366-368

Chapter 366: Adam and Paige 

New Jersey. Princeton. 

Leonard’s little smear campaign? Adam, who’d ducked out with a phone call excuse, had no clue about it. Even if he did, he’d probably just laugh it off. Honestly, he might even prefer it that way. 

Once, drunk, I whipped a famous horse; I feared too much passion would wear out a beauty. 

Leonard could never understand that kind of melancholy. 

Right now, Adam’s focus was entirely on Paige. As he headed toward her apartment, he listened to Lisa give him the rundown on Paige’s week. 

“Paige’s mom still hasn’t come back?” 

“Nope,” Lisa said, shaking her head. “She called once, said she’s at her boyfriend’s hometown. Apparently, he landed a big gig, so she’s staying there for a while.”  

“What, boyfriend takes priority over her daughter now?” Adam chuckled, shaking his head. “What’s the guy do?”  

“He’s a furniture designer, I think,” Lisa replied after a moment. “Used to work at a big company, quit recently. Met Paige’s mom while on a break, and it was love at first sight. Now he’s starting his own business—designing and making furniture back in his hometown, some little place in Washington.”  

“Huh, interesting.” Adam nodded. “How’s Paige taking it?”  

“She doesn’t seem to care much,” Lisa said with a grin. “She’s a total science nut. Ever since I moved in across the hall to look after her, she’s been lost in her thoughts or scribbling equations. Barely says a word to me.”  

“Has she mentioned me at all?” Adam couldn’t help but ask.  

“Nope.” Lisa shot him a weird look.  

Seriously? 

Her flirty boss was acting like this? 

Guess a beautiful scientist’s charm really was something else.  

Seeing Lisa’s expression, Adam’s mouth twitched. He’d just asked offhand—did she have to make a thing of it? 

They’d reached the apartment building by then, so he dropped it and headed upstairs. 

Outside Apartment 3A, the sound of a guitar melody drifted through the door. Adam perked up instantly. 

“Paige really loves that little ukulele guitar you gave her,” Lisa said with a smile. “She plays it every now and then.”  

Adam glanced at her. Lisa lowered her eyes, but a sly smirk tugged at her lips.  

This little tease. 

Adam knew she was messing with him, but he wasn’t mad. Lisa was young, and looking after Paige probably worked better with a bit of playful energy anyway. 

He didn’t barge in. Instead, he lingered outside, listening quietly, picturing Paige cradling the ukulele and strumming away. 

Suddenly, a clear, sweet voice joined the guitar. Paige was singing. 

“Two months ago, I was still a teenager. A week ago, I officially went from girl to woman. A few days ago, I wrote this song.”  

Her voice was captivating, but the lyrics made Adam’s mouth twitch. A bad feeling crept up on him.  

What is this? Personal experience turned into a song? 

No way. No way. Please, no…  

“Looking back on growing up, when things got tough and confusing, I stumbled, even thought about giving up. But lucky for me, I had a half-friend—a dork, and half an idiot…”  

Lisa couldn’t hold it in. She covered her mouth and turned away, avoiding Adam’s gaze.  

His face darkened. 

Of course. What I feared most. 

Paige really was an experiential songwriter. Fine, put your life into your lyrics—but calling Sheldon a dork was one thing. Why drag him into it as “half an idiot”? That was too much.  

Adam’s teeth itched with annoyance. Seeing Lisa still snickering, he shooed her off.  

After listening to the whole self-written, self-sung performance from outside, he finally pushed the door open.  

Inside, Paige sat on the couch, hugging her tiny ukulele. She looked up at him as he entered.  

“You’re here~” 

That smile, that tone—half of Adam’s irritation melted away instantly.  

Whatever. 

Why should a grown man like him squabble with a girl like her? For a science-obsessed free spirit like Paige, teasing you meant she cared. Otherwise, she’d just ignore you completely.  

One day, when his IQ climbed higher and his math research got deeper, he’d blow her mind with something big. Then she’d see who’s the “half-idiot.”  

“Heard you like that little guitar?” Adam said, sitting beside her with a grin.  

“It’s a song I wrote and composed myself. Do you like it?” Paige countered, ignoring his question.  

“…” Adam’s mouth tugged to one side. “The melody’s nice.”  

“You showed up at the perfect time.” Paige set the ukulele down, threw her arms around his neck, and giggled. “My ideas aren’t flowing like they did last Sunday. I’m running low on inspiration.”  

I’m not your inspiration muse! Adam screamed internally. But his body? It was like it’d been hexed—completely out of his control.  

The wind howls, the river runs cold. A hero rides forth, never to return. 

With a dramatic, tragic flair, Adam scooped Paige up and strode toward the bedroom.  

Noon.  

Across the hall in Apartment 3B, Lisa was torn. Normally, she’d bring Paige lunch around now. But today, the boss was here…  

Maybe a phone call? 

