Dockside – Rescue Scene
Adam juggled saving lives while barking instructions over the phone to Christina, guiding her team to rescue a trapped hero. Mid-sentence, he shot Karen a quick look.
Karen nodded knowingly and slipped away from the scene.
Who to save first, who to save later—it's both a privilege and a burden. Adam couldn't afford to look like he was playing God with people's lives. In his mind, Rick—the hero who'd bravely saved over a dozen trapped passengers—was top priority. And yeah, he had the clout to sway the rescue team's choices. But saying it out loud? That'd stir up a mess he didn't need.
Here's the thing: aside from Rick, everyone thinks they're the top priority. If word got out later, some folks might conveniently forget who saved countless lives. All they'd remember is that Adam's one word might've delayed their loved one's rescue. And if Billionaire Adam didn't cough up enough "sincerity," they'd never forgive him on behalf of their dearly departed in heaven.
Karen's quiet nudge to the team would do the trick—no fuss, no fallout. As long as Adam didn't announce it publicly, there'd be no drama. After all, the rescue squad's pros at deciding who goes first.
Hmmm… Trust the science! Trust the system!
"Alright, that's it for now," Adam said, cutting off the call. Then he spotted a drenched figure and added, "Oh, Christina—watch yourself out there! Meredith just got shoved into the water by a patient in agony. She didn't even see it coming."
"Got it," Christina replied casually, brushing it off.
She didn't even ask if her bestie Meredith was okay. Why? One, if Adam mentioned it like that, Meredith was fine. Two, it was just a dip in the water—Meredith's a pro swimmer. No biggie, right?
Fresh from handing off a critical patient, Meredith—now in dry clothes but with soaking wet hair—caught the exchange. Her lips twitched as she met Adam's gaze, her face screaming awkwardness. 😳
Yup! She could swim. And not just swim—she was a freaking queen at it. You could tell from her usual vibe: beach bikinis, cutting through waves like a pro. Call her the Queen of the Sea, and it wouldn't be an overstatement. Unless she wanted to drown, no amount of water—five lakes, four seas, whatever—could take her down.
Okay, maybe that's a tad dramatic. But the dockside sea? Psh, no chance.
Rewind to when she fell: it was sudden, and yeah, she was dazed at first. Then, once she snapped out of it, her brain short-circuited. She stopped swimming, letting herself sink, lost in a wild daydream. She thought about her mom's harshness growing up and how Mr. Dreamy (Dr. Shepherd) had been distant lately. For a split second, she wondered what they'd feel if she just… vanished.
But she's no diver, and she didn't have weights strapped on. Even ditching her sea-queen skills and sinking motionless, her body's natural buoyancy kicked in. She hovered underwater, the chaos of the rescue scene muffled by the sea. It was oddly peaceful—she liked it. A faint smile crept onto her face as she imagined her mom and Mr. Dreamy wracked with regret over her "disappearance."
Then her lungs started burning. Breathing got tough. As a doctor, she knew all too well how brutal suffocation could be. With a jolt, she snapped out of it, flailed her arms, and shot upward. A few strokes later, her head broke the surface, and she sucked in air.
A little daydream was fun, but her life wasn't that bad. She wasn't about to trade it for the horror show of drowning.
Ever since Adam started hosting those legendary late-night sessions with Alice Grey, Meredith had tagged along often. Her rocky bond with her mom was actually improving. Made sense—her medical talent was legit. With a cheat-code colleague like Adam leading the way and a fierce bestie like Christina dragging her along, her skills were closing in on her mom's prime, even without Alice's obsessive drive.
Alice Grey only went full legend mode after her messy breakup with Chief Richard, diving headfirst into medicine. Meredith? Her mom still nitpicked, but the cold edge was gone—replaced by tough love and high hopes. It was obvious to everyone, including Meredith. This was one of the rosy futures Adam painted when he convinced her to let Alice stay at the medical center. And it was coming true, step by step.
Sure, she needed a hormonal reset every couple of days, but no one had to twist her arm—she never missed Alice's sessions.
As for Mr. Dreamy pulling away? Please. Aside from her mom's lingering childhood baggage, which could spark a rare bout of despair, no other relationship could shake her that hard. Dreamy was great, sure—a 100% drunken bar hookup that lost its pants. She'd miss him a bit, but despair? Nah. Her mom was irreplaceable. Dreamy? There was Finn, George, and a whole bar scene of possibilities.
So, after her little fantasy, Meredith surfaced effortlessly, swam to the dock ladder, and climbed up—wet hair flipping, strutting like a catwalk queen. Some random male rescuer caught a glimpse and nearly botched his job from the distraction.
Dr. Bailey saw it too and was pissed. "Meredith! This isn't a fashion show—change and get back to work!" she snapped.
Meredith snapped out of her vibe, back to reality, and sheepishly followed orders. She swapped clothes in the ambulance, wiped down her dripping hair, and dove back into saving lives.
All that inner drama? Pure self-indulgence—she couldn't tell a soul. And Christina's total non-reaction just confirmed it. She wasn't the star here. Adam was—the guy everyone rallied around, directing the team, pulling off miracle after miracle, shining bright.
She got it now. No amount of side-character overacting could outshine him. Time to stick to her day job and do it well.
(End of Chapter)