Medical Center – Emergency Room
"Next!" Dr. Bailey announced. "Yang, you're up!"
"Got it," Christina replied, practically buzzing with excitement.
"Hold up, everyone," the Chief of Surgery, Richard, interrupted as he strode in, his face grim. "We just got word of a mass casualty incident. All trauma centers are on high alert, and I need to send a medical team out immediately."
"Is this part of the test?" Christina asked, her mind jumping to a simulation scenario. "Do I need to fake a worried face or something?"
Exams? No problem. But this touchy-feely doctor stuff? That's where she was screwed. She had zero emotions—none of the nerves, none of the pity. Honestly, she kind of wanted to laugh.
"Chief, what kind of incident?" Adam asked, his eyes narrowing.
"No clue. I just got the order—details are still fuzzy," Richard shook his head at Adam before turning to Christina. "Dr. Yang, this isn't a test or a drill. It's an emergency. I need everyone ready to roll!"
He scanned the room and barked, "Dr. Bailey, you're leading the team. Adam, you're going too!"
"Yes, sir," they replied. In moments like this, you just follow orders.
"Yang, Grey, O'Malley—grab the trauma kits! Remember your triage training; you're about to use it for real," Bailey instructed after Richard left. "What are you standing around for? Move! Move! Move!"
"I'll grab mine too," Adam said to Bailey before jogging off to his office.
He kept everything on hand—tight-fitting Duncan surgical gear, even a spacesuit—so a trauma kit? Child's play. Unlike Christina and the others scrambling to pack theirs, Adam had his All-Purpose Duncan Trauma Kit ready to go. All he had to do was grab it and head out.
But his mind wasn't on the kit. As he ran, he made a call and quickly got the scoop on this "mass casualty incident" the Chief didn't even know about yet. "Damn it!" he muttered under his breath.
In his office, kit in hand, he dialed Heather's satellite phone. "Heather, you guys okay?" he asked urgently.
"We're fine," Heather's calm voice came through, despite the chaos—sirens blaring in the background.
"Why didn't you call me the second this happened?" Adam grumbled.
Here's the deal: the incident was a cruise ship on its way back getting rammed by a cargo freighter. Heavy casualties. And Heather—along with Tatiana, Megan, and her daughter—had been out on that very cruise for a day trip.
"We're really okay, so we didn't want to worry you," Heather said apologetically.
"Stay somewhere safe with Tatiana and the others. I'm on my way," Adam said, rushing out with the kit. "Have you gotten off the ship? What's the damage like…?"
Outside the Medical Center
Ambulances were lined up, loaded with supplies, ready to roll. Bailey led Christina and the team out, all in uniform with trauma kits strapped on.
"Adam, over here!" Christina waved at his back.
"I'm heading out first!" Adam called back, not breaking stride as he bolted to the parking lot.
"Wait up!" Karen popped out of nowhere, charging toward him like a freight train.
"Juno sent me to assist," she said bluntly, hopping into the passenger seat.
Adam didn't have time to tease her. "Buckle up tight," he said, flooring the gas. The sports car roared to life, speeding toward the docks.
Sure, ambulances had sirens to clear the way, but compared to regular cars and drivers? No contest. Adam in his sports car was in a league of his own. With Heather and the others still in a danger zone, he wasn't about to waste a second.
Heather had picked up a lot from Adam and Juno—steady, sharp, quick-thinking. Normally, if she said they were safe, there was an 80% chance they were. But Adam couldn't shake the unease. A chaotic scene like that, with potential explosions? Heather didn't have his crisis instincts. What she thought was safe might not be.
Even if he used her info to model the situation, steer them clear of blast zones, and set up the safest plan, it didn't matter. When you care, logic gets messy. Until he was there, until he got them out himself, he wouldn't relax.
"Heather's tough. She'll be fine," Karen said, glancing at him.
"I know," Adam nodded. "How's Juno holding up?"
"She needs time," Karen replied, rolling her eyes. "It's all you! You're everywhere!"
Adam smirked. He got it.
It was like in The Big Bang Theory when Amy griped to Leonard about how jealous she was of Penny and Sheldon's closeness. Six or seven years as his girlfriend, and she still couldn't match that bond. Penny always had Sheldon's back, and Sheldon actually listened to her. Leonard brushed it off at first—until Amy hit him with, "You know Penny's been using Sheldon to tweak the roommate agreement, getting what she wants without ever fighting you, right?"
"Son of a—!" Leonard turned into a total beach bum in that moment.
Hmmm…
Howard, laughing it up on the sidelines, got called out by Leonard too. Raj and Bernadette? Same vibe as Penny and Sheldon. Suddenly, Howard wasn't laughing anymore—another beach bum in the mix.
Apply that to Adam, Juno, and Karen? Karen not turning into a full-on beach bum herself was some serious restraint. Adam and Juno were way closer than Sheldon and Penny or Raj and Bernadette. And Karen's jealous streak? Leonard and Howard's slow-burn envy had nothing on her.
Still, she'd never gone overboard with Adam—just dagger stares and epic eye rolls. It honestly surprised him. In the end, it all turned into endless admiration for Juno. Juno, you're the real MVP! 😎
On the Road
Adam and Karen chatted about the rescue ahead. Every doctor's got their own style. Karen and Juno were a seamless team, but with Adam? Not guaranteed. Talking it out beforehand was key—smoother teamwork could save more lives.
(End of Chapter)