Medical Center
Observation OR
"Oh, great!" Cristina rolled her eyes with a sarcastic little huff. 😒
"Adam, you're done with the surgery already?" Dr. Shepter, the lead surgeon, glanced at the clock in surprise.
"Yup," Adam replied, stepping over to the second assist spot with a modest smile.
Little Melendez and Carter, along with Cristina's nameless crew—#1, #2, #3, and #4—lined up on the sidelines, craning their necks to watch.
Yup, you heard that right! Cristina's four interns didn't even get names. Too lazy to bother, she just slapped numbers on them and called it a day.
Adam had a sneaking suspicion she'd swiped the idea from Dr. House next door. That guy loved nicknaming his team—sometimes with numbers too. And Cristina, being the authority junkie she was, probably thought, "Hey, if it works for him…"
Straight to the point. Efficient.
Insulting? Oh, totally. But #1 through #4 weren't exactly the type to push back. With a boss as icy as Cristina, they just memorized their digits and rolled with it.
Plus, landing an internship gig like this—witnessing a super rare surgery while others were stuck outside doing grunt work—was a golden ticket! They could overlook the number thing for a chance to "participate" in the OR with their boss. What a win! 😎
Well… it would've been perfect if Melendez and Carter hadn't barged in. Especially when they heard those two had just finished one killer surgery and were now hopping over for round two. Suddenly, #1–#4's thrill took a nosedive into awkward-town.
Ugh. Comparing yourself to others? Instant mood killer. 😑
"How's the climber's injury?" Dr. Shepter asked casually mid-surgery. "Any tears after pulling out the axe?"
"Nope," Adam said with a grin. "The wound's clean and crazy deep."
"Figures," Dr. Shepter said, flicking his eyes up to meet Adam's.
Adam nodded back.
"Man, those three guys really went for it, huh?" Cristina piped up, clearly shocked.
The climbers' story? Yeah, it was amateur hour—full of holes. Anyone who heard it and thought for two seconds could spot the issues.
Medically speaking, if their tale about an axe accidentally dropping and hitting their buddy's head were true, the wound would've been shallow with jagged tears. But one look during surgery told the real story.
The three surgeons chatted away while everyone else just held their breath and watched.
"Alright, here's the big moment," Dr. Shepter said, taking a deep breath as he looked at Adam and Cristina. "I'm starting the fusion…"
"He's moving!" Adam suddenly jumped in, pinning the patient's body down. "Anesthesia's too light!"
"Anesthesiologist!" Dr. Shepter barked, trusting Adam's call even without seeing movement himself. "He cannot move right now!"
"Melendez, Carter—each of you grab a leg!" Adam ordered, holding the patient's torso and neck steady to lock down the surgical field. "Cristina, talk to him—tell him to hold still!"
Little Melendez darted over first, pinning both legs until Carter caught up and took one. Together, they held tight.
"You can't move, got it?!" Cristina snapped into action at Adam's shout. She braced her hands on the patient's shoulders, helping Adam keep him steady, then crouched down to yell at the facedown patient's ear.
"This isn't optional! If you move, everything goes south! You can't abandon the people you love—they need you, their husband, their dad—not just memories of how much you loved them! So don't you dare move!"
Adam could feel the patient's struggling ease up.
The anesthesiologist swooped in, topping up the dose fast. Most folks couldn't tell if it was the drugs kicking in or Cristina's words holding back the patient's instincts.
But Adam knew. Cristina's pep talk worked.
All that mushy "power of love" stuff? Not just fluff—it's real! 💖
"Phew!" Dr. Shepter exhaled as the patient slipped back under. "Thanks, Adam, you saved us there."
A severed spine and posterior skull, still alive? That's already a medical miracle. He couldn't even imagine the patient pulling through if they'd thrashed around at this critical point.
Miracles are miracles because they don't happen twice.
Only Adam could've caught that in time and handled it like a pro. If Adam hadn't been tied up with another urgent surgery earlier—and this one couldn't wait—Dr. Shepter would've insisted on having him for this one too.
Everyone at the medical center knew by now: big surgeries with Adam assisting? Success rate through the roof!
Too bad there weren't multiple high-stakes cases needing help right now, or Dr. Shepter could already picture the staff fighting over "Team Duncan" privileges.
Emmm… Regular surgeries? No one dared ask Adam to assist anymore. He was on par with senior residents like Dr. Bailey—running his own shows.
Meredith and the newer residents still had to trail attendings for scraps of OR time. But Bailey? She'd stroll up to the surgery board, spot something she hadn't done or something juicy, slap her name on it, and boom—she's in.
Adam? Next level. He didn't even need to pre-book. He just showed up.
"No biggie," Adam said with a smile, then teased Cristina as she stood back up. "Gotta thank Cristina's heartfelt pep talk too—the patient listened and fought his instincts!"
"Nice work, Yang!" Dr. Shepter added, not shy about praising his ex's bestie.
He and Meredith weren't officially back together, but the flirty glances around the hospital? Oh, they were plenty. Reconciliation was basically a done deal. Gotta keep the girlfriend's BFF in your corner, right? 😉
"I'm not Izzie…" Cristina grumbled, bristling at Adam's "heartfelt" jab. "You sure it wasn't just the anesthesia?"
"Trust me, your words hit before the drugs did," Adam said with a grin. "Looks like Dr. Yang's not as cold as she pretends!"
"I'm not cold," Cristina shot back with a smirk. "If every patient were as rare as this magic zombie, I'd love 'em all."
"…"
The room went quiet. #1–#4 shrank back, suddenly rethinking their boss's version of "love."
Yeah, no thanks—they couldn't handle that kind of affection! 😅
Adam just chuckled without a word.
Cristina? Cold as ice, sure. But this time, it wasn't just about the patient being a "magic zombie." Something about this case—or maybe the patient's family—had actually gotten under her skin.
(End of Chapter)