Grey's Anatomy, Season 12

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] So you might be thinking, I’ve been here before. This is familiar. This is old hat. Maybe you’re wondering why we are here. But I promise, you are about to find out that everything has changed.

Stephanie:
You are kind of a legend with the interns and residents.

Arizona:
Go on.

Stephanie:
You're one of the Seattle Grace Five.

Arizona:
I survived a plane crash. Uh, big deal.

Stephanie:
And a car crash. And a shooting. You might be immortal. You mastered one of the most exclusive specialties basically overnight, and then you took Herman's job and her eyesight.

Arizona:
Okay, that's... that's just...

Stephanie:
You have screwed dozens of interns, and you got them all fired. You speak really fast, like superhuman fast. You have a weird name.

Arizona:
You know, that's not true. That's not true. I only slept with one intern, and I have an awesome name! I mean, like what man, what? What else? I mean what do people have a problem with the fact that I have one leg. I mean, do people actually go there and talk crap about a one-legged woman? Because that is just discrimination against amputees.

Stephanie:
They say you have two legs and you are only pretending one is amputated. For the parking space.

Bailey:
This is not a stepping stone for me. I believe in this hospital and what it can do. And I wanna push this bucket of boats to do the most impossible things you have ever seen. And then I'll do more. Because this is my challenge.

Bethany Tanner:
You have some nerve coming here.

Steven Tanner:
Bethany...

Maggie:
Mrs. Tanner, I would like to apologize. I was totally out of line before...

Bethany Tanner:
To think I trusted you to treat my daughter.

Steven Tanner':
Bethany!

Bethany Tanner:
I am suing you, and everyone else we have met in this god-forsaken—!

Steven Tanner:
BETHANY, SHUT UP! No one is suing, no one is pressing charges, the only one who should be apologizing is you! We almost lost our child today! She almost died! We are not sending Jess away! This stops now, do you hear me? It stops now!

Bethany Tanner:
Steven, what are you saying?

Steven Tanner:
This stops, or I am gone. I will leave, and I will take Jess with me, and you will never see her again! I don't care if she’s gay! I care if she's loved, I care if she's happy! And that is what you should care about! What is wrong with you that you don't?!

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] I want you to stop and take a closer look at the body in front of you. There's nothing special about it. It's just a body. So why are you here? What's so different? What's changed? My answer is you. The thing's that changed is you. I want you to throw everything you think you know about anatomy out the window and look at this cadaver like you've never seen a human body before. Now pick up your scalpels, place them below the xiphoid process, press firmly, no regrets, and let's begin.

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] The body has approximately eleven organ systems, all doing different things at the same time. In order to keep us functioning, or, well, alive, they need one voice, a leader, a master. And in our brains, that job belongs to the pituitary gland. It senses the body's needs before they even arise, working non-stop. The pituitary gland communicates with all of the other glands, telling them when to produce the vital hormones we need to function. It keeps everything running smoothly, in perfect order. There's no denying it. It has the toughest job in the place.

Bailey:
See, when Webber had this job, it was easier for him. And Hunt had it easier than I do. You know why?

Meredith:
I don't.

Bailey:
Because they had me. I need a me, and I believe that you can be a me for me. I need you to be my me. That's what they don't know I'd like to appoint you chief of general surgery.

Meredith:
Me?

Bailey:
Because you deserve it. Because you can take it. Because I leaned on you, and you held me up. You are the calm in the center of the chaos. You have been since I met you. And I need you.

Callie:
This place is run by ladies. It's lady place.

Maggie:
No, it's not lady place. Lady place is what my grandmother calls her vagina. To anyone who will listen, by the way. She is not shy. No, we can't call this place lady place. I don't need to think of that sweet, sweet, raunchy, old lady's vag every time I walk through the doors.

Alex:
Me neither, but I will now.

Webber:
[to Bailey]You want someone to run a four-minute mile, you don't chase them. You don't give them something to run from. You give them someone to run to.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] Without a strong leader, the whole machine's out of whack. But it's pretty simple if the brain's working, the body will listen. Your limbs want to hold you up. Your lungs want to breathe. Your heart wants to beat. But none of them are any good without the brain. The brain keeps everything all together. Like a boss.

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] The body is a bundle of possibility. Every time we cut one open, we're faced with a series of decisions. Some choices are made for you. But for the most part, surgery is a choose your own adventure.

Arizona:
[to Alex]Do you remember the first time we ever talked? Really talked? We were on a plane, and we just picked up a transplant organ from a kid who died. And you were upset and pissy because you thought that I didn't care. But I thought, "Wow, this guy could do it. He cares enough about this work. This guy has it." And I know that day, Alex, and today... I have been so proud of you.

Bailey:
Why you furrowing your brow at me?

Webber:
I would think that you of all people-- This hospital's first female chief of surgery-- Would fight for a woman to get paid at least as much as any man.

Bailey:
This is about Meredith Grey.

Webber:
I mean, if you do not value her enough, then just--

Bailey:
It is inappropriate for me to discuss the salary of another employee.

Webber:
She deserves more, and you know it.

Bailey:
I do, and don't ever suggest to me that I do not stand in sisterhood with other women in this hospital. You've never been 4'11" tall and overlooked and called 'girl' by your male colleagues. You don't know. I am woman. Hear me roar. But I've already mentored Grey. I've already taught her what she needs to know. And now that I'm chief of this hospital, it's not my fault if she's not used the skills that I taught her. And it's not my job to be giving away money when it's not asked for. You have coddled her. Y--Y-- Since Derek, you have coddled her, and I won't do that. No, she needs to rise. And she needs to rise on her own so she knows she can rise on her own. Because... You may not be here the next time she falls. She needs to fight for herself.

Webber:
Okay.

Bailey:
This is what a feminist looks like, sir.

