listened?"
Adam gave her a skeptical look.
A surgical intern directly challenging an attending? Even if Liz wasn't part of Victor's team, that was bold.
"If you had that much courage, why did you need me to step in before?"
"He told Dr. Bailey to kick me out, but she said she couldn't, because, and I quote, 'these kids are just too damn stubborn nowadays.'"
Liz grinned, looking way too pleased with herself.
"You do realize he's going to complain to the surgical chief about you guys, right?"
Adam reminded her.
"I know."
Liz shrugged, still grinning. "But I don't care. We did the right thing."
"Great. That patient is never going to forget you."
Adam deadpanned.
Instead of feeling insulted, Liz's smile grew even brighter.
"…"
Adam was speechless.
"Oh, by the way, I'm hosting a party at my place tomorrow night. It's just a casual get-together for us doctors. You in?"
Liz invited.
"A doctors' party, huh?"
Adam thought for a moment and nodded. "As long as nothing urgent comes up, I'll be there."
What's networking?
This is networking.
Modern medicine isn't about lone wolves playing the hero.
No matter how skilled a doctor is, they can't master every medical specialty. When complex cases arise, cross-departmental collaboration is a must.
Having the right connections in every department makes things far more efficient than just following standard procedures.
And in medicine, efficiency is life.
"Awesome!"
Liz cheered.
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