Medical Center.
After lunch.
Adam headed to Dr. Shephard's office.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Dr. Shephard?"
Knock, knock, knock.
"Dr. Shephard?"
Knock, knock, knock.
"Dr. Shephard?"
Adam used Sheldon's classic knocking method—three quick taps on the door. Turns out, there's a reason Sheldon does it that way, and it's not just quirks! 😅 Adam's hearing, though? Way beyond normal.
"Come in!"
After the third knock, Dr. Shephard's voice finally came from inside the office.
"Oh, Rose is here too, huh?"
Adam pretended not to notice anything odd, nodding casually at the big-eyed nurse Rose before turning to Dr. Shephard with a chill vibe. "Hey, Dr. Shephard, you free tomorrow night?"
"You guys chat."
Rose smoothed out her nurse uniform, flashed an awkward little smile 😬, and slipped out of the office.
"Take a seat!"
Dr. Shephard instinctively touched his hair—yep, still perfect—before gesturing warmly. "Is this about Mr. Robinson's surgery?"
"Nah, I'll stand."
Adam glanced at the couch, gave a small smile 😏, and said, "I've got to invite some other experts in a bit. I was hoping we could all get together tomorrow night to brainstorm. You in, Dr. Shephard?"
He didn't have a germ phobia or anything.
But, like Sheldon, he wasn't about to sit on a couch that was clearly contaminated.
Still, Adam's too polite to be blunt about it—unlike Sheldon, who'd probably announce to the world he's not sitting on a sofa "defiled by his mom and some random dude." 😂
"Of course!"
Dr. Shephard didn't hesitate. He knew this was Adam's big project and was all in to help however he could.
"Need me to make some calls?"
"I'll handle it first," Adam said with a grin. "If I can't convince someone, I'll call in the big guns—you, Dr. Shephard."
"Hah, I doubt you'll need me then," Dr. Shephard chuckled. "I almost forgot—Adam, with your rep these days, anyone you invite is gonna show up just to save face!"
"Fingers crossed!"
Adam gave a modest smile 😊. "So, it's settled then. Unless you've got a hot date tomorrow night, we can push it back if needed."
"No need," Dr. Shephard laughed. "This is huge. I'm free whenever—just work around everyone else's schedules. If anything changes, just give me a heads-up."
"Thanks, man."
Adam thanked him, chatted a bit more, and then left.
Their bond? Pretty much life-and-death level stuff—well, mostly one-sided, but still. No need for over-the-top formalities anymore.
Back in his office, Adam started dialing up top experts in oncology, immunology, virology—you name it.
Knock, knock, knock.
But before he could get through a few calls, someone knocked on his door.
"Adam, I heard you're rounding up folks tomorrow night to talk surgery. I want in!"
No surprise there—Christina caught wind of it and was the first to barge in. "I'll even fetch tea or water, whatever you need!"
"Alright, fine," Adam said. She's his friend, and he's not about to squash her ambition. "You can help set things up. We've got top-tier experts coming from all fields—don't mess it up."
"No worries, I'm not Meredith!"
Christina got hyped and immediately threw her bestie under the bus. 😂
"Oh, come on," Adam groaned. "Speaking of that, you're less reliable than Meredith in a setting like this. Forget it—you're off prep duty. Just stand there quietly and listen tomorrow, got it?"
Emmm.
Meredith's the type to get drunk and drop her pants 100% of the time.
Christina? Total authority junkie.
In a room full of big-shot doctors tomorrow night, Christina's fangirling might actually make her less dependable than Meredith. Who'd have thought? 😅
"Deal!"
Christina got what she wanted and was already buzzing about tomorrow's VIP lineup. She didn't even care about Adam's jab—practically skipped out the door.
She'd barely left when someone else popped in.
"Alright, all four of you can come," Adam said, spotting George peeking in.
"Yeah!"
Cheers erupted from Carter and Lexie in the distance. 🎉
"Adam, you're putting together an expert meeting?"
Not long after, Richard, the Chief of Surgery, swung by. "Why not host it under the hospital's name? I can have people help you set it up."
"Thanks, but nah," Adam said, shaking his head after a quick thank-you. "Next time, maybe. This one's just a small, private get-together under my name. I want everyone to speak freely. If we make it a hospital thing, too many people show up, and folks start holding back. That'd defeat the point. Don't worry, Chief—any big updates, I'll share at the monthly hospital seminar."
"Fair enough," Richard nodded after a moment's thought. "Chances like this are rare for a teaching hospital."
"I know. We'll do it again sometime," Adam said with a smile. "Chief, you free tomorrow night?"
"Absolutely."
Richard perked up, flashing a big, bright grin. 😊
Clearly, he was thrilled about the invite.
At first, he'd been all business, talking as the Chief of Surgery.
Now? He was just a general surgeon itching to join in.
Sure, he's a big deal in his field, but since Adam's focus wasn't general surgery, skipping him would've made sense.
So, to him, this invite was like Schrödinger's cat—up in the air until now.
No Richard at tomorrow's big-shot gathering? That'd sting.
But now that it's settled, he's over the moon!
"Damn it," Adam muttered to himself, watching Richard strut off.
This was supposed to be a small, tight-knit discussion.
Now? It's ballooning out of control.
Not exactly great news.
For a groundbreaking surgery like this, the best setup is a handful of top experts from key fields, sparking wild ideas off their expertise.
That's how you get those brilliant breakthroughs.
But with the crowd growing, if it turns into some massive conference, the big names will play it safe.
No one wants to risk saying something dumb and getting laughed at—not when you're already a legend. That's a no-go for them.
Still, what's done is done. Adam's stuck riding this tiger now.
Worst case, he'll let it play out—everyone eats, drinks, chats, and leaves. Then, he'll pull aside the real experts he wanted, and they'll have a proper mini-meeting after.
With that in mind, Adam shook off the clutter in his head and flipped open his mental Rolodex of top docs, making the next call.
"Hello, Dr. Gregory House? This is Dr. Adam Duncan…"
(End of Chapter)