After agonizing for an hour—well past lunchtime—she finally dialed Adam.  

“The number you’ve reached is turned off.” 

Lisa blinked at the automated message. When did he turn off his phone?  

After a moment’s thought, she grabbed her keys, crept over, and quietly unlocked 3A. Then she heard Paige’s singing drifting from the bedroom, faintly mixed with Adam’s backup vocals. Her face flushed red instantly.  

She turned to bolt, but paused at the door. Blushing, she lingered a little longer, eavesdropping, before finally slamming the door shut and scurrying off.  

Nightfall.  

“Boss?” 

Lisa, who’d dozed off without realizing it, picked up a call from Adam.  

“I’m on it!” She leaped up, whipping together a big meal. Mid-prep, she dialed her old boss, Ada, asking her to send someone to buy a new guitar and drop it off.  

After bustling around, the guitar arrived. She grabbed it, packed up the food, and headed over, knocking on the bedroom door.  

“Boss?”  

“Just leave it on the dining table,” Adam’s voice called back, tinged with Paige’s playful laughter.  

“Got it.” Lisa set down the food and guitar, then hightailed it out of there. 

If she stayed any longer, she wouldn’t be able to drag herself out of bed tomorrow.  

Once she was gone, the bedroom door cracked open. Adam, wearing next to nothing, peeked out, dashed to grab the food and guitar, and slipped back inside.  

“Wanna eat something first?” he asked, opening the takeout container and setting it by the bed with a smile, glancing at Paige nestled in the covers.  

“Not hungry.” Paige poked her head out, her bright eyes lighting up at the new guitar. “Let’s play something together! I remember you started that Fruit Hard Candy band way back. This time, play my song—I’ll teach you.”  

“Sure, why not?” Adam felt refreshed, not the slightest urge to say no.  

He set the food aside, handed Paige her little ukulele, picked up the new guitar, and sat across from her. They locked eyes, grinned, and started strumming together…  

Chapter 367: Doctor, Do You Make House Calls? 

New Jersey. 

Peggy’s apartment. 

Unlike last time, Adam didn’t head back to New York until the wee hours of the morning, driving through the night.  

When he finally got back to his apartment and turned on his phone, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Dozens of missed calls from Leonard.  

Yup, you heard that right!  

After calling Lisa to grab a late lunch or dinner, Adam had gone full tactical blackout—phone off. He was just a lowly intern right now, not some irreplaceable surgeon with emergencies begging for his magic hands. Even robots need a break, right?  

Shutting off for a bit? No big deal.  

Once he became a resident or attending physician, though, he’d never pull this again. That’s when you’re on call 24/7, ready to roll at a moment’s notice.  

“Leonard, what’s going on?” Adam said, quickly dialing him back.  

The call connected almost instantly. Clearly, Leonard was a nervous wreck, probably glued to his phone.  

“Adam…” Leonard’s voice came through, dripping with that choked-up, speechless vibe.  

“What’s wrong?” Adam pressed.  

“I messed up so bad,” Leonard whined, his tone a mix of regret and self-pity. “I thought if I painted you as some sleazy playboy, Dr. Plimpton wouldn’t be into you. But… but…”  

“What did you say?” Adam’s mouth twitched.  

Jerk!  

Sure, he’d been a bit of a flirt back in the day, but sleazy? When had he ever sunk that low? A guy like him didn’t even belong in the same sentence as “sleazy.”  

“Sorry,” Leonard said, realizing he’d let the cat out of the bag. He dialed back the whining and apologized fast. “I just wanted to kill any chance she’d be into you. I mean, competing with you? I’ve got no shot.”  

“Hmph,” Adam snorted.  

“I screwed up,” Leonard said, sounding genuinely down. “I shouldn’t have done it. But the thing is, after I said all that, she somehow got more interested in you…”  

“You idiot!” Adam groaned.  

Wasn’t it obvious?  

“Bad boys get the girls” isn’t exactly rocket science—even a nerd like Leonard should’ve known that. And Elizabeth Plimpton? She’s a Fifty Shades-level cosplay legend. She was already curious about Adam, and hearing he’s some “flirty sleaze” just poured fuel on the fire.  

Adam could practically see it now:  

“Doctor, do you make house calls?” 

“Doctor, my chest hurts.” 

“Doctor, thanks for fixing me up, but I can’t pay the bill. How about a special deal instead~?”  

“…”  

As Adam laid out the logic, Leonard sounded like he was about to cry. He’d totally outsmarted himself.  

“…After you left, we talked for ages, but it was all about you. When I ran out of stuff to say, she asked for your number and took off.”  

“You gave it to her?” Adam asked, suddenly thinking about those other mystery missed calls.  

“She asked! How could I say no?” Leonard mumbled awkwardly. “Adam, has she called you?”  

