dical Center. ICU.
After Adam insisted, Liz stord off in a huff.
Not long after, redith and a few others showed up.
"Adam, what's going on?" redith asked, totally confused. "How did things get this ssy? 😕"
"What have you guys heard?" Adam replied, keeping it cool and neutral.
"You kicked Liz out and told her she can't go near the patient," George said, clearly ticked off. "Do you have any idea how bad this looks for her? 😡"
"And do you know what she did?" Adam shot back.
"She… what did she do?" George faltered, his anger fizzling out under Adam's glare.
"She's gotten emotionally attached to the patient, Danny," Adam said, shaking his head. "That kind of attachnt is seriously clouding her judgnt as a doctor. It's dangerous! When the patient first ca in, she rattled off three different treatnt plans, desperate to wake him up right away. Sure, it looks like it could lower his mortality rate, but that's just textbook theory. The real, solid option? Wait patiently."
"She's lost her cool and her professionalism. She's acting like a patient's family mber who's read a couple of dical blogs," Cristina chid in with her usual sharp tone.
As doctors, the last thing they wanted was so half-inford patient or relative stirring the pot. With the internet blowing up with info, it's gotten way too common. Everyone's Googling their symptoms, and the ones who really dig in can sound like they know what they're talking about—enough to question the doctor's every move.
It's exhausting. Doctors end up spending extra energy dealing with these "expert" challenges from patients and families. And half the ti, the stuff they find online is either kinda right or flat-out wrong. If every patient and their mom pulled this, the workload for dical staff would skyrocket. Explaining basic dical facts over and over? Anyone would lose it.
Plus, if this keeps up, being a doctor might an adding "debate champ" to the job description. Can't convince the patient or their family? Good luck moving forward with treatnt. But the best doctors aren't always the best talkers—or the most patient when it cos to arguing dical 101 with soone's aunt.
Anyone who's tutored a kid knows the drill. Sotis you explain the simplest thing a million tis, and they still stare at you like 😶. Then, if they hit you with a barrage of random "whys" and weird questions, it's enough to drive you up the wall. Bad-tempered folks might just snap—rain or shine.
Doctors, though? They're not parenting. They can't vent that frustration—they just have to suck it up. So yeah, they hate this kind of thing.
Adam rembered a ti from his past life when he'd asked his sister—a doctor—a dical question. He'd Googled it first, thinking he'd get a pro's take. But his sister, usually the chillest person ever (yep, his real sis), got super annoyed. "Where'd you hear that?" she'd snapped. When he admitted it was from online, she went off: "That's not even how it works…" Turns out, she'd answered that sa question a million tis at work and was just done. 😂
"Exactly," Adam said, his voice heavy. "The kicker? She doesn't even have the skills to back it up. She's just an intern! She's freaking out, trying to throw every treatnt she can think of at the patient. That's not dicine—that's chaos. Dr. Burke put the patient under my care. I'm his attending intern now, and I'm responsible for him. I can't have Liz jumping in during a crisis, doing whatever she thinks is right. What if she screws up? Then what?"
"No way it's that bad, right?" George said, hesitating.
"Not that bad?" Adam gave a cold laugh. "You guys might not know this, but Liz—who used to be so caring with patients—actually said, 'We treat idiots every day, fix them up, send them off, whether they deserve it or not. Danny's a good guy, and all we can do is wait.' Can you believe that?"
"Whoa!"
"No way!"
"That's nuts!"
Cristina, George, and redith couldn't believe their ears. 😲
"Those were her exact words," Adam said, locking eyes with them. "Now you see how over-the-top Liz is acting. With her like this, I wouldn't be shocked at anything she does. Would you let her near your patient?"
"How did it co to this?" redith muttered, looking like her whole world just flipped. "I thought Liz had only been this patient's attending once before."
"Danny's a smooth talker," Cristina said, thinking back. "Last ti, he had her blushing the second they t. Guy's got charm for days."
"And he's a patient with that whole brooding vibe," Adam added, shaking his head. "Liz eats that stuff up. Love at first sight? Totally her thing."
"Maybe we should talk to her," redith sighed.
"You go ahead," Cristina said, clearly not interested.
"Did I just hear Liz's na?"
Right then, Danny—the patient who'd been out cold—slowly woke up, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He glanced around. "Huh, Liz isn't here? I thought I'd open my eyes and see her first thing. 😏"
redith and the others exchanged looks, like, "Okay, no wonder Liz is losing it. This guy's half-dead and still flirting like a pro. I'd cave too."
"I'm Dr. Adam Duncan," Adam said, stepping up to check him over. "Dr. Burke assigned as your attending intern."
"What about Dr. Stevenson?" Danny asked with a weak smile. "I rember her being my attending last ti."
"She's tied up," redith jumped in.
"I'm old-fashioned," Danny said, struggling to get the words out. "I'd really like Dr. Stevenson to be my attending. No offense, Dr. Duncan."
"No worries," Adam nodded. "I'll let Dr. Burke know. It's up to him how we handle it."
Dr. Burke showed up fast. Danny wasn't just a long-ti patient—he ca from money, so Burke was all about giving him top-tier care.
"Danny," Burke said after hearing him out, "Dr. Duncan's the best intern we've got. Honestly, I'd say he's the best in the whole damn world. Having him on your case is a win for you. Dr. Stevenson's too emotional—it's not good for you or her."
"I get it," Danny said with a faint, tired smile. "I know all that. But I don't care. I've been waiting forever for a heart, and I'm not holding my breath anymore. All I want now is for Dr. Stevenson to take care of . Can you make that happen, Dr. Burke?"
"Here's a deal," Burke said, eting his gaze. "How about Dr. Duncan and Dr. Stevenson both be your attending interns? Sound good?"
"I don't agree!" Adam cut in before Danny could even nod. 😠
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