Chapter 937 - 936: The Military Doctor Strikes

Medical Center

Dr. Burke didn't have Zhang Dapao's situation or mindset, so naturally, he couldn't relate to Zhang getting ditched at the altar.

After Christina wielded the scalpel and drew blood, she overheard Adam and Burke talking next door. The frustration and anger bottled up inside her melted away.

They truly loved each other.

No question about it.

As for the idea that Christina was just into experts and that's why she ended up with Burke? That might've been how it started.

But let's be real—when it came to experts, Christina had lived with a professor for three years who was considered the pinnacle of modern cardiothoracic surgery. Even Burke looked up to him. That guy had been dying to marry her, but Christina never said yes.

So this little hiccup before the wedding? Once they talked it out, the bride and groom, flanked by their best man and maid of honor, made their way back to the ceremony, one after the other.

Meredith drew a fake eyebrow on Christina.

Adam could've done it—probably even made it identical or better—but they decided against asking him.

Sure, Adam had Christina's back, no doubt. But the special, symbolic act of drawing her brows? She wasn't quite at that level of privilege with him.

Beep beep, beep beep.

At the wedding, Adam had just settled into his seat when his pager went off. He glanced at it and couldn't help but laugh.

With a grin at Burke, he walked into the bride's dressing room under everyone's curious stares.

"What's going on?" Adam teased. "We're about to play the bride's entrance music, and you're calling me in here now? Even in a novel, come on—who do you think I am?"

"Stop with the nonsense," Meredith shot back. "Christina dropped her vow card. I know you saw it—you've got that photographic memory. Hurry up and write it down for us."

"Oh, that's what this is about," Adam said, chuckling. He quickly grabbed a pen and paper, scribbled it down, and bolted out.

Christina had originally planned to just get the marriage license and call it a day. Her vows were short and sweet. If she weren't dealing with some pre-wedding jitters, she wouldn't have needed Adam to rewrite that tiny bit of text.

When he stepped out, he flashed a smile at the crowd—who'd all turned to look—and gave an "OK" gesture.

The bride's entrance music kicked in right on cue.

Christina's stepfather clearly didn't care much for his stepdaughter—he didn't even show up. So it was Meredith, the maid of honor, who supported her down the aisle, walking her over the red carpet to the altar where the groom and best man waited.

The bride locked eyes with the groom.

The maid of honor glanced at the best man.

It was kind of cute.

When it was time to read their vows, the best man, Dr. Shepherd, handed Burke a card. Burke raised a hand to wave it off, then turned to face his bride. Looking into her eyes, he recited the vows he'd written himself.

"Christina, I promise to hold your hand and cherish you. I promise to stand by your side, in sickness or in health. I could say that only death will part us—but I won't. Those kinds of vows are for optimistic couples, for people full of hope. On this wedding day, I'm not optimistic, and I'm not brimming with hope. But I am certain. I am resolute. I know my specialty is the heart. I take it out, I put it back, I hold it in my hands. I'm a cardiothoracic surgeon. So I'm certain—you're my partner, my love, my best friend. My heart beats because of you. On this day we marry, I promise to place my heart in your hands. I promise that I am yours."

Hearing those words, Adam glanced at Christina—who was already stunned—and let a small smile slip.

Burke wasn't just a top-tier cardiothoracic surgeon; he was a full-on artsy type. He loved music, played instruments, and now, with these vows he'd written—blending his profession into heartfelt words—he delivered them off the cuff in that soulful, poetic tone. The emotion was infectious.

Adam snuck a look around.

Not only was the bride moved, but most of the women at the wedding were too.

Inspired by Burke, Christina didn't even take the vow card Meredith offered. She went straight into her own heartfelt response.

Her delivery might not have hit Burke's level of impact, but it was still pretty darn good.

The only one unimpressed was Christina's mother-in-law, who kept staring at the fake eyebrows and the bare neck where a choker necklace—yanked off like a dog collar—used to be. She pursed her lips in silent judgment.

Clearly, the eternal trifecta of mother-in-law vs. daughter-in-law drama, tangled debts, and third-party scandals held the top spot, no matter the time or place.

Aside from the rocky start, the wedding went off without a hitch after their emotional vows.

Per tradition, they were supposed to head straight to their honeymoon afterward. But for two surgeons, life outside the hospital didn't hold much appeal. After a couple of days of fun, they were back at work.

"What are you doing here?" Christina asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise after fending off the staff's teasing questions upon her return.

"I retired from the military. I've been invited to take over as the ER director here," replied Major Hunter, the urban soldier king turned military doctor, with a glance at Christina's ringless finger and a smirk.

"ER director?" Christina shook her head. "The chief's lost his mind!"

"There might be a misunderstanding between us…" Hunter started to explain.

"No misunderstanding," Christina cut him off. "You don't need to explain anything to me."

With that, she turned to leave. She wasn't about to waste her time on this weirdo.

"Dr. Yang!" Hunter called after her, switching to his new ER director persona. "You're a resident. For the next few months, you'll be training under me. Don't be late."

"Training?" Christina stopped in her tracks, shooting him a puzzled look.

Hunter nodded and walked off without another word.

Meredith and the others soon confirmed it was legit.

All the surgical residents, including the interns, were summoned. They stood there in protective gear, buzzing with chatter about what was going on.

"I'm Dr. Hunter," the soldier-turned-doctor announced, bursting through the door with purpose and addressing the group. "For the next few months, I'm going to teach you how to save lives quickly and effectively. The scenario is this: your patient's got one hour to live. Anyone here squeamish about live treatment?"

He scanned the room, his eyes landing on Christina. Seeing a flicker of curiosity in her gaze, he smirked inwardly but kept his face stern. "If you've got a problem, speak up now or leave. Otherwise, you're mine for the day…"

Just when he thought he'd intimidated them all, a hand went up.

"Speak!" Hunter barked, frowning at the short guy.

"If we master the skills, can we leave early?" the little guy asked earnestly. "We're short on time and still have tasks from Dr. Duncan."

"You're one of Dr. Duncan's interns?" Hunter's eyes narrowed. "I've heard how impressive Dr. Duncan is, and it seems his interns are just as unique. The point of this training is to master the skills. If you can do that, you're free to go whenever."

(End of Chapter)