Maggie:
I make terrible choices. I leave things behind and just let the bridges burn. I did it with Ethan. I did it with Dean. Oh, my God. I did it with my entire life. One day, I chose to learn a little bit about my birth mother. Cut to I live in her house with her daughter, and I work with the kind stranger who fathered me, and I left behind an entire life and family that no longer exists. My parents are divorced. My childhood home is sold. My mother is in Hawaii making soups now. I—I have no home. It's like I-I flew to this planet on an exploratory mission, and the earth blew up behind me and I can't go back. And now I'm here with you aliens. Except I'm the alien, and I'm all alone, and I have nothing, and no one wants me.

Callie:
That...

Meredith:
You got us. We want you.

Maggie:
I can't have sex with you. (starts sobbing)

Meredith:
No.

Maggie:
You're a cylon. This is "Galatica".

Amelia:
I really do like her. She makes me not the crazy sister.

Meredith:
what do you think they're paying her?

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] When you're faced with the tough choices, it comes down to you. What can you live with? What can you leave behind? Right or wrong, you have to decide what you're willing to go down fighting for. The choice is yours.

Meredith:
[to Alex, as she gets in his car] Good morning.

Amelia:
[to Maggie, as they're getting in the car] You said you were drunk. Can I at least ask if you used a condom?

Maggie:
Shut... up. [shuts car door]

Amelia:
Look, there is a jumbo box of condoms under the bathroom sink. I share. They are for everyone.

Alex:
Jumbo? Seriously?

Amelia:
I was being optimistic.

Meredith:
Wait. That was you making all that noise last night? I thought that was Amelia. Well, you aren't shy. And you have a filthy mouth.

Maggie:
Okay, can we not talk about this? Please. I am begging you.

Amelia:
So, the intern was good in bed.

Meredith:
Intern? What intern? Maggie, what intern?

Maggie:
Alex can hear us.

Meredith:
Alex doesn't care about this. Do you care, Alex?

Alex:
Do I care about any of this conversation? No.

Amelia:
Did he visit Ladytown? Because I find if they don't go down to Ladytown the first time, there should be no next time.

Meredith:
She's right about that.

Maggie:
No more talking! If either of you says another word, I will jump out of this car while it is moving. And Ladytown is just as bad as Ladyplace.

Meredith:
Geez. So sensitive.

Amelia:
Just trying to be nice. Take an interest. God.

Alex:
Hey, what time do you want me at your house tonight?

Meredith:
Why are you coming to my house tonight?

Alex:
You're having a dinner party.

Amelia:
Oh, the dinner party. No, that's not tonight.

Maggie:
No, that's weeks away. It's on the--

Meredith:
Dinner party's on the 14th, Alex.

Alex:
Today is the 14th. You people need adult supervision.

Maggie:
There was so much sex. Hot, hot sex. Everything hurts. My back, my hip, the top of my head. I feel like I'm 80. Oh, my god. He's an intern. Who does that? Who screws the interns? What kind of person does that?

Meredith:
[laughs] The father of my children.

Maggie:
Oh, Meredith. Okay, I didn't mean you know I didn't mean I'm very sorry.

Meredith:
It's fine. Just relax. You think you're the first person to have inappropriate work sex? We all do it all over the hospital.

Arizona:
Abe. He was... in love. He met the love of his life when he was 85, and he was gonna propose to her. But he died.

April:
Oh. I'm sorry.

Arizona:
God, I felt like I could talk to him forever. He made me feel like... you know, I never really believed that I'd find love again. Not anything real or true. I thought that I had it and I screwed it up, and that was over. Then he was madly in love at 85, and that is proof that there is... there is more love out there. Callie might've found hers and I can find mine, even if it's in 60 years.

April:
[crying] I don't want to find a new soul mate when I'm 90! I met mine already and he wants a divorce.

Arizona:
Aww, sweetie. This is about me. This isn't about you.

Meredith:
[to the interns] When you walk into a room to tell someone that their loved one has died, it's more than just a list of bullet points you've memorized. Yours is the face they will remember for the rest of their life. They were fine before they met you. They picked up their children from school, they made dinner, and they got a call. The police showed up at their door and brought them here with those children to this room so that you can give them the worst news of their entire life. You are changing this person's life forever. You are responsible for this moment. For the instant that person goes from wife to widow is you. All you. Nobody but you. So, this person isn't an inconvenience. They are not a box on a list to be checked off. You are a part of their life now. Your words, your face. So take that seriously and recognize the importance of your role. And respect the fact that that person's pain is the biggest thing in the room.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] There are some things in life that simply can't be avoided, no matter how uncomfortable they make us and there can't be rewards in stepping outside your comfort zone. Even when the thought of it makes us want to puke. Even when we want nothing more than to run screaming for the hills. That's why people love to say that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. But sometimes, those people don't know what the hell they're talking about.

Amelia:
You knew who she was all night, and you never bothered telling me? She killed Derek! You invite her in here. Y-you let me sit there and talk to her all I well, I hugged her! Why?! W-why would you do that to me?

Meredith:
I did this to you?

Amelia:
You should've told me. You should have. I thought that you and I––

Meredith:
(screaming) I did. nothing. to you. I lost my husband and the father of my children and you're falling apart? I don't get to do that because I have three kids, so, please, SHUT UP AND GET OUT OF MY ROOM!!

Owen:
[entering the room] Meredith---

[shrieking] GET HER OUT OF HERE BEFORE I KILL HER!!!!!!!!

Owen:
When the plane crashed, when I heard Cristina's plane had crashed, my first thought was that she was dead, and for a moment, I felt relieved. And for a moment... I felt relieved. I felt terrible for feeling it, but it was there. And I always knew on some level she'd leave me, and I wasn't ready to be hurt like that. So if she was dead, we would stay frozen in time forever. And she'd be gone, but it wouldn't be so hard. It wouldn't be a choice, to walk away, to choose something else, to move to Switzerland and start another life. I was relieved that it was over with a minimum of damage, and I hate myself for that. So I am not perfect, Amelia. I can be selfish, and I can be scared, and I make things harder than I need to. I know I do. I make things hard for us.