“No clue,” Adam snapped. “I just turned my phone on and saw you blowing it up with fifty calls.”  

“Sorry,” Leonard said meekly. “Adam, what do we do now?”  

“‘We’? Oh, no, no, no, buddy! There’s no ‘we’ here!” Adam cut him off. “This is all you! What are you gonna do?”  

“But—” Leonard started, only to get shut down again.  

“No buts,” Adam said, exasperated. “I’ve done everything I could. I even let you trash-talk me without punching you in the face. And you still can’t seal the deal? What else do you want—me to swoop in, charm Dr. Plimpton, break her heart, then shove you in there to pick up the pieces?”  

Silence on the other end. Then Leonard let out a sheepish laugh. “Adam…”  

Click. Adam hung up.  

No need to say more. That one “Adam…” and the mental image of Leonard’s “Hey, that could work, I’m cool with it” face said it all.  

Sometimes, Adam really wanted to tell him, “Dude, you’re such a creep~.”  

Leonard wasn’t dumb, though. He didn’t call back to bug Adam again.  

Adam glanced at those few missed calls from the same unknown number. He was tempted to ignore them.  

But what if he was overthinking it? If it wasn’t Elizabeth Plimpton with some flirty “emergency,” and someone else actually needed him, brushing it off wouldn’t be smart.  

Besides, as long as he kept his cool, he could just say no once and be done with it.  

Elizabeth Plimpton was a genius scientist, a future quantum cosmology big shot. Even if she wasn’t as hardcore as Peggy or Sheldon, she still poured most of her time into research. She wouldn’t have that much free time to mess with him, right?  

With that sorted in his head, Adam called the number back.  

“Hello, this is Adam Duncan.”  

“Dr. Duncan! Hi, it’s Elizabeth!” The phone rang a bit before she picked up, her voice bright and cheerful.  

“Dr. Plimpton, something up?” Adam asked, playing dumb.  

“Well, Dr. Duncan, I’ve got a little medical question I’d love to ask you in person. When are you free?”  

Her soft, sweet tone sounded innocent enough, but to Adam, it felt… off.  

“Can’t we handle it over the phone?” he said, dodging.  

“It’s tricky to explain,” she replied. “Is something making it inconvenient?”  

“Yeah,” Adam said with a nod. “I’m just an intern. I’m not licensed to do house calls. Don’t you have a family doctor? They’ve got a full license and way more experience than me.”  

“I know,” Elizabeth said, her voice still gentle. “But I believe someone ordinary could work their whole life and not match what a gifted genius can do in a day.  

“Leonard told me all about you—how amazing you were in med school. Now that you’re a real doctor, you must be even better. I bet you’ve got plenty of experience too.  

“Plus, this is kind of personal. I’d rather it be handled by someone who’s not just a doctor, but a friend. Dr. Duncan, could you be my friend?”  

“…” Adam’s mouth twitched.  

Why did it feel like she was flirting hard?  

But there was no proof.  

And she wasn’t wrong. With her own life as proof, a genius could outdo a regular person’s lifetime of effort in a single day.  

“Of course,” Adam said, thinking of Leonard. He couldn’t flat-out reject her friendliness, so he went for a sidestep. “If you really need help, you can come see me at the outpatient clinic at New York Medical Center.”  

“Really?” Elizabeth practically squealed. “I’ll be there tomorrow!”  

Adam: “…”  

Chapter 368: You Live Long Enough, You See It All 

Monday. 

5 a.m. 

Routine rounds.  

No booming announcement of the dean leading the charge, no gaggle of doctors clogging the halls, no dramatic background music. Just grumpy patients woken up too early and interns plastering on apologetic smiles. 

After wrapping up the usual checklist, Adam ran into Cristina in the hallway.  

“What are you doing?” he asked, staring at her in confusion as she kept widening her eyes like a cartoon character.  

“Testing the瞪眼术式—the瞪Eye Technique,” Cristina said, still trying to stretch her squinting eyes to their limit. “Legend has it there’s this mysterious Dr. X in Cuba who glares like crazy during surgery, and her success rate’s off the charts. They call it the瞪Eye Technique. I’m seeing if it works.”  

Adam couldn’t help but laugh. “Every doctor’s got their quirks, but you don’t seriously think that kind of habit can turn into some universal surgical superpower, do you? Besides, she probably rocks a pair of big, glamorous eyes. No matter how hard you try, you’re not pulling that off.”  

Cristina shot him a glare, dropped the act, and stormed off.  

Beep beep. Beep beep. 

His pager went off. Adam glanced at it and hurried to Room 2.  

“Dr. Burke, you called for me?” he asked, pushing the door open, a little surprised. 

It was the first time Dr. Burke had paged him directly.  

