Medical Center. Morning. Emergency Room.
"What's going on?"
Adam looked up as a man struggled to drag an elderly guy through the doors and immediately rushed over to help.
"He was at my restaurant," the man explained quickly. "Just finished brunch, then boom—he collapsed, shaking all over, eyes rolling back. Looked like a seizure or something."
Adam scooped the old man onto a stretcher, checking him over while asking, "You're the restaurant manager?"
"Yup."
The manager fished a business card out of his pocket and shoved it at Adam. "If he's okay, give me a call. I hate to admit it, but he scarfed down a $35 champagne steak brunch and didn't pay a dime."
"Something's off—this isn't a seizure. Nurse, scalpel!"
Adam had already pieced it together. He shot the manager a knowing glance and shouted the order.
"Yes, Dr. Duncan!"
The nurse caught on quick and played along, darting off to grab it.
The "unconscious" old man on the stretcher freaked out, cracking one eye open to peek.
"Son of a bitch!"
The manager saw it too and instantly realized the guy was faking to skip the bill. Furious, he lunged forward, teeth practically grinding.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"
The old man rolled off the stretcher like a ninja, dodging the manager's fist with a goofy grin. "It's just a meal, man, chill out! 😅"
"You old jerk!" the manager roared. "Not only do you stiff me, but you waste my time and energy? I'm not letting this slide!"
On the way over, he'd been genuinely worried—about the restaurant's rep, about whether the food was bad.
"Go ahead, call the cops then!"
The old guy shrugged it off, then glared at Adam. "You little punk, how dare you trick me!"
He'd pulled this stunt a million times—never once had a doctor or nurse seen through it right away, let alone called him out.
"Security!"
Adam wasn't in the mood to argue with this clown and just yelled for backup.
The old guy spotted hospital security heading his way and bolted. If he wasn't scared of cops, he wouldn't have faked a seizure in the first place. Jail food in this TV drama world isn't exactly gourmet. 😬
The hallway was packed with patients, and the old guy started dodging around, grabbing at people and stuff. Adam darted forward, snagged him, hoisted him up, and handed him off to security.
"Tell the cops he's disrupting hospital order," Adam said to the guard, eyeing the guy's shameless 'I've got nothing to lose' attitude.
"Got it, Dr. Duncan."
The security guy knew Adam well and caught his drift.
"What's that supposed to mean? You trying to get back at me?!"
The old guy panicked. He was sharp enough to hear the hint in Adam's words—cops were gonna throw the book at him. And judging by how security treated Adam, this wasn't just some random doc.
Two guards grabbed him, one on each side, and hauled him off. Dr. Duncan had nabbed the guy and handed him over—if they couldn't handle it from there, what kind of security were they?
"What a freaking jerk!" the nurse spat, glaring after him.
Adam just sighed and shook his head.
People like this? Total waste of medical resources.
But the kicker is, even when doctors know it's fake, they usually have to play along. Nobody wants the hassle. These barefoot, shameless types—once they latch onto you, they're like a bad rash. Gross and annoying as hell.
It's like those silver-tongued junkies who show up demanding painkillers. Docs know what's up, but they still have to give the shot. The pain's real, and if you don't, they'll sue.
Across the U.S., with so many addicts pulling this crap, hospitals get drained dry. One small scam shows you the bigger picture. No wonder this huge empire ends up crippled by a bloated healthcare mess down the line.
"Dr. Duncan, it's ten—seminar time," the nurse called over.
"Thanks, Daisy."
Adam glanced at his watch, gave her a nod, and headed to the seminar room.
Being a doctor means never stopping learning. Big hospitals like this run classes all the time—new tech, new tools—to keep docs sharp.
"You're late!"
Christina, predictably, was already there. She lived for this stuff.
"Ran into a deadbeat…" Adam gave her the quick rundown.
"Why even bother with that? Just pretend you didn't notice," she said casually, then her eyes lit up. "Whoa, check it out—the chief's here too!"
"Chief."
"Dr. Duncan."
"Chief."
"Dr. Yang."
Adam and Christina greeted Surgical Chief Richard.
"You two are hands-down the best interns we've got," Richard said with a grin. "Forget talent—it's that drive to learn that every intern should copy."
"You're here for the class too, Chief?" Christina asked, spotting him pull out a notebook.
"It's a great refresher course. Should be fun," Richard chuckled.
Adam nudged Christina under the table with a subtle look.
"Today, we're diving into laparoscopic surgery—every trick in the book, starting with basic tool handling…"
The instructor kicked things off, then moved to hands-on. "Who wants to go first?"
Before he could finish, Christina's hand shot up like a rocket.
"Alright, Dr. Yang, you're up!"
The instructor pointed at her, all smiles, and waved her forward.
"Nice work, Dr. Yang!"
Christina nailed it, earning a thumbs-up from the instructor.
"Chief, watch your grip—loosen up a bit," the instructor coached, stepping behind Richard.
Adam peeked over and caught the chief's smile starting to stiffen. He smirked and shook his head.
Christina, glued to the practice screen, maneuvered the laparoscopic tools, clipping a marble and sliding it into a tiny slot with precision.
"Done! I'm the first!" she cheered, dropping the tools and throwing her hands up like she'd won the lottery. 😎
The chief's frozen smile cracked—he went full grumpy cat, lips tight, staring at the screen as he kept at it.
"Dr. Yang, you're not the first," the instructor cut in. "Dr. Duncan finished first. He's just been quietly practicing over and over to get it down pat."
"What?!"
Christina froze, then bolted over to Adam's station. Sure enough, he was running through it again and again—fast, flawless, way beyond her level.
"Speed and precision aren't everything," Adam said coolly. "Basics are what matter. Stop gawking and practice—get it into your muscle memory."
Christina's high from beating the chief crashed hard. Deflated, she trudged back to her station to grind it out.
Lunchtime. Cafeteria.
Adam and Christina were grabbing food when George and Meredith started chatting about Liz. Then Surgical Chief Richard plopped down at their table.
Instant silence. Awkward city. 😬
"Dr. Yang, Dr. Duncan, you two made me look bad this morning," Richard said with a tight smile. "My hands are a little rusty lately."
"Nah," Adam laughed. "Your basics are rock-solid, Chief—that's what counts in surgery."
"Exactly!" Richard pointed at Adam, grinning at the group. "Dr. Duncan's got it—basics are king."
Everyone just stared, like employees scared to talk around the boss. Richard coughed, clearly uncomfortable, and bailed with his tray. "See you this afternoon!"
"Heh, I did make him look bad!" Christina cackled once he was gone, her morning victory vibes rushing back.
"Keep it low-key," Adam warned. "You embarrassed him in front of everyone—watch out, he might start gunning for you."
"I'm just stating facts—wasn't I faster?" she shot back. "And you're just as bad. Wanna go again this afternoon?"
"Nope, I'm skipping it," Adam said, shaking his head.
"What? Why?" Christina yelped. "You're not seriously bailing to spare his feelings, are you? We're doctors—beating the chief with skill is something to brag about!"
"Nah," Adam said with a smug little smile. "I just don't need to go anymore."
Christina: "…"
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