Amelia:
Wow. That is the worst thing I have ever heard. No, really, don't ever do drugs because you will never be able to stop.

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] According to this man's family, he was not a smoker, but the truth is he smoked two packs a day, in his car for twenty years, while his wife and children slept. Sometimes, the patient's shame is the elephant in the room. They try to hide it from us, but you can't hide from a surgeon because the body doesn't lie. The truth is right here for everyone to see and it doesn't need to say a single word.

Arizona:
I'm saying I know what it's like when it feels like everything's coming apart, and you need something to pull it together. I just... I know.

Webber:
We need to talk.

Meredith:
What's wrong?

Webber:
I thought you were stepping up, putting Blake on your service, but what I saw in that O.R wasn't teaching.

Meredith:
She crapped out on a basic surgical principle.

Webber:
You were hazing her.

Meredith:
If she cracks under the pressure of an emergent surgery, she does not belong in this program.

Webber:
Blake was at the top of her class at Dillard. Her references were impeccable. I checked them myself.

Meredith:
You checked? So you knew where she was from? You checked her case record? Her losses? Did you know that she--

Webber:
She was an excellent candidate. You were the only reason not to hire her.

Meredith:
And you didn't find that reason enough? (walks away)

Webber:
I didn't want Blake here. I fought it.

Meredith:
Then why did you hire her?

Webber:
Because I've been accused of coddling you, and I didn't want to do that. I didn't think you'd want me to. That was one reason. I didn't want you here, either. When you were accepted to this program, I didn't know how I was gonna look at you every day... and be reminded of the best and worst times of my life. And you walked in, the spitting image of your mother. Talented, smart... here-- Every day. And I decided that wasn't fair to you. I decided to put aside my personal feelings to--

Meredith:
Rise above.

Webber:
And I'm glad I did that. Every day.

Meredith:
He would have said the same thing. Derek-- He probably would have even liked her.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] They say shame controls every aspect of human behavior. It's about who we believe we are. But in the end, you can't hide, and the body doesn't lie. The truth is right there for the world to see. Our shame can choke us. Kill us. Can rot us from the inside, if we decide to let it. Don't let that happen to you.

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] Every surgeon is trained to look for problems. To look at a person and say: "What's wrong with you?" We're trained to foresee the ugliest possible outcome. When your job is to make people better, you're automatically inclined to look for the worst in them.

Meredith:
I made a promise to Cristina that I wouldn't let you go dark and twisty, that I'd be your person if you needed one.

Owen:
I don't want to talk.

Meredith:
Okay. You don't have to. But just tell me... Do we hate him?

Owen:
We hate him.

Meredith:
Okay, then we hate him.

Nathan:
Dr. Grey, right?

Meredith:
Yep.

Nathan:
Yours is easy to remember. It's on all the hospital stationery... What's the story there?

Meredith:
That's too long a story to tell.

Nathan:
I was actually headed across the street. I was gonna grab a drink or something, are you headed that way, or...? [Meredith is thinking]

Meredith:
I'm a friend of Owen Hunt's [Elevator bell dings, and Meredith gets off]

Nathan:
I see.

Meredith:
So, no.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] It's hard to fight against certain biases. It's important to keep an open mind. It's how we learn. It's how we grow. It's how we move forward. Until we don't. Until we let our bias take over. Until we succumb to what feels right, or good, or satisfying in that moment, because even then, deep down inside, we usually know we're going to regret it.

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] They say you fight fire with fire. We do it in medicine all the time. We cut you to repair your injury. We hurt you to heal you. We stoke the flames, but playing with fire is a dangerous thing.

Amelia:
Why are you shutting me out of this?

Meredith:
Because this does not concern you.

Amelia:
But it concerns you?

Meredith:
No, it doesn't. I made a promise that I would help him keep his head above water.

Amelia:
Promised who?

Meredith:
To Cristina. So I am watching him, and I am letting him be, and I am not sticking my nose...

Amelia:
What does Cristina have to do with this? You're in some sort of three-way trust circle with Owen and his ex-girlfriend?

Meredith:
Ex-wife.

Amelia:
God. Meredith, you are the most loyal person I have ever met to everyone except me. You're loyal to some woman halfway across the world...

Meredith:
Yes, I am.

Amelia:
...when I am right here. Cristina left you. I'm here. I'm your sister.

Meredith:
You are not my sister. Cristina is my sister. You are Derek's sister, and Derek is gone.

Penny:
Dr. Grey, I changed the mediastinal drains...

Amelia:
(to Penny, screaming) Get out! (to Meredith) Is this why you hate me? 'Cause I remind you of him? Does it help you to hate me? Asking you not to push me. Am I like her... something you cling to to keep the memory alive? You are such a child. You wrap her around you like some sick widow shawl. The widow Grey. She's okay. She's moving on. She'll never love again, but she's holding it together. That is crap. You've given up. You are crawling into your little hole and dying. You are hollow. And Derek would be sick about it if he could see it. He would be disgusted.

Meredith:
I want you out of my house.

Amelia:
Done!

April:
I want to end where we began, in a bed, in love, and I just want to keep us there for a minute. And anything you say right now is gonna ruin it, so please just don't!

Jackson:
Don't you see? This is what you do. You just decide how things are gonna go.

April:
I am not the one deciding in this situation!

Jackson:
Of course you're the one deciding!

April:
What?!

Jackson:
April, you're always deciding! You decide to go to Jordan. You decide to leave. You decide to stay. You decide you need me, then you decide you don't. You decide we can talk. You decide we cannot.

