Medical Center. Operating Room.
"Let's all choke on a fairy tale together!" Adam declared as he strode into the OR with Paige, hands spread wide after scrubbing in, letting the surgical nurse gown him up while hyping the team.
Emmm. Yep, he was laying it all out there.
Bad vibes? Fine—let's lean into the worst of it. When things hit rock bottom, they can only go up, right? With that in mind, he doubled down: "Today, we're one step closer to our crazy dream!"
"…" The team exchanged bewildered looks.
Only Paige kept her cool. To everyone else, Adam was this lofty, shining beacon of greatness. But she knew him too well. What hadn't she seen? His quirky, twisted sense of fun? She'd witnessed it a million times.
A super-genius herself, Paige lived by "know it, do it"—theory meets practice. So these two lines—straight from the Poison Jinx King of a parallel universe's future—didn't click for her meme-wise, but she caught Adam's vibe instantly. The gleam in his eyes, that tone? She got it.
In front of a preschool Captain Marvel's multiverse twin, what's so "marvelous" about that? Not much! 😏
Lexie, always watching Paige and Adam's dynamic, saw Paige's unfazed reaction and felt a pang. That easy familiarity? It stung.
"I'm not here to be a surgical robot—that's boring," Adam went on. "I'm not trying to wipe out cancer overnight either. Let's set a small goal: redefine the next decade's treatment for malignant gliomas. I'm not in it for the win—I'm just dead serious!"
"…" The team's jaws dropped further with every golden jinx he dropped.
Go big or go home! The true Poison Jinx King, the underworld's prophet—Adam wasn't about to miss his shot. Their stunned faces only egged him on.
"Adam," Paige finally broke, frowning as she called him out. This was getting too goofy—even she couldn't handle it.
"Heh," Adam grinned, scanning the room. That bad omen vibe? It vanished in the hilarity of their gobsmacked expressions. He strolled to the lead surgeon's spot. "A badass life needs no explanation! Let's roll!"
Eyes shut, he silently chanted, Surgery today, Lancet cover next week, then snapped back, ditching the reverse-jinx mojo. "Scalpel!"
Halfway through the surgery:
"Her BP's climbing, heart rate's dropping."
"Inject 0.1% mannitol, 20 mL diuretic," Adam ordered.
Cinderella's intracranial pressure spiked, risking brain swelling, but Adam pulled her through like a pro. Crisis averted.
Post-surgery:
Adam skipped the family chat, sending the short guy and Lexie instead.
"You nailed it—why aren't you hyped?" Paige asked, puzzled.
"Shh, don't jinx it!" Adam hushed her.
Pre-surgery, he'd stacked buffs like a madman—rock bottom to riches—and felt unstoppable. During the procedure, despite constant curveballs, he'd handled it all with divine ease. Now it was done, but he wasn't sure where the jinx stood. Better not tempt fate with big talk. Let Cinderella survive the night first.
Paige rolled her eyes but got the hint. She knew this game.
They shared a quiet moment before her assistant, Lisa, whisked her off. Assisting through the whole surgery had wiped her out. Paige had done her part—tonight, if Cinderella pulled through, the MRI and bloodwork data could go straight to her for tweaking. Solid groundwork for the next breakthrough.
It was a long night.
Next Day:
"Dr. Duncan, here's the fresh MRI," the short guy said, handing over the films.
Lexie trailed behind, looking wiped. Carter and George, hearing the buzz, bolted from clinic and ER duty. This was too big—they had to know the latest.
"Let's go!" Adam gave them a glance and led the crew to the viewing room. He slapped Cinderella's pre- and post-op scans onto the lightboard.
Lights on, her brain scans glowed clear as day.
"What's the verdict?" Adam asked, stone-faced.
"Did the tumor shrink?" George ventured, unsure.
"Looks the same to me," Carter said, squinting back and forth.
"It shrank," the short guy confirmed, measuring with calipers. "Definitely."
"Dr. Duncan?" Lexie looked to him.
"Yes!" Adam's face softened into a grin as he scanned the team. "The tumor's shrinking—the serum's working!"
"Yeah!" The room erupted in cheers! 🎉
"Congrats, Dr. Duncan—this is a huge medical breakthrough!" Lexie said, buzzing with excitement.
"Oh my God, this is unreal!"
"Adam, you're freaking amazing!" Carter and George chimed in, awestruck.
"It's a small step for Dr. Duncan, but a giant leap for beating cancer!" the short guy said, eyes blazing with zeal.
The commotion in the viewing room was too loud to contain. Soon, others caught wind and joined the celebration. Word spread—ten to a hundred.
By the time the surgical chief raced in, three steps at a time, the whole hospital was buzzing. This was Adam's win, sure, but it was the medical center's glory too. And with Adam's charm? Everyone loved him.
"A genius's masterpiece!" the chief beamed, grabbing Adam's hands like a blooming flower. "Congrats, Dr. Duncan—you did it! I always knew you would!"
"Thanks—and thanks for your support, Chief," Adam grinned.
"Of course, of course!" The chief was over the moon, brimming with swagger. "With your groundbreaking work, Dr. Duncan, our New York Medical Center's gonna steamroll Hopkins, Mayo, Cleveland Clinic, and Mass General. We'll be the undisputed top teaching hospital in the U.S.—no, the world!"
"Rankings depend on a lot of factors…" Adam started, aiming for humility, but the chief's eager go-on-flex stare made him pivot. "But yeah, with you leading general surgery, Chief, plus Dr. Burke in cardiothoracic, Dr. Shepherd in neuro, Dr. Montgomery in neonatology, Dr. Sloan in plastics—we've got the firepower to take that top spot!"
"Yes! Yes!" The chief pumped his fist.
This was his surgery, his hospital. His wife cheating? He could deal. Divorce? Fine. But if his hospital didn't hit number one under his watch, he'd die mad. Now? He was practically bursting!
(End of Chapter)