All Chapters of Flash Marriage with My Stoic Boss: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

40 Chapters

The Olympic Patient

Black Monday earned its name.Dr. Vaughn's clinic day. The department chair only saw patients one day a week — maybe a dozen slots. Every single case was a puzzle other hospitals couldn't solve. Every single one got admitted.With scheduled consults on top, Nora didn't sit down all day. Eating bread required an appointment.Zoe patted her shoulder. "Chief. Think of it as the universe's final test before your term ends."Nora handed her a container of peach gum — Vivian's morning delivery. "I accept the universe's test. I just want zero emergency consults before end of shift."Zero emergencies. Impossible.She'd barely finished the peach gum."Dr. Ward. Multidisciplinary consult. Fourth floor. Thirty minutes.""Cardiac Surgery again?" Zoe caught the voice on the phone.Nora nodded. "Neurosurgery too this time."Dr. Zhao was at a conference out of town. Adrian was carrying the whole department.Thirty minutes of waiting — enough for him to get back from the branch hospital.In the consu

Shared Breath

Elective surgeries. When a procedure was going smoothly, surgeons talked. Gossip. Jokes. Kept the mood up and the hands steady.Deputy Director Wang had the table today. Nora was first assist.The second assist started it. "Saw Dr. Sterling by the scrub sinks again. She's been in our department every day for two weeks. Hasn't missed one, has she?"Wesley shook his head. "She missed the day Dr. Cross was at the branch."The perfusionist, who worked with Adrian constantly, chimed in. "Our center finally gets a young hotshot, and before we can even recruit internally, another department's circling. I veto this.""Wang, you're vetoing something?" The deputy director was amused. "We have two female doctors. Is Zoe Harper going to compete with the dean's niece?"Quinn Sterling was the dean's niece?Nora hadn't known.The perfusionist shot back. "If Zoe's out, we still have Nora.""Leave Dr. Vaughn's student alone," Deputy Director Wang said, protective.The surgeon caught himself. "Nora, I

Hospital Rumors

"...What fish?"The pivot was too fast. Nora's brain didn't catch up."Oh. The merit rabbit?"She turned and clicked the icon twice. The rabbit reappeared. Knock. +1 Merit."It's a widget. Not auto-launch."Something flickered across her face. She spun around. Pointed at Adrian."I just remembered. The day we admitted bed sixteen — you didn't knock the fish."Now Adrian was the one caught off guard."...That's on me?""It is." Nora looked genuinely displeased. "The endpoint of medicine is superstition. How else do you explain that monthly triple-department consult arriving out of nowhere?"Adrian laughed. Had no comeback.The last person who'd pinned him like this was Vivian.Long shifts, chronic exhaustion. Derek's voice in his head — take care of your wife.Adrian looked at Nora. Held out his hands. "Email me the file. I'll knock."Husbandly duty.Nora tested the waters. "You're on call tonight. Want to knock now?"She pushed the laptop toward him.Adrian paused. Relented.Long fing

He Has Someone

The two nurses nearly jumped out of their skin. "Chief—""What are you talking about?" Adrian's tone was mild. Almost smiling.The nurses exchanged a look and shook their heads so fast it was a blur. "Nothing. Nothing at all."Adrian didn't press it. He walked away.The moment he was out of earshot: "We should have taken this to the group chat.""He didn't seem mad. If things get weird, we can ask Dr. Sterling to put in a good word tomorrow—""Dr. Sterling's close with the nurses?"Leo Hart had been dragged in by a late-night call from the chief. He'd thought he'd slept through an emergency consult and a patient had died on his watch. He was already halfway to a prison cell in his head.Turned out it was just about Dr. Sterling.His blood pressure had hit 160 for nothing.He wasn't sure what Adrian was getting at. He stole a careful glance. "Pretty close, I'd say."Anyone with eyes could see Dr. Sterling's interest. Leo couldn't believe Adrian hadn't noticed.Adrian hadn't noticed.Hi

Not Separate Bedrooms

Everyone in the department knew Nora didn't gossip. The scrub nurses let the topic drop.But Nora still found out. Back in the office, Zoe told her."You two have no subtlety! I was sweating bullets trying to cover for you with Summer yesterday. And you just handed your luggage to him?"Nora winced. "I didn't know he was going to use it like that."If she'd known, she never would have agreed.Fair point. Adrian didn't need a secret marriage. Zoe shifted to a different worry. "But him walking around with your luggage — could someone recognize it?""No. I just bought those."Zoe exhaled. "Okay. Good."A pause. Then, quieter: "Actually, his approach is pretty smart. Keeps Quinn Sterling's dignity intact. Kills the rumor in one move."Nora hadn't thought of that. She was too tired to process."So." Zoe nudged her. "Suitcases are gone. When are you moving?"—Sunday.Winter ER traffic c