April:
I don't want to talk because I know what you're gonna say! You're gonna say you love me but...

Jackson:
You don't know what I'm going to say!

April:
I'm pretty sure I do.

Jackson:
It doesn't matter! You don't!

April:
Fine! Then go ahead! Say it.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] When we strike that match, we like to think we can control the burn. We like to think we have any control at all, but fire is wildly difficult to contain. And just when you think you've extinguished the blaze, it reignites. It sucks in air and burns hotter and brighter than ever.

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] In group settings, men are 75% more likely to speak up than women. And when a woman does speak up, it's statistically probable her male counterparts will either interrupt her, or speak over her. It's not because they're rude, it's science. The female voice is scientifically proven to be more difficult for a male brain to register. What does this mean? It means, in this world, where men are bigger, stronger, faster, if you're not ready to fight, the silence will kill you.

Webber:
[to Meredith] She [Amelia] came to see you the night after the attack. She was drunk. She was upset because you called her for a consult that day, the day of the attack, and she the choice between coming to you and going to another trauma. She went to the other trauma because she was mad at you. Forgiveness is a powerful thing, Meredith. Not only to make the other person feel good, but to heal you. You need to forgive her, Meredith. Forgive her for not being Derek. For being the wrong Shepherd. Just enough to remind you of what's missing, but not enough to bring him back. That's not her fault. You need to forgive her. You don't have to like her. You don't have to love her. Look, forgive her, okay? So you can forgive Blake for being in that room when a wrong decision caused you your husband. To forgive Derek for dying too soon. To forgive yourself for hating him for dying too soon. Let it go, Meredith, and forgive.

Alex:
[to Webber] We're all her family in here

Amelia:
That's my 30 day chip. I'm sober and I'm starting back at work on Monday, so I'm trying. I'm trying.

Meredith:
I know you are.

Amelia:
You can talk! That's great. They took the wires off?

Meredith:
Yeah, this morning. I'm just not ready to forgive you yet.

Amelia:
I'm not exactly ready either. I'll see you later.

Meredith:
See you later.

Meredith:
[to Alex] I just spent six weeks in a bed unable to speak. When that you happens, you see things. It's a lot of things that people don't say to each other that they should just say, so I need you to hear me when I say this. I know I've needed you a lot lately, but I also know and I have known for a long time that Jo loves you. Post-it-on-the-wall loves you. Don't ignore that. You can have more than one person. I used to think you couldn't, but now I know, I mean, turns out I have a whole damn village. So, you don't have to worry about me. Go be with Jo. I'll be fine. I'm okay.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] Don't let fear keep you quiet. You have a voice. So use it. Speak up. Raise your hands. Shout your answers. Make yourself heard. Whatever it takes. Just find your voice and when you do, fill the damn silence.

Bailey:
Page Riggs.

April:
He just said...

Bailey:
I can hear.

April:
You know that Dr. Hunt punched Dr. Riggs.

Bailey:
The only way they're gonna learn to work together is if they work together, so any cardio consults that get paged to the pit, you page Riggs.

April:
You know this is my one happy place right now? Please don't make it a crappy place.

Bailey:
Oh, Kepner. I feel you. I do. Page Riggs.

Amelia:
Hey, you ready? I'm starving.

Owen:
Listen, can we do this another night? Uh, okay. I'm not hungry, and I don't want to...

Amelia:
What's wrong?

Owen:
Nothing, nothing. Just be better another night, okay?

Amelia:
Is this about Riggs?

Owen:
Can you... I'm not getting into it. Everything doesn't need to be talked about.

Amelia:
Okay. Yeah, I understand. So another time you will call me, and we'll go out. But you won't, will you? Or you will and I will cave and go and I will talk too much and you will say nothing. And I'm... I don't know how to do this thing that you do where you make me feel like crap and there are no words coming out of your mouth. So... Whatever. You'll call me maybe... Or maybe not. And maybe I will not care.

Owen:
I had a sister. Megan. She was three years younger than me. Smarter than me, funnier than me... Better person than me, okay? But she did everything I did. We went to med school together, and that's where we met Riggs. Nate was my best friend. And Megan loved him. And he was with her the day that we lost her. I trusted him with her, and he was like a brother to me. And he should've... But he didn't. And I don't talk about it.

Meredith:
I want to go to bed.

Alex:
Oh, I do, too, and I can't go home.

Callie:
I don't want to go home, alone. I miss Penny. I miss having sex. Ugh. Penny and I had the greatest sex. It was that "journey of discovery" great sex you have in the beginning.

Alex:
Jo and I had sex like that all the time.

Callie:
And now no Penny, no sex. No sex with Penny. None of it.

Meredith:
Okay, let's not talk about sex, because the Chief is here.

Bailey:
I'm just eating my pizza. Besides, it sounds like none of y'all are getting any anyway.

Alex:
Pierce is getting some.

Maggie:
No, I'm not. Don't say that. Forget he said that.

April:
[opening voice-over] In trauma, we're concerned with one overriding question. How did this happen? What was the mechanism of injury? How do we see pass the mess and confusion of trauma to figure out what the damage actually is? Infinite possibilities put the patient on the table in front of you. Now you have to figure out, will they live? Will you be able to save them or are they a lost cause? Every part of a trauma tells a different piece of the story and until you look at each and every injury, you can see what went wrong.

April:
What...what is it Jackson? What... what pisses you off so much... that I chose to go after the thing that I needed to heal or that the thing I needed wasn't you?

April:
[closing voice-over] We talk about the mechanism of injury, about where it all started, but the truth is, it's sort of a myth. We can't boil every injury down to one single blow. What hurts us is cumulative. It happens over time. We absorb blow after blow, shock after shock, painful hit after hit. But even then, even if we know exactly how we got here, it doesn't mean we can fix it. we can't heal every wound and that's okay. I have to believe it's okay. I have to believe that even if something seems like it cannot be fixed, it doesn't mean it's broken.

