Medical Center
Adam was escorting Chairman Larry for a checkup.
The group of attending doctors had already scattered—not because they'd given up on helping the chairman to snag that all-important vote from him, but because they didn't know much about parasitic catfish removal surgery. They had to rush back, hit the books, and prep fast.
Surgical Director Richard was no exception.
Unlike Adam, they didn't have his photographic memory or the energy to plow through countless medical texts, memorizing every obscure case that barely ever popped up. They were stuck cramming on the fly.
"Carter, take this lady to Dr. Montgomery for a physical," Adam said, glancing at the chairman's female secretary before turning to Larry. "Hey, Larry, should we let Nancy know to get a checkup too?"
"…No need," Larry replied, pausing for a sec before catching Adam's drift. He tilted his head awkwardly. "She didn't come along. I haven't even had the chance to see her since I got back."
Emmm.
So, it seemed the secretary did tag along—and was part of the "excitement." Meanwhile, the legit wife didn't even get a shot at collecting her dues. In a weird way, that might've been a stroke of luck in this mess.
Because who knew if the secretary—who'd gone along for the ride—had caught the same bug and gotten parasitized by that catfish too? She'd be an easier target than Chairman Larry, after all…
Down by the Amazon River, locals—men and women alike—wouldn't dare dip a toe in the water without wearing special coconut-fiber pants for protection.
X-Ray Room
"Move it, move it!"
Christina, having caught wind of the situation, bulldozed through the crowd of onlookers and shoved her way in. She stared at the X-ray on the screen and couldn't help but blurt out, "Whoa! 😲 No way! I'm actually seeing it with my own eyes—brother fish! And it's parasitizing a human! This is wild! Adam, you've got to let me in on this surgery!"
Emmm.
The parasitic catfish—nicknamed "brother fish" for its not-so-friendly habit toward men—had her all hyped up.
"You could shout a little louder," Adam quipped. "I'm pretty sure the chairman didn't hear you. Once he does, he'll be so touched to know his hospital has a doctor like you, so devoted to medicine. If he weren't the patient, I bet he'd admire you instead of firing you on the spot."
Christina immediately peeked toward the X-ray room, guilt flashing across her face. She slapped a hand over her mouth, going silent. If she ticked off the chairman in there, she didn't have Adam's clout—she'd be out the door in a heartbeat.
"But look—it's the spine!" she said after a moment, stepping closer and pointing at the X-ray image of the catfish. "This is unreal."
"Melendez, tell the director to book an OR. We need to operate ASAP," Adam instructed.
"On it," the short-statured Melendez replied, darting off.
Adam stepped into the X-ray room to brief the chairman and get his consent.
"Call Nancy," Larry said after a quiet moment, hearing the surgery carried some risks.
Sure, he'd gone to his secretary for thrills, but when it came to life-and-death stuff, he wanted his real wife by his side.
"Got it," Adam agreed.
By then, the surgical director and the others who'd gone to brush up on their reading hurried back. They studied the X-ray again and nodded, backing Adam's diagnosis.
"Richard, you take the lead. Adam, you're first assist," Larry said, scanning the group of doctors. His eyes landed on the surgical director first, then shifted to Adam. "Adam, it's not that I don't trust you. Someday, you'll outshine everyone and become the most legendary doctor out there. But right now, in this medical center, Richard's still the best surgeon—and the one I trust most."
"Of course," Adam said with a nod and a smile. "The director's always been top-notch."
Emmm. Whether he was better than Adam? That was up for debate. But in a moment like this, you've got to give the director and the chairman some face.
"We'll all pitch in to help," Richard said, glancing at the disappointed Dr. Burke and the others. "Dr. Burke, Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Bailey—you're in too. The best surgeons in the medical center are on this…" He paused, noticing Mark Sloan's annoyed look, then added, "Sloan, you come along too."
"Fine," Mark replied.
The doctors all agreed. Sure, they couldn't snag the chairman's golden vote solo, but when everyone else was jumping in to score points with him, sitting it out would put you at a disadvantage.
It's like parents at school—everyone's sending gifts to the teacher on holidays. If you don't, the teacher might not remember who gave what, but they'll definitely notice who didn't. Most teachers wouldn't hold it against your kid, but there's always that nagging "what if?" What if your precious little one gets stuck with that one petty teacher? That's a million-point hit right there!
And this wasn't just any situation—it was the chairman's life on the line. Anyone who didn't join in would be instantly crossed off Larry's list. So even though Mark Sloan was ticked about Richard's hesitation, he agreed right away. Even if he just stood there with his arms crossed, watching the monitors and tossing out a comment or two, it still counted as being in on it.
Surgical Prep Room
"Dr. Duncan."
"Carter, how'd that lady's checkup go?" Adam asked, scrubbing up as Carter burst in wearing surgical gear.
"Dr. Montgomery cleared her—no issues," Carter said quickly.
"Good," Adam nodded.
"She's really worried about the chairman…" Carter hesitated, testing the waters. "Could I join in the OR and update her when the time's right?"
"Nope," Adam shot down. "The OR's already packed—no room. If you want to help her, you can watch from the observation room just fine."
"…" Carter's face fell, but when Adam glanced at him again, he forced a smile and left.
Adam shook his head. Before Carter, George had already swung by, begging to join this rare surgery too. But the OR wasn't some stretch limo—it had limits. With the lead surgeon Richard, Adam as first assist, three attendings and Bailey hovering around to help, plus three surgical nurses and the anesthesiologist—not to mention Christina, who'd fight tooth and nail to be there, and Melendez buzzing around with Adam—there just wasn't space.
Even if Carter squeezed in, he'd have zero view of the action. It'd just be a resume flex at that point.
But did Adam's interns really need to pad their resumes with this? Nah.
(Chapter End)