Chapter 907 - 906: Adam: “Ever Seen a Horror Movie?”

Medical Center

Adam glared at Lexie, his face dark as a storm cloud.

"Uh…" Lexie froze. She'd seen serious Adam before, but this vibe? Uncharted territory. Her heart raced, and for a sec, she couldn't find her words.

"Good," Adam growled. "Guess you realize how insane your idea was. I'll pretend I didn't hear it. Go take care of Beth properly. If you can't handle it, just say so—I'll swap in Carter."

With that, he turned and stormed off.

He was pissed. Another bad omen had just piled onto his growing stack of dread—it was like the sky was about to cave in.

"Dr. Duncan!" Lexie snapped out of her daze and jogged after him. "I know it's a weird suggestion, okay? But Beth and Jamie—they love each other. When they're facing life and death, shouldn't we give them something special? Letting them experience real love before it's too late… is that so wrong?"

Adam stopped, turning to face her, expressionless. "What do you think?"

"…" Lexie faltered but rallied her courage, meeting his gaze. "Jamie just collapsed and seized right in front of Beth—it terrified her. Their support group? Everyone else is gone. Like Beth said about Carol—she was on the phone with her one day, then dead in agony the next. It's just the two of them now. Earlier, Beth dragged herself out of her room—half-paralyzed, leaning on the wall, step by shaky step—just to see him while her parents were out. If I hadn't caught her in time…

"Jamie's about to go into surgery. Letting them see each other, be close, could boost their will to live. Doesn't experiencing love make you cling to it, desperate to hold on? Isn't that the best way to fire up their survival instincts? Dr. Duncan, you'd know better than anyone!" 😟

"…What's that supposed to mean?" Adam's lip twitched. "I get what you're saying, but my answer's still no.

"First off, we're doctors, they're patients—minors, no less. Beth's parents are right here in the hospital. You want us to 'grant their wish' to experience love for the first time? How's that work? Lie to her parents and play lookout for the little lovebirds?

"We're physicians, not matchmakers! That'd be a slap in the face to Beth's parents. If they found out, we'd be sued into next week.

"Second, you say giving them this 'first taste' might make them crave life more. Maybe. But it's just as likely they'd feel complete, no regrets left, and their will to live would tank. One whiff of pain, and they'd check out—no fight left. For high-stakes surgeries where grit's everything, that's a death sentence.

"And finally, Dr. Grey—don't you ever watch horror movies?"

"…Horror movies?" Lexie blinked, thrown off. "What do they have to do with this?"

"This clinical trial? Sure, it worked once by dumb luck, but it's still a gamble. I leaned on Mr. Aubrey's turnaround to pick two lucky candidates, hoping some mystical fortune would push this research forward." Adam stared her down, exasperated. "Life and death? That's pure terror. These surgeries are horror flicks for Beth and Jamie.

"You've seen the trope: the wildest ones die first. The more reckless, the faster they go. And there's an unspoken rule—virgins survive. So what are you doing? Getting all mushy and trying to grant their every wish, breaking Beth's lucky streak? Are you really helping her?"

"…" Lexie's jaw dropped. She thought it over—horror movies did play out like that.

But then—

"Dr. Duncan, how do you know everything?" she marveled. "You tie it all together like that?"

"Didn't you just say I'd 'know better than anyone'?" Adam cracked a grin, glad he'd rattled her.

Truth was, he was half-making it up. Horror movies did love that pattern—maybe the writers were sneaking in some PSA for reckless teens: cool it, or you're toast. Someone like Penny, all about sunbathing and living it up, would've been first to go. He even recalled one flick spelling out the "virgin survives" rule loud and clear.

And since this was a mashup world of TV dramas, those horror tropes probably held water. So when Lexie floated her "let's help these star-crossed kids hook up" plan, Adam's bad vibes hit overdrive.

"Grey, can I still trust you?" he asked, dead serious. "Do I need to pull you?"

If Lexie went rogue with this, any borrowed luck would vanish, and Adam would be screwed—dragon-to-the-face screwed. He'd swap her for Carter in a heartbeat if it wouldn't mess with Beth right before surgery.

Lookout duty? Cupid gig? No way—they're kids!

"No, no!" Lexie blurted. "Dr. Duncan, it was just a suggestion—I'd never go behind your back. You can trust me. I'd never betray you!"

Adam studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Hope so. Go—watch Beth properly. No more sneaking out."

"Yes, sir!" Lexie bolted off.

As Beth waited anxiously, the first surgery wrapped up.

"Good news, right?" Beth held her breath as Lexie burst in, beaming.

"Yep!" Lexie grinned. "Surgery went great. If he makes it through tonight, we're in the clear."

"Beth, you hear that?" Her parents sobbed with relief. "You can beat this too. Stay strong, okay? Fight to the end!"

"I will!" Beth nodded fiercely.

With Mr. Aubrey's luck on their side and Adam shutting down the devil's tempting whispers, Beth's surgery went off without a hitch—though not without some scares. Tonight was the make-or-break moment.

Adam moved them straight to the ICU, pulling an all-nighter with the team of four to keep watch.

The Next Day

"Hey."

"Hey."

When Beth and Jamie stirred awake, they turned to each other, voices soft but bright.

"We did it."

"We did it."

Their eyes sparkled with the joy of cheating death.

Beth's parents broke down in tears.

"Hey, Mom, Dad," Beth said, finally peeling her gaze from Jamie. She reached out, grabbing their hands—one each—smiling wide. "See? Not just for show anymore. We should be happy!"

"You're right," her parents choked out, clutching her once-paralyzed hands. "We're just so happy!"

"I hope one day we won't need luck to save patients like Beth and Jamie," Lexie said, teary-eyed.

Adam sighed. "That day'll come."

(End of Chapter)