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] Any day where no one died is a good day. Someone said that once. Wait, it was me. I said it. Any day you wake up and your body's still moving is a good day. You can start over. You can forget your past mistakes. You can make a new start. Live everyday like it's your last. All that crap they put on pillows and car bumpers, it's all true. You're alive. Respect that. Not everybody is.

Meredith:
Hey, Katie Bryce is back.

Bailey:
Katie who?

Meredith:
Katie Bryce. Day one of my internship, mystery seizures. Cristina and I solved it, Derek operated. It was my first surgery, Bailey. How do you not remember this?

Bailey:
You were an intern, Grey. You weren't even a person to me yet... (she looks Katie) Oh, Katie Bryce! When Derek had all the interns chasing their tail for the answer...

Meredith:
Yes!

Bailey:
...and he was chasing your tail?

Meredith:
Yes...

Amelia:
Today, I get this woman with a live grenade in her head who happens to be Derek and Meredith's surgical love child, and I get to screw this up now too. I think I'm going to kill this girl.

Owen:
You want to know what I think? I think that if there were any other surgeon's name on this old chart, you wouldn't be thinking twice about this.

Amelia:
Meredith doesn't think I can do it.

Owen:
Who cares what she thinks? Meredith is not a neurosurgeon, and she certainly isn't you. Why are you giving a second to what she thinks? You're the one who has to do it, Amelia. So just do it.

Arizona:
Richard, I owe you. I'm too young and too fun to spend the rest of my life alone, and I was too scared to try. But you helped me remember what it was like when I was open and confident and fun and a little slutty. You helped me be slutty again.

Webber:
Well, I'm not sure I'd phrase it like that.

Arizona:
You helped me fly. So... good job! Thank you.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] We can start over. Every day, we get second chances to become who we always wanted to be. We can leave our past behind or we can learn from it and honor it. We can decide. It's never too late to change. These people don't have that chance. They left it to you. They let you learn from them, so let's say thank you and not screw it up.

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] Back in med school, I knew a guy who spent his weekends as a magician for children's birthday parties. It makes a weird kind of sense. If you plan on sawing a person in half, you're going to need to practice. When you take the stage and all eyes are on you, you don't want the audience to see you sweat, you only want them to see the magic.

Callie:
Everything's gonna be fine, you guys. We just have to be squirrels about this.

Jackson:
Couldn't have heard you correctly there.

Callie:
Oh, you know, squirrels. They store nuts for the winter, right? But they don't do it all at once. They do it one nut at a time. Everyone has their part to play, so everyone just needs to handle their own nut. We do that, we get all the nuts.

Will:
I'm Sergeant Carson's surgeon. And you are... the "Dream Team"? You can't just make decisions for my patient.

Bailey:
Uh, we're not here to step on toes, Doctor.

Will:
You're here to make my patient a guinea pig.

Jackson:
How about we take a step back?

Will:
How about you take 10 steps back, through that door, because no one's touching my patient!

Joel:
Thorpe...

Bailey:
Sir, I understand that you want what's best for your patient. Is the surgery new and risky? Yes, it is. But if it works...

Callie:
Oh, it'll work. Major Thorpe, your Chief asked for our help because he knows we're the best. Now, you called us the Dream Team, and that's exactly what we are. We are miracle workers. Now, the sooner you recognize that, the sooner we can get to the business of saving a life, which is all any of us are here to do, yourself included.

Ben:
I actually loved high school.

Stephanie:
I bet. Everybody loved high school in the '50s.

Maggie:
Um, Dr. Riggs? I'm sorry. I cannot join you on that case tonight because I have plans... with Dr. DeLuca. A date.

Nathan:
Okay.

Maggie Whom I've been seeing. We've been seeing each other... as a couple, romantically... in romance.

Nathan:
So you want to keep the surgery this morning, then?

Maggie Yes, that would be fine.

Nathan:
Okay. All right. I'll see you in there.

Arizona:
That was hard to watch.

Maggie Shut up. It was hard to do.

Arizona:
It was really hard to watch, though.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] There's a reason we like to keep things to ourselves. When you have an audience, even the smallest moments end up feeling huge. It makes the big moments seem positively earth-shattering. The trick is, not letting the pressure keep you from taking big chances. You just get out there, naked and afraid, and pretend no one's looking.

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] When babies are born, they usually come out crying like there's no tomorrow. It's loud, it's jarring, and it's completely unfair. That adorable tiny baby was forced out of its mother's womb, and forced to breathe outside air into its brand new little lungs. It's human nature. No one wants to be left out in the cold, rejected and alone.

Meredith:
You're just not Blake, and so let's prep for the EGD and page me when we're ready.

Jo:
No. I'm not Blake. I'm Wilson. Jo Wilson. Dr. Josephine Alice Wilson. I'm a surgeon. I'm a human being. I'm not some stupid lump that you can just kick around or talk down to or talk down about or dismiss and discount. I get it. You don't like me, but I'm here. I'm in Alex's life, and I'm staying. And you have to start respecting that.

Meredith:
I don't know where you're getting this.

Jo:
I'm trying to move forward, okay? And I can't because you're always around the corner blocking my way, making everything so damn hard.

Meredith:
You are overreacting.

Jo:
No, I'm not. That's exactly what I'm talking about. I'm done. I'm done with all of it. You know, call your damn Army guy back and get your own boyfriend.

April:
I'm not telling him because we have been through enough. Especially him. Because he never got over the last one. He never had the chance to, and I am hanging on to every last shred of faith I have that this time, it'll be okay. But he doesn't have that. So it'll just be better if he doesn't know yet.

Alex:
It won't. You're making it worse.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] Affection, acceptance, and unconditional love. We all want it. We all look for it. But when we find it, it's flat-out terrifying. Because just as quickly as we may have found it, it can disappear. And we're back out there in the cold, alone.