Inside, a Black man in his thirties lay on the bed, with a very pregnant Black woman standing beside him. Dr. Burke was chatting with them, his tone and demeanor screaming old friends. Adam put two and two together.  

“Bill, Holly, this is Dr. Duncan, the best intern we’ve got. He’ll be your attending resident, running all your tests. Don’t worry—we’ll figure out what’s going on,” Dr. Burke said, introducing them before turning to Adam. “Dr. Duncan, Bill’s a good friend of mine. Take care of him, got it?”  

“Got it,” Adam replied with a nod. Called it. 

Doctors are human too, and humans play favorites. When a buddy lands in your domain, you roll out the red carpet.  

And who’s the best intern around? Obviously Adam. His medical knowledge, ER skills, and sharp instincts were top-notch—less like an intern, more like a seasoned resident.  

Dr. Burke, as the attending and acting surgical chief, wasn’t about to babysit his friend through every tedious test and post-op detail. But illness is tricky, unpredictable. A solid attending resident could make all the difference in a pinch—maybe even save a life. That tattooed self-harm nutcase from last time was proof enough.  

So even though Adam was Leonard’s guy, Burke picked him without hesitation.  

“The patient’s got abdominal pain and blood in his urine. Initial tests came up inconclusive. Urology suggested a cystoscopy,” Burke explained. “Get things ready and join me in the OR.”  

“Yes, sir,” Adam said with a grin. 

Something to do right out of the gate? Nice.  

Cystoscopy also reminded him of Sheldon’s classic line: “My bladder, my rules!” Picturing Sheldon solemnly declaring that, only to lose control and sprint to the bathroom, cracked Adam up even more.  

In the OR, after sterilization and local anesthesia, Adam inserted the cystoscope with practiced ease. Dr. Burke watched from the side, quietly impressed.  

Bill, the patient, lay on the table. The local numbed him enough that he didn’t feel the scope—good thing, too. No guy wants to think about a tube sliding up their urethra.  

“Thanks, Preston,” Bill said to Burke. “I know this isn’t your job.”  

It was technically a urology case, but since they couldn’t pin down the issue, it’d landed here. For a regular patient, inconclusive results might mean a referral to a better specialist or just toughing it out at home. But as the acting surgical chief’s pal? Different story. Best docs, best care, all hands on deck. Unless it was some unheard-of mystery disease, they’d crack it. And even if they couldn’t, easing the symptoms or pain was a breeze.  

“No big deal. Keeps my intern busy,” Burke said with a smile.  

“I bet he’s running you all ragged, huh?” Bill teased, glancing at Adam. “We were in the same frat at Tulane back in the day—used to torture the pledges trying to join. Now he’s torturing you interns, right?”  

Adam chuckled. Another frat bro, huh? They always love hazing the newbies.  

“I could spill way more dirt on him,” Bill added, clearly warming up to the topic.  

It made sense—he was probably trying to distract himself from the fear. But Adam wasn’t about to join in or egg him on. Dishing gossip about the big boss to his face? Only an idiot would pull that.  

“Bill, there’s a cystoscope inside you right now. Maybe not the best time to air my dirty laundry,” Burke cut in. 

If his buddy spilled the beans, how was he supposed to keep any authority as the senior doc?  

Adam caught Burke’s glance and got the hint. He smirked to himself. Authority comes from skill, sure, but also distance. Take Dr. Shepherd, the other hotshot vying for surgical chief. Ever since he got tangled up with his intern Meredith in some unmentionable way, his senior-doctor cred hit the floor.  

Last week, during a neurosurgery, Meredith had the gall to publicly question and argue with Shepherd’s call. Thing is, Shepherd proved why he’s a neurosurgery rockstar—his decision was spot-on. If they’d gone with Meredith’s half-baked idea, the patient might’ve died. Normally, an underling pulling that stunt would’ve been toast. But Meredith? She got a sigh, a compliment, and a free pass.  

Well, duh—Shepherd’s dating her. What else is he gonna do but forgive her?  

Adam’s private amusement came from spotting the sparks between Cristina and Burke. Who knows when they’d turn into another messy Shepherd-Meredith situation? When that happened, Burke’s authority would take a dive too.  

“Is it bad?” Holly, Bill’s pregnant wife, asked nervously from the OR sidelines. She’d picked up on Adam and Burke dodging her husband’s jokes.  

“We’ll know once this is done,” Burke reassured her. “Just focus on the baby—don’t worry about anything else.”  

Adam noticed something odd on the scope and spoke up. “Dr. Burke.”  

“What’s wrong?” Holly gasped.  

Burke took a look, startled but keeping his cool. “Dr. Duncan, biopsy that and set up a CT,” he said casually before turning back to his friends. “Could be a few things. No need to panic yet.”  

After the biopsy and CT, Adam stared at the results, dumbfounded.  

You live long enough, you see it all…  

(End of Chapter)