If It Won't Kill You, It Makes You Stronger

"Alright, Dr. Clive, I'll take care of this."

Adam went up to him and smiled.

"What did you say?"

Alex was taken aback, then flew into a rage. "This is my patient."

"No."

Adam shook his head. "Your patient is still waiting for you to examine his rectum. This patient has a gunshot wound on his shoulder, not in his rectum, so he is not your patient."

"Hi! I like Dr. Clive, I want him to be my doctor."

The African American man, clearly sharing Alex's thuggish nature, immediately stood up for his friend when he saw Adam bullying Alex.

"Feel sorry."

Adam shook his head and said, "This is the emergency room. I'll contact Dr. Lewis right away."

"This isn't an emergency room!"

The African American man was very loyal; he stood up while clutching his wound and said, "I have an appointment with Dr. Burke, and I asked Alex to be my attending physician."

He was clearly a regular at the hospital; he not only made appointments with specific Attending Physician but also knew the concept of a bedside doctor.

"I'll get in touch with Dr. Burke for you."

Adam laughed and said, "But believe me, even if Dr. Burke comes, Dr. Clive won't be your attending physician."

"Why?"

The African American man was taken aback and looked at Alex, whose complexion was now similar to his own.

Alex was speechless.

What could he say?

Because of his negligence, Dr. Burke caused the patient under his care to almost die, so Dr. Burke punished him by barring him from the Operating Room for two weeks, and Dr. Bailey also punished him by making him do rectal examinations for two weeks.

How can I tell my 'good buddy' about something so embarrassing?

"In any case, I have the right to choose my own attending physician."

The African American man got excited and stubbornly said, "Alex, don't worry, Dr. Burke and I are old acquaintances. I'll make sure he appoints you as my attending physician."

At this point, he stretched out his hand and made a shaking motion.

Alex also reached out and placed his hand next to the African American man's, making the same shaking motion.

It's very similar to the fist bumping ritual that African Americans like to do.

Alex looked much better and gave Adam a mocking look, his expression full of smugness that said, "Don't think you can steal my patients just because you're so great."

Adam had the nurse call Dr. Burke.

"I would prefer to see you again in some other way, Mr. Owens."

Dr. Burke reached out and shook hands with the African American man.

"Just call me Digby."

The African American man laughed.

What happened?

Dr. Burke looked at Adam.

Adam then recounted the events.

"Digby, Dr. Duncan is the best intern we have here."

Dr. Burke gave Alex a cold look and said in a gentle voice to the African American man, "He will be your attending physician and will be responsible for your condition."

"No!"

The African American man shook his head and said, "I only want Dr. Clive."

"Digby, Dr. Clive has violated hospital regulations and will be unable to serve as an attending physician for the time being."

Dr. Burke advised, "I'm your doctor and an old friend. Don't you trust my decision?"

"Come on."

The African American man boasted, "Young people make mistakes, it's nothing. Besides, I know my injury is just a simple stitch, maybe I don't even need to be hospitalized. What's the big deal if Alex does it? I trust you, and I trust him."

Dr. Burke shook his head helplessly, and finally could only respect the patient's choice, nodding and saying, "Alright, Dr. Clive, do the sutures first, then take the CT scan. You'll be in charge. Congratulations!"

As he said this, Dr. Burke looked at Alex with disgust.

Alex, a seasoned veteran, didn't even glance at Dr. Burke. He pushed the African American man toward the ward, and as he passed Adam, he gave Adam a defiant look.

Snap!

Snap!

After walking over, Adam heard Alex and the African American man clapping.

"Dr. Duncan, you did the right thing."

Dr. Burke gave Adam full affirmation.

Adam smiled.

"Oh, right."

Dr. Burke glanced with disgust in the direction Alex had left. "Inform Dr. Bailey that Dr. Clive's rectal examination will be extended by another week."

"I see."

Adam nodded.

Alex thought he could circumvent the ban and treated everyone else like fools.

But who among those who can become doctors is a fool?

Not to mention renowned doctors like Dr. Burke.

Only a fool would dare to outwardly obey but inwardly defy the orders of a superior doctor.

Around noon.

Hospital cafeteria.

"I heard you failed to steal Alex's patient?"

Cristina, carrying a tray, immediately started gossiping as soon as she came over.

"There was nothing we could do; we encountered a patient who wasn't afraid of dying."

Adam shrugged.

"Tsk tsk, Alex really has some skills."

Cristina clicked her tongue in amazement. "Yesterday you almost fooled that female patient with a giant tumor, and today you managed to fool a fearless tattooed masochist right in front of you."

Saying he's not afraid of death might be an exaggeration; to be precise, he's someone who feels uncomfortable unless he's courting death.

The gunshot wound on his shoulder was inflicted by a friend who aimed and shot him, in order to create a scar—an upgraded, reckless version of a tattoo.

And this isn't the first time.

Last time, the bullet grazed my armpit.

"This patient is from the Iowa Wrestling Team."

George interjected, "Alex seems to wrestle too. I heard them talking about the spirit of wrestling during the morning check-up."

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

'You can't defeat me unless you kill me.'

Pain is a dividing line; everything depends on how we deal with the pain.

Alex even borrowed a camera for him and took close-up photos of the gunshot wound; the two were as close as brothers.

"It's an act!"

Liz sneered, "Just like how he deceived that poor female patient with the giant tumor, I really want to let that patient hear his true feelings."

"Hopefully Alex won't get too carried away again."

Adam smiled.

What do you know?

Cristina's heart skipped a beat.

"He didn't remove the bullet from his first gunshot wound as a memento. This time, the gunshot wound caused broken ribs and hemopneumothorax."

Adam said, "Although Dr. Burke inserted a tube to drain the blood from his lungs and repaired them, the gunshot wound could trigger a stress response in his body. Just think what would happen if he had any small cuts or lacerations at that moment?"

"Infect!"

Cristina and the others exclaimed in unison.

Do you think there's a high chance that a tattooed masochist who believes in pain would have small cuts or bruises on their body?

Adam said casually, "If I were his attending physician, I would definitely ask him in detail, but these are common sense, Alex certainly knows that too..."

Liz suddenly stood up, left a message, and ran away.

"I don't believe Alex!"

Adam continued eating by himself.

As the African American man said, this is his freedom and his belief: what doesn't kill him makes him stronger.

All Adam could do was respect and offer his blessing; besides, he wouldn't be short of 0.01 seconds of Lifespan.