dical Center.
Changing Room.
"Adam, what's that supposed to an?"
redith frowned, confused. "George is our friend, and he's in a tough spot. Are you seriously still refusing to take him on as your intern?"
"Yeah," Cristina chid in with a smirk. "Just thinking about dragging those clueless newbies around later gives a headache. Having George—an intern with actual experience—would be a total win. Way too good to pass up! Hey, George, how about you just join instead?" 😏
"No way, not happening!"
George shook his head fast. "I, George O'Malley, would rather quit than work under you, Cristina Yang."
"Oh, wow, excuse ?!"
Cristina had just been teasing, but now her eyes narrowed as she shot him a glare.
"Okay, enough ssing around—let's get serious," redith said, playing peacemaker before turning to Adam. "So, what's the deal?"
"Well…" Adam hesitated. "You guys know I'm soone with ambitions…"
"What, and taking on kills your ambition?"
George's pale face darkened.
"No, no, it's not about you specifically," Adam said earnestly. "But with this batch of interns I'm leading, I'm planning to set up a real 'survival of the fittest' vibe. Like, a legit competition where it's all about talent or grit—nothing else. That ans no cozying up to senior doctors beyond a professional level…"
Cristina and redith's faces darkened too, so Adam quickly added, "Hey, I'm not targeting you guys! I just want to train so real top-tier doctor material."
Like he'd told Cristina before, Adam was gunning for the Chief Resident spot.
He had the energy and skills to take on that role—overseeing all the residents as a mini surgical boss, tackling problems they couldn't handle, coordinating surgeries, and keeping the whole departnt running smoothly.
In the process, he'd get first dibs on all the high-stakes, critical cases—totally fair and square.
Back when the Chief of Surgery was picking a Chief Resident, Adam was still an intern, not a full resident, so he'd been out of the running. Plus, the top pick back then was Dr. Bailey—soone Adam respected, and honestly, the whole hospital did too.
So, he'd shelved the idea of pushing for Chief Resident as an intern.
I an, with pros like Bailey and Sydney—senior residents who were well-liked and close to Adam—waiting in the wings, him swooping in as an intern would've been a slap in the face. Super insulting and a total morale killer.
Adam wanted to earn Chief Resident with as little drama as possible. At the very least, he needed to be a resident for a bit, ntor so interns, and show off not just his dical and managent skills, but the third big thing teaching hospitals care about: teaching.
That cruise ship accident a while back? Adam's insane dical skills and leadership in the field got everyone's attention.
Now, he was determined to nail the teaching part too.
What better way than to churn out a few universally recognized future star doctors?
Step one: set the rules. Make his interns compete purely on dical skill—pushing them to level up constantly for more opportunities, building a solid cycle. No sleeping with senior doctors to snag a spot.
And these three in front of him?
redith—dating Derek Shepherd, the Neurosurgery Chief.
Cristina—dating Preston Burke, the Cardiothoracic Surgery Chief.
George—dating Callie Torres, the current Chief Resident.
Yikes. 😬
Okay, Cristina? Her talent and hustle totally matched her rep as an amazing surgeon and future star.
Even knowing she was with Burke, people didn't have much to gossip about.
But redith and George?
If word got out that George flunked and had to redo his internship, you know the whispers would start: "Told you they just slept their way up…"
Training legit star doctors wasn't hard if you had the right approach.
Anyone who'd made it this far had decent talent—it ca down to grit and drive.
Take Cristina: even with Burke as her boyfriend, they lived at the hospital. Their one "date" got cut short before dinner was over because they rushed back to save soone. All they ever talked about was dicine—pure dedication.
redith, though? She and Shepherd were always off being romantic, hitting the town whenever they had a free second, and don't get started on the drama.
Even if her skills were legit, people would still call her a "watered-down" surgeon.
Adam wanted to prove his teaching chops and produce so undeniable stars. Set a high bar, stick to it—talent rises, weakness falls. With his skills and resources, it'd be a breeze.
Plus, there's a bonus:
These star trainees would beco his loyal crew down the line, spreading out into a rock-solid network.
Future departnt heads at big hospitals, at least!
How do you think dynasties—money, politics, academia—get built? It's all about this.
Not that Adam was after anything specific from them—just that kind of network can work wonders sotis.
"I can follow your rules," George said, gritting his teeth. "I swear I won't pull resources from Callie or ss up the competition."
"You sure?"
Adam raised an eyebrow. "Torres is Chief Resident right now—she's got a ton of resources. Even a little help from her would make people jealous. Over here, you'd be competing with three others. You've got a year of experience, but that doesn't an you'd outshine them."
"I've got confidence!" George shot back with a self-deprecating grin. "If I can't beat them even with that, then I'll accept it."
"Alright, fine," Adam sighed, nodding. "But let's be clear: break the rules, and you're out. You'd have to leave on your own, or even if we're friends, you're benched. No negotiation."
"Deal!"
George agreed instantly, looking pumped.
Adam just shook his head inwardly.
He'd said all he could—turning George down now would be too harsh.
Truth was, he really didn't want to take George on.
Dr. Bailey was aweso, sure, but her old "Nazi" rep had been trashed by redith and crew. She could never stay tough on them.
George, the resident nice guy, had picked up so bad habits tagging along with them.
A whole year as an intern, and in Adam's eyes, that wasn't a plus—it was a minus.
Everything settled, they changed, and George eagerly trailed behind Adam.
"Adam, where are we headed now?"
"Sorry, George."
Adam stopped and turned, dead serious. "You should be calling Dr. Duncan from now on."
In Arican TV drama land, first nas an closeness—friends, even family, use them all the ti.
But in a hospital? No one's calling their boss by their first na.
Even senior doctors rarely use juniors' first nas.
"Dr. So-and-So" is the pro move.
Starting now, Adam was fixing George's mindset.
(End of Chapter)
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