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] We cover up injuries with tape and gauze to protect the injury, to prevent infection, to save the patient from further suffering. The hard part comes when you have to rip the bandage off, because that can hurt like hell.

Alex:
It's hard first time out after somebody important. First girl after Izzie left? It was pretty messy. You feel like you belong to somebody else, like you're cheating, you know? I mean, you're not, but man, sure feels that way. I never had a wife die, but... I've had a few "first time afters", Mer. There's always something after, eventually. We lose people and then we find new ones. It's how it works.

Meredith:
I guess.

Alex:
Oh, I know. Look, if you're not into him, who cares? But if you are, it's okay.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] It hurts to tear that bandage off. We don't wanna see what's underneath. But maybe it's not the fear of the pain that holds us back. Maybe, we're really afraid to see if the wound underneath is still open, or if it might actually be healing.

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] Don't be scared. I have no idea how many times I've said it. The intern stands over a patient with a scalpel or a needle or a clamp, afraid to make the first move. They're scared. They know what to do, but they just need that little push.

Meredith:
This was Derek's blanket. I always hated the stupid thing. It's not soft. It's not warm. It's not a great color. He had it in the trailer. He brought it here. Made it to the dream house with us. He made a bed in front of this fireplace for us once. And now he's gone. And I still have the damn thing.

Will:
You're not ready.

Meredith:
I guess I'm not. I want to be.

Will:
Okay, then. I'll back off. For a little while. But so you're prepared, I'm gonna call you again. And if you ignore me, I'm gonna show up again and we'll go back to sitting in that car, talking and laughing. And I'll be waiting until you're ready because I'm pretty sure you're worth waiting for.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] Don't stop. Don't hesitate. You can't be scared of what's next. Do not let fear get in your way. That's why we don’t operate alone. There are attendings and nurses and interns. Those O.R.s are full of people. So in the cases where somebody actually does get hurt, nobody has to go through it alone.

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] Backaches, jaw pain, nausea. In men, these things are probably exactly what they seem like. But in women, they're all symptoms of a heart attack. Sometimes, the symptom is hiding what's going on underneath. It's all in the way it presents itself.

Penny:
I know this place can be competitive.. and that you can be an insecure bitch sometimes, but you would not be talking behind my back if you weren't scared to death that somebody might give you a run for your money! And I might be from Dillard, but I am here now. I'm right behind you, breathing down your neck, and I am a dark freakin' horse!

Catherine:
Richard, war is ugly, senseless, and scary as hell, but there are some things worth going to war over.

Maggie:
Oh, my God, I was promised sisters. I just got you guys back in the same house. I've never had sisters. It's nice. But it's going to implode. You know it, and I know it. So have at it. Go to town over the cabinets. If you're gonna kill each other, just do it already. I can't keep this family together by myself.

Meredith:
Nobody asked you to. We're adults. We're going to fight.

Amelia:
A lot. I'm annoying.

Meredith:
She is. But I don't plan on kicking her out anytime soon. So, are you good?

Amelia:
I'm not homeless. I'm good.

Meredith:
Good.

Amelia:
Though Maggie is starting to get on my nerves.

Meredith:
Agreed. Well, you wanted sisters. You got 'em.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] What happens when the gloves come off and you stop hiding behind your mask? What's your next move? Do you take your best shot and see where it lands? Or do you hang back, wait a minute, and see if you get sucker punched? It's your move. You can either retreat or go out swinging, so whatcha gonna do?

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] I used to spend hours studying old footage of my mother's surgeries. I dissected every move, every cut, every decision. I was piecing together a puzzle, watching, studying, learning. It's a luxury we don't have when the patient is splayed open in front of us. We can't rewind. There's no replay. We just have to cut and hope to God we know what the hell we're doing.

Bailey:
You had a choice.

Ben:
No, no. No, no. That's not... That's not what happened. I didn't know that the doors had opened. I...

Bailey:
Well, I'm looking at it, and so are you.

Ben:
No, no. I don't care! Look. I didn't know!

Bailey:
No, you saw what you wanted to see. You made a choice that you wanted to make.

Ben:
Do you really believe that?!

Bailey:
What else am I supposed to believe?

Ben:
Oh, son of a... I am your damned husband!

Webber:
Was this a mistake, or was it hubris? Did he do his job, or did he overstep? Bailey, I know it's hard being his wife and his boss, but you're the Chief now. This is your call. It's your job. Do your job.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] Hindsight is always 20/20. It's easy to figure out what you should have done when you replay it. You see your mistakes. You know how you'd correct them. But that's the kicker, isn't it?

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] Surgeons have a saying: all bleeding must stop. It's sort of our version of "this too shall pass". Every crisis will eventually come to an end. You either save your patient, or you won't. So, one way or the other, the bleeding will stop. Actually, as far as sayings go, this one's really not all that comforting.

Maggie:
You don't owe me an explanation, obviously, but you're a good guy and a great surgeon, and I just... Why?

Nathan:
I didn't lie to Meredith.

Maggie:
It's fine. Forget it.

Nathan:
Look, everything I told her was true. There was a patient. There was a helicopter. I just left some parts out. The part where we fought... where I cheated... where I failed the best person I've ever met, the only woman I've ever loved. And those parts are for me and Megan. You're right. I don't owe anyone that. I made a mistake, a big one. And I've paid for it ever since.

Jackson:
All right, I have been going over the paperwork, you know, for the lawyer. The prenup, post-nup, whatever.

April:
You know, I just... I don't need this.

