"Are you interested in working in the ER?"

Dr. Susan Lewis's invitation was clear. "I think you're naturally suited for it."

"Thanks for the compliment."

Adam smiled but declined politely. "But I prefer being a surgeon."

"Alright then."

Susan didn't insist and left it at that.

In the hospital hierarchy, surgeons were at the top, while ER doctors were at the bottom. Naturally, the best talents aimed for the top.

It couldn't be helped.

The ER had relatively low pay, an overwhelming workload, immense pressure, and the highest patient mortality rate of any department—because many patients were already beyond saving when they arrived.

In this kind of environment, ER doctors had a high likelihood of mental breakdowns.

Adam had heard a story about the previous attending physician of the medical center's ER. One moment, he was leading his team in an intense rescue operation. The next, he went completely silent, started stripping off his clothes, and walked out of the hospital completely naked, disappearing without a trace.

Apparently, everyone at the scene was so shocked that they just stood there watching, unable to react.

Afternoon

Adam went to the nurse's station to pick up patient records when he ran into Meredith, who, as always, was carrying a cooler wherever she went.

"Still not here yet?"

Adam smiled.

"In TV shows, American cops always show up last to clean up the mess. Turns out that's not just made up," Meredith complained. "Their efficiency is so slow. If it were us, the patient would be dead by now."

"That's why they started heavily sponsoring those crime dramas," Adam joked. "Mark my words, soon you'll see all sorts of heroic police shows where no one escapes justice. Not only will justice arrive, but it'll never be late."

"Heh."

Meredith chuckled, then looked at Adam with her warm, expressive eyes. "Liz didn't do it on purpose. Don't be mad at her."

"Whether it was on purpose or not doesn't matter," Adam said coolly. "As long as it's not directed at me."

"I just can't believe it."

Meredith looked at him with a strange expression. "A gorgeous woman like Liz, and you treat her like this? Most guys wouldn't have the heart to do it."

"That's exactly why she's so immature."

Adam scoffed. "I'm not her dad."

"Dad?"

Meredith gave him a weird look. "Why would you bring up being her dad?"

Wouldn't a normal relationship be about being a boyfriend, not a father figure?

"Ahem."

Adam cleared his throat, lifted the patient file in his hand, and said, "I've got patients to see. Gotta go."

"Oh, my God!"

Meredith didn't respond to him. Instead, her eyes widened as she looked past Adam, let out a gasp, and grabbed her cooler before running outside.

"What the hell?"

Adam turned to look and saw a car parked haphazardly at the hospital entrance. A man covered in blood from the waist down was stumbling toward the entrance.

"Call security," Adam instructed, then quickly stepped forward.

This guy was probably the rapist.

Holding out this long before coming to the hospital—he was a tough one.

The man was placed on a stretcher and rushed toward the OR, with security arriving to handcuff him just in case.

Since the case was linked to that brave girl, and Meredith was the first to make contact, Dr. Burke, their supervising attending, allowed her team to take over the surgery.

Dr. Burke was in the middle of another operation, so the responsibility fell to Miranda Bailey, their resident-in-charge.

Adam and Meredith arrived at the same time, so technically, he could've been included in the surgery. However, Bailey only asked Meredith to scrub in and didn't even mention Adam.

"Dr. Bailey, I'd like to assist in this surgery."

Surgery wasn't a pop quiz—you didn't wait to be called on. Adam never missed an opportunity to gain hands-on experience.

"Sorry, there's no space in the OR."

Bailey rejected him without hesitation.

Adam frowned. That was a weak but effective excuse.

Operating rooms varied in size. Besides the lead surgeon, there were anesthesiologists, scrub nurses, and sometimes even interns observing for learning experience.

Meredith was in that category, and Adam was asking for the same opportunity.

If the OR was small, it made sense to limit the number of people inside.

But they were using OR 2, which was a large surgical suite designed for major, multi-disciplinary procedures.

A penile reconstruction surgery was overkill for such a big room. There was plenty of space—enough to fit a few more people comfortably.

Saying there was no room was simply an excuse.

But since Bailey had made the call, there was nothing Adam could do.

The lead surgeon had the final say. If they claimed there wasn't enough room, even if they were performing surgery in an open courtyard, they could still say your breathing was too loud and distracting.

And even if he forced his way in, without the surgeon's approval, he'd just be standing uselessly at the back, with zero visibility and no chance to assist.

Watching Meredith follow Bailey inside with the cooler, Adam turned and walked away.

Clearly, not everyone was taken in by Adam's charm.

Unlike others, Bailey didn't care about looks, and to her, Adam's charisma was meaningless.

It annoyed him a little, but he quickly brushed it off.

He wasn't Benjamin Franklin—not everyone had to like him.

If he was arrogant enough to think otherwise, then that would be a real problem.

Emergency Room

"Dr. Duncan, can you ask the nurse to step outside?"

Inside a private room, a shy young man looked uneasy.

"Sure."

Adam immediately understood and signaled the nurse to leave. Once they were alone, he said, "Alright, now show me why you're in the ER."

The young man hesitated, then removed the bundle of clothes he had been clutching, revealing his blood-soaked pants.

"What happened?"

Adam's eyes widened as he studied the man. Could I have misjudged? Was this guy actually the rapist? That'd be too much of a coincidence.

"I… I recently started dating a new girlfriend," the young man stammered. "She's Jewish. I'm her first non-Jewish boyfriend, and she's… a little uncomfortable with it."

As he spoke, he pulled down his bloody pants.

"So you decided to circumcise yourself to please her?"

Adam's lips twitched when he saw the wound.

"I looked up the procedure online and sterilized the knife beforehand…"

The young man's face burned with shame.

"Ah, yes. The internet—the great equalizer," Adam said sarcastically. "Now anyone can be a doctor. If everyone followed your example, we'd all be out of a job."

With that, he turned to leave.

"Wait! What do I do now?"

The young man panicked.

Adam smiled. "Stay put. I'll go get a plastic surgeon for you."