dical Center
Adam patched up the Soldier Warlord, and little Nurse Cindy even tossed a bow on him for good asure. With a police escort, they wheeled him out of the operating room. 🎀
Shorty and Carter, anwhile, pushed the rookie cop's stretcher, following Adam into the OR. The ergency open-heart surgery they'd started in the elevator was only half-done—just enough to keep the rookie alive. Now it was up to Adam's skills to seal the deal.
No surprise there: the surgery went off without a hitch. 👌
When Adam and the team stepped out of the OR, a crowd of cops was waiting outside.
"Doc, how's the rookie doing?" one of them asked.
"Surgery went great," Adam said with a grin, then glanced at Shorty and Carter. "Dr. lendez and Dr. Carter can fill you in on the details—they're the ones who kept him alive in the clutch."
"Thanks, Dr. lendez! Thanks, Dr. Carter!"
The cops sward Shorty and Carter with gratitude.
What can you say? Cops, doctors, lawyers—it's all about teamwork. Especially in the wild, happy-yet-dangerous world of Arican TV dramas, sticking together is pretty much a survival skill.
Adam had already worked his magic to build a solid rapport with the NYPD, making sure he wouldn't end up on the wrong end of so bizarre treatnt. This was a golden opportunity, and he was happy to pass it along to Shorty and Carter.
Thanks to the rookie cop situation, they'd probably never have to worry about random tickets—or worse—again. More importantly, their lives just got a little safer. No more random days where soone might inexplicably empty a clip into them. 😅
"The hospital's power was definitely cut on purpose," a nurse piped up as Adam left the OR. "And one of the two backup generators we just got? Sabotaged the sa way. It's been ergency-repaired now, though."
"Lucky break in the middle of a ss," Adam said with a nod.
The Soldier Warlord hadn't totally lost his marbles, at least. Cutting the power and one generator had stretched the hospital thin, forcing them to prioritize the OR and critical areas. But it could've been worse.
Pretty standard move, really—he just wanted chaos to sneak in a kill. If both backup generators had been trashed, the place would've gone pitch-black. Even he'd have been stumbling around, totally clueless.
"Is Dr. Shepherd done with his surgery?" Adam asked.
"Yep, all good. Went smoothly," the nurse replied.
"Another win!" Adam grinned. 😊
The last caregiver from Golden Light Nursing Ho? Way more useful alive than dead. There were still tons of details to dig into with this whole ss. Sure, the rescued old folks could talk, but the staff knew the real nitty-gritty—the kind of stuff that'd hit you right in the gut.
As he rounded the corner, he spotted redith and the crew standing there.
"Adam!"
redith bolted over and wrapped him in a massive hug.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Adam threw his hands up, laughing. "What's this all about?"
"Thank you for saving Derek," she murmured, squeezing him tight.
"She saw the surgery tape," Cristina chid in.
"No problem," Adam said, finally letting the cheap hug slide. He patted her back with a chuckle. "If you're this shaken up about it now, what were you doing earlier? Look, quit overthinking it. If you love him, say yes to the proposal. Get married, settle down, live happily—beats all this drama any day."
"I'll think about it," redith said, finally letting go.
"You think it over. I'm the one who's freaked out now!" Adam teased, brushing it off. Then he turned to a pair of cop ladies walking up. He opened his arms wide and gave Kate a big hug. "Thank you, thank you!"
"Thanks for what?" Kate laughed, half-crying.
"For you law enforcent folks keeping us safe!" Adam let her go and moved to hug Jessie Paige next.
"Aren't you getting it backwards?" Jessie shot him a warning glare—no hugs allowed—and smirked. "The only ones who need protecting are the criminals, right?"
"What?!" Adam gasped, feigning shock. "Is the FBI coming clean? He's one of yours?!"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Jessie snapped, shutting it down fast.
"Alright, alright," Kate jumped in, smoothing things over. "Jessie just ans any criminal who runs into you is basically cursed. If that OR footage got out, they'd all steer clear of the dical center!"
They'd watched the surgery tape while Adam was operating. First, they'd been sweating bullets for Dr. Shepherd. Then Adam burst in, and—bam!—the Soldier Warlord's arm got snapped at a clean 90 degrees.
That brutal, no-nonsense vibe? Everyone who saw it couldn't help but wince for the guy. Ouch, that had to hurt! 😬
"So, that counts as 'heroic intervention,' right?" Adam asked, getting serious.
"Totally," Kate nodded.
Adam glanced at Jessie, waiting.
"...Yeah," she grumbled, forced to agree.
"Thanks for being fair about it," Adam said, throwing his arms open again toward Jessie. "Otherwise, if they turned it around on , this world's vibes would just get worse."
"…"
This ti, with Kate glaring at her, Jessie hesitated. She didn't stop him fast enough, and Adam got his hug in—full-on bear style.
"You have no idea," he rambled on. "The unfair craziness out there these days—it's like they're encouraging bad guys to run wild. Us regular folks who just want to do the right thing? We're stuck worrying about this, stressing about that every ti we try to help…" He sighed dramatically. "It's tough out here."
"You done?" Jessie asked, ice in her voice.
"Lem think," Adam said, all serious-like.
"…Can you think without hugging ?" She shoved him off hard.
"Oh, my bad!" Adam laughed. "You know, post-disaster friend hugs are just standard protocol."
Jessie snorted and stord off.
"You're really into Jessie, huh?" Kate teased.
"Nah," Adam grinned. "She's your bestie, so I figure if we get along, you won't be stuck in the middle feeling awkward."
"…"
Kate was floored by his shalessness. She'd glared at Jessie earlier because she'd noticed Jessie being a little cold to Adam—she'd just wanted them to play nice. But Adam? Clearly had his own agenda.
"Alright, let's hit my office," Adam said, pulling Kate along. He still had a bunch of details he wanted to hash out.
As for hugging Jessie? Well, he'd noticed he was dealing with the FBI more often lately. Not exactly a great sign.
As a cautious guy, planning ahead was his bread and butter. He had Kate in the NYPD, plus a growing network through her. The FBI? He'd need soone there too—soone he could trust—so he wouldn't wake up one day to a door getting kicked in with zero warning.
This was straight-up Maslow's hierarchy, level two: safety needs.
Yup. That's the deal! 😎
(End of Chapter)
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