Jackson:
At first glance, it was actually really frustrating, you know, 'cause I wasn't finding anything that was actually gonna help my case. It was just so fair. Um, and I realized that was because it was written by two people who really loved each other, two people who really wanted to protect each other, who really wanted what was best for each other. And, April, I, uh... I don't know where those people went. I don't know if we can fix us, April. I don't know if we should. But I know I don't like who I am turning into. I don't want to treat you... This person who wrote this, who signed this, was your best friend. You were my best friend, April, my favorite person. And I realized that that's who I should be dealing with. We should treat each other the way we did on this paper.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] All bleeding must stop. Sometimes, it does so at a cost. You lose the arm, remove the organ. You choose to live with the loss, because at the end of the day, you'll do whatever you can to stay alive. And sometimes, by some miracle, it works. The bleeding stops. But sometimes, now matter how hard you try, it's still not enough.

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] Surgeons are often evaluated on speed and efficiency, but that doesn't mean faster is always better. You jump the gun, you risk making the wrong diagnosis. We don't always have the time to think before we act and that's what gets us in trouble.

Maggie:
I'm not a cat lady just because I stopped having se...

Amelia:
Read the room.

Maggie:
S-E-X with DeLuca.

Zola:
Hey, Mommy.

Meredith:
Yes?

Zola:
Why did Aunt Maggie stop having S-E-X with DeLuca?

Meredith:
Because he couldn't handle that she was his B-O-S-S. Do not ever date a man who can't handle your P-O-W-E-R.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] Once that first shot is fired, we're committed. There's almost no way to take it back. The question becomes: do we keep firing back and declare an all-out war?

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] Sometimes, you can't go it alone. You need someone on your side. In medicine, we have surgical assists, second opinions. We stack our deck. We're dealing with life and death here. You don't want to get caught with your pants down.

Meredith:
I tell my children, "When you're finished with yours toys, put them away."

Webber:
Good morning.

Meredith:
My kids don't need to see your penis, so the same goes for you.

Owen:
Meredith, please.

Webber:
There was a time where I would have asked, but I've learned.

Arizona:
I just want to lie down. I should, because I'm gonna lose this fight. I'm putting up a losing fight. This is just gonna hurt Sofia and it's going to end with me losing my little girl anyway, because that woman is watching me be a terrible doctor and a terrible mother. Maybe I am? Today, I feel like both.

Webber:
If you want your daughter, you're going to have to fight like you've never fought before. You are going to have to stand up for yourself and believe you deserve it. You want to lie down? You don't get to.

Amelia:
You don't just meet your perfect match and everything is beautiful and perfect. That's not how life works, and if anyone should understand that, it's you and me.

Owen:
I'm having trouble understanding you now.

Amelia:
Oh, stick with me. Okay, I create these obstacles out of dead people and drugs that I may or may not do, and sisters-in-law and I know I make this tough, it feels like work. Cause it's going to be work. If you and I move forward together, it is harder to... It's harder to love somebody than to walk away from them. And this is... This would be... And, oh, geez, this is messy and scary. God, Owen, it just scares the life out of me.

Owen:
I'm scared, too. If you and I decide to be together, really together, I will wind up screwing all of this up.

Amelia:
Me too! That is how - I screw everything up, all the time!

Owen:
Let's screw some things up.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] The thing about being on a team is, it's a commitment. You have to bring it. You have to help with the win, no matter what. You may not always like your teammates. You have to learn to share the ball. You have to be all-in, one side or the other. But if you play hard, give it your all, really commit, victory is that much sweeter.

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] There's this Bible story. Two women both claim to be the mother of the same child. King Solomon had to choose. Two mothers, only one gets the kid. Solomon came up with a plan. He proposed a 50/50 split. Literally. He offered to chop the kid in half. It all ends if one mom relinquishes her custody, or else they both stand their ground, and the kid gets torn apart.

Lucinda:
Callie drops Sofia off at your place sometimes when she has to work or when she has plans or when she needs a night off. Correct?

Meredith:
A "night off"? Being a mom isn't a job. We don't punch in and punch out. There are no nights off. We are both single parents. That's not a dirty word. But we do need help getting our kids to where they need to be with all of their limbs intact. So we lean on each other. That's not a sign of weakness or bad parenting, if that's where you're going with this. It takes a village, and we have a village.

Lucinda:
Here in Seattle.

Meredith:
What?

Lucinda:
The village you just mentioned, the seamless support system these mothers built, this essential network. It's all here in Seattle. Sofia's friends and her school, her teachers. Her home is here in Seattle. That's what Sofia would be leaving.

Michelle:
Just to be clear, Dr. Sloan and Dr. Torres were Sofia's parents and then you came around.

Arizona:
No, I didn't "come around." I'm Sofia's mother. I legally adopted her.

Michelle:
Her last names are Sloan and Torres.

Arizona:
I'm gonna have to stop you before you continue for your own sake. You're not going to imply that I'm any less Sofia's mother because we don't share the same DNA. Because that would be offensive. It would be offensive to anyone in the room who has an adopted child or is an adopted child, and for you to say that. I chose to be Sofia's mother! It did not fall into my lap. There was a choice, and I could stay or I could run, and I chose motherhood. And it was the best choice that I ever made.

Arizona:
I love my child, and I want her with me, but I know that, no matter how this ends, she'll survive. She'll be healthy and safe and well-taken care of and loved. Because we are her mothers. But there's a child at the hospital who will not survive unless I am there, so I have to... I have to go.

Callie:
No matter what the judge decides, I know that you're a good mom, too. And I just want you to know this doesn't change that.

Arizona:
The things you let them say about me, I would never have done that to you. Never.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] If you're wondering how the Solomon story ends, spoiler alert. The true mom would rather give her baby up than have it ripped in two. But what happens when there are two true mothers? That's a no win situation. That is an entirely different story.

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] Infections have a nasty way of sneaking up on you. You're feeling pretty good, you think the infection is gone, and then, it reappears, out of nowhere. When your body's still weak, when you're barely recovered, BAM! You're infected all over again. And once the infection spreads, once it gets into your bloodstream, well, then you really have to watch it, cause that's the kind of infection that can kill you.