Living Together

Jenny leaned closer to her screen. "Don't you think it's almost therapeutic?""Therapeutic?" Nora laughed at the word choice.Jenny was getting more convinced by the minute. "Your husband. Polished on the outside. Iron underneath.""And you — overthinking everything. No security. You need exactly that kind of man.""Twisted people need a partner who won't leave.""Besides. You're the impressive one."Nora raised an eyebrow. Jenny's best-friend filter was set too high."It's not a filter!" Jenny insisted. "Think about it. You and Adrian work at the same hospital. Other people got there on cruise ships. You paddled a rowboat. Alone. Don't you deserve to be proud of that?"Talking to Jenny always lifted her mood."The luckiest thing that ever happened to me was finding a friend like you."Maybe Jenny's words helped. Maybe her body just gave out. Nora slept until dark.No curtains drawn. City glow through

Very Good... Physique

Adrian had made it clear that afternoon — this was a real marriage.That made sex unavoidable. Nora had been too embarrassed to raise it. Adrian threw it onto the table without flinching."Relax. I don't pressure people.""What I said earlier about not separating — that was just a reminder. Normal marriage. That's all.""Nora. The feeling I get from you right now — you're in a contract. Not a connection."This wasn't a business arrangement. Nora was the right person. He'd known it from the start.He didn't want this to keep twisting into something uncomfortable. Better to put everything on the table now."Cultivating feelings — I can be patient. But I need you to meet me halfway."Nora's hesitation had always been about being grounded. She couldn't afford to invest in something that might collapse. But Adrian's words were direct. He was telling her exactly how seriously he took this marriage.And

The Non-Clingy Sister-in-Law and the Clingy Brother

"A joint event with Cardiac Surgery?!"Zoe nearly dropped her phone.Dr. Vaughn snorted. "You're more excited about a trip than you've ever been about a surgery."He skipped the vote. "It's decided."Combined department outings weren't unusual. No one objected.—Residency over. No night shifts.Nora texted Jenny days in advance. Dinner. Celebrate.5:30 PM. Jenny's Bentley pulled up in front of the outpatient building. She'd been waiting more than a year for a real dinner with Nora. She wanted drinks."No alcohol." Nora shut it down. "Work tomorrow."Jenny whined. "Babe, you don't take night call anymore. Have one drink with me. Work's been killing me."Law and medicine were both high-pressure. Jenny's baseline was optimistic. If she said she was stressed, she meant it.Nora gave ground. "Another night. A night when I can really drink with you. Promise."Stubborn about work. Always had b

Disappointed by What You Saw?

Lesson learned. Nora set her alarm half an hour earlier.No night emergencies. Eight hours of sleep. Enough.Up. Wash. And then, at the door — yesterday's floor show replayed in her head. She froze.Fitness equipment clanking in the living room. If Adrian was shirtless again—If he was, should she stare straight ahead? Pretend she didn't notice? Act casual?Neither approach felt right. She stood there, running mental scenarios.The apartment was too quiet. The faintest door creak gave her away.Adrian was on the balcony. Core work. He turned at the sound.Then saw nothing — just a head peeking around the corner."Morning."Long sleeves. Long pants. Nora exhaled. Straightened her collar. Walked out calmly. "Morning."The covert surveillance had been noted. Nora scrambled to cover. "You're wearing clothes today. For your workout."Adrian looked down at himself. Connected the dots. The

Checking In

"Do you think Quinn suspects something?"Zoe's heart had clenched when Nora recapped the consult room conversation. "That last line — what was she trying to say?"Nora shook her head. "I don't know. One step at a time."Not every ex-chief resident was eligible for attending promotion. It depended on openings. Nora was lucky — Cardiology had one slot. Applications opened after New Year.Zoe was already praying. "Please. No drama before your review."Nora kept her head level. "Focus on what's in front of me."In front of her: the department trip.Joint outing. Cardiac Surgery and Cardiology. Dr. Zhao's assistant and Dr. Vaughn's assistant organized. A group chat was created for headcount. The two senior directors were paying — not attending. Someone had to hold down the hospital in case of emergencies.The destination was set: a new hot spring resort outside the city.When the room roster went around, Nor

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