Alex:
Just because you choose to be unhappy, doesn't mean everybody else has to.

Meredith:
Not true. Not always a choice.

Alex:
You have chances, you know. You're hot, you're smart, you're funny. Maybe Thorpe didn't work out, but that doesn't mean you have to stop trying. And it sure as hell doesn't mean you get to crap on everyone else. And yeah, I'm gonna have a big wedding and you're gonna be there 'cause you're gonna be my best man. Deal with it!

Arizona:
We already did move things around. Or rather, I already moved things around for you.

Callie:
I know, and I thought that's why you would be okay with letting...

Arizona:
With bending the rules for your convenience? The rules that only exist because you put us and all of our friends through hell? No. I'm sorry. I just... You know, you chose this. You ruined everything. And yet you still expect me to leap to fulfill your needs. But I did that. I did that this morning.

Callie:
Okay, Arizona, I get it. You're angry.

Arizona:
I wasn't angry. I was gracious. I was nice and I was accommodating and I tried to help you, and yet here you are again, asking for even more. I do not have any more to give you. You have used up all of my grace.

Alex:
I'm ready to get married. I have proposed to you twice, and you still haven't given me an answer. I bought you a ring. You told me not to get rid of it, so it's just sitting in a drawer, collecting dust.

Jo:
I know.

Alex:
No, I'm ready to be married, and I need to know when you will be ready. It doesn't have to be today or tomorrow, but I need to know it's gonna happen. I need to know that you're up for this, 'cause I am. Look, I'm not scared of being committed to you. I want to be married to you. But I'm done waiting. So I just need to know, will you marry me?

Jo:
Oh, God. Okay. Okay. I w... Alex, I can't.

Alex:
Of course you can.

Jo:
Alex...

Alex:
I don't need a big thing. I just need you.

Jo:
I'm so sorry, but... no.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] You know that thing, that terrible thing, you thought you had laid to rest? What if you didn't? You know that thing you think you finally figured out? What if you haven't? When do you know you've put something to bed? When is it finally safe to move on? Maybe you never know. Maybe you just have to test the water. You have to see how it feels. And if it feels good, I mean really good, then, hell, I say go for it.

Meredith:
[opening voice-over] They say love knows no bounds. I don’t know about that. I feel like I’ve seen the bounds and pushed them a couple of times. Love definitely has bounds. I’ve seen where it ends.

Meredith:
I'm busy. I'm working, too. I'm not trying to be mean. I just... I don't want you to get too attached. I have three children, a big job.

Nathan:
Okay, you jumped me. Okay, not that I minded. It was good. We had a good time. It was very good. I don't know about you, but that was some of my best work. And in a car, which is not easy. But now what? Now you think, what, you're my sun and my moon, that all of a sudden I think that the stars shine down on only you, that you touched me and the heavens opened and I'm blinded by the angel that is you? I mean, you're good, but nobody's that good.

Meredith:
I did jump you, didn't I?

Nathan:
Yeah. You did.

Meredith:
Okay, well, point taken. You are not after me.

Nathan:
I'm not after you. We are friends who maybe have sex.

Meredith:
We're friends who had sex once.

Nathan:
Uh, we are friends that had sex four times in one night, but let's not get picky.

Amelia:
Meredith, I am flipping out here. I'm wearing a wedding gown. There is a good and decent man in there who loves me and is expecting to marry me, and I can't tell if I am marrying because I love him back or because I just ran here and picked up a scalpel and slipped into this Shepherd skin. And maybe it is right, and maybe it's not, but I don't know, and I am marrying Cristina's husband. I know what you think about that. And I don't know what I'm doing. And there is no one here with me. There is no one here to tell me to quit or get me down the aisle or help me. That is Derek's job, and Derek is dead. And all I have is Maggie, and Maggie is full of sunshine and candy and hope, and every time I try to tell her that the world is on fire, she hands me a marshmallow to roast, so that just leaves you. And you... you are rooting for the other guy. You told me to go and be with Owen, and then you turned on me, and now you are not on my side. And we both know you don't like me, but you are stuck with me. So here I am in a wedding gown on the happiest fricking day of my life in a room with no family and no help and no one on my side but you. So what can you do for me? What can you do for me, Meredith?

Meredith:
You're me.

Amelia:
What?

Meredith:
You're me before Derek. I can be here for you. I know how to do this. I can be a twisted sister for you. Just how do you want to play this? Do you need me to tell you you're a beautiful bride and kick your ass down that aisle? You're a beautiful bride. Turn around. I'll start kicking. Do you need me to call your mother and yell at her? I'm your girl. If you need a shoulder to cry on, I have two. If you want to freak out and call it off, if you want to run, I'll drive the getaway car. Just let me know what you need. I'm here for you. I am your family, Amelia. Today, I am your person. Just tell me what you want to do.

Arizona:
Plane tickets. Bring her back next weekend. And I want all summer and every other school year. I want Christmas this time, but you can get next time. And we'll figure out the rest of the details.

Callie:
What? Are you saying...

Arizona:
Listen, we did this wrong. We had a chance to do it right, and we missed it.

Callie:
Are you saying...?

Arizona:
I'm saying that Sofia deserves to have two happy moms. I'm saying, let's all be happy.

Meredith:
[closing voice-over] Love has boundaries. We know this. We knock them down, build them back up, then knock them down again. But does it have to be that way? Can’t we learn? Can’t we be brave? Can’t we believe? Because, maybe, that’s all we need. A little courage. A little hope. A little belief. Maybe there are no boundaries if we choose to not see them. Maybe love is unlimited if we’re just brave enough to decide love is limitless. Maybe there’s enough happy for everyone. Or maybe... give me a minute. I'll think of something.”