Grey's Anatomy, Season 8

Meredith:
[voiceover] Even good marriages fail. One minute you're standing on solid ground, the next minute- you're not. And there're always two versions. Yours, and theirs. The both versions start the same way though. The both start with two people falling in love. You think yours is the one that's gonna make it. So it always comes as a shock. The moment you realize it's over. One minute you're standing on solid ground, the next minute, you're not.

Teddy:
Hey, you guys going to that breakfast thing?

Arizona:
Uh, yeah after we drop her off at day care.

Teddy:
Oh my, God. Look at her she is so beautiful. [in baby voice to Sofia] Hey, hey. You are beautiful. And you got the best mommies, did you know that? Yes, you do. Oh, you so do. [Sofia coos] Hello, hello, hello.

Callie:
What's wrong with her?

Arizona:
She's getting laid, she's unnaturally cheerful. [Lexie walks by with a group of interns]

Callie:
Oh, new interns. I hate new interns.

Teddy:
Seriously? I love new interns. They're the future, the next generation, filled with hope and promise, innovation.

Arizona:
Wow. The sex with Henry must be really good.

Teddy:
Earth-shattering. [Arizona covers Sofia's ears] Not even Yang is gonna get me down.

Meredith:
Owen. She didn't have the abortion. She wants to but she can't do it because of you. Because she loves you and instead of loving her, you're punishing her. And for what? For being the woman that you fell in love with?

Owen:
This isn't any of your business.

Meredith:
Okay, do you know what will happen to Cristina if she has a kid that she doesn't want? It will almost kill her. Trying to pretend that she loves a kid as much as she loves surgery will almost kill her, and it'll almost kill your kid. Do you know what it's like to be raised by someone who didn't want you? I do. To know you stood in the way of your mother's career? I do. I was raised by a Cristina. My mother was a Cristina. And as the child she didn't want, I am telling you, don't do this to her, because she's kind and she cares and she won't make it. The guilt of resenting her own kid will eat her alive.

Meredith:
I have a plan. I'm gonna be a mom.

Cristina:
Okay. Mer, there's a giant sinkhole. Teddy is all over me. Don't page me unless you have a serious--

Meredith:
Maybe getting fired was a good thing. What do cheerful people say when something crappy happens and they make it sound like it wasn't crappy?

Cristina:
A blessing in disguise.

Meredith:
Yeah. Maybe that's what this is. This is that. And I can make jam and drive carpool and have playgroups. And maybe that's enough. And maybe I'll be a great mom.

Cristina:
Okay, okay. I'm gonna vomit call me when Meredith comes back.

Meredith:
And maybe you wanna be a mom, too and that's why you can't go through with it.

Cristina:
I wish I wanted a kid. I wish I wanted one so bad because then this would be easy. I would be happy. I'd have Owen and my life wouldn't be a mess, but I don't. I don't want a kid. I don't wanna make jam, I don't wanna carpool, and I really, really, don't wanna be a mother. I wanna be a surgeon. And please, get it. I need someone to get it. And I wish that person was Owen and that any minute he'd get it and show up for me. But that's not gonna happen. And you're my person, and I need you to be there at six o'clock tonight to hold my hand because I am scared, Mer, and sad because my husband doesn't get that. So, I need you to.

Meredith:
[voiceover] Do you have what it takes? If your marriage is in trouble, can you weather the storm? When the ground gives way and your world collapses, maybe you just need to have faith. And trust that you can survive this together. Maybe you just need to hold on tight. And no matter what, don't let go.

Meredith:
[voiceover] When my mother left my father, she didn't tell him she was leaving him and taking me with her until we landed on the other side of the country. And those days, it was called family troubles. Today, it'd be called kidnapping.

Janet:
A lot of questions came up today, about your relationship, your employment...

Derek:
[about Meredith] Well, she got her job back. That was a misunderstanding.

Janet:
She disappeared.

Derek:
Well, that was a miscommunication.

Janet:
And the part about you two living in separate houses, that's miscommunication, too? Look, I get it. It's not easy bringing a child into a relationship, you're allowed to have some bumps in the road. But, this afternoon when it looked like you two had split up, your wife got fired, she lied to me and left with the baby. It set off some alarms. Now, I'm trying to dial them all back but it's not that easy to do. Once a system has been set in motion, there's protocol that needs to be followed once the agency believes there's questions about Meredith...

Derek:
Janet. Meredith is the best mother a child could have. She loves Zola and she loves me, and if she has any flaws, it's that she loves people so much she will do anything for them.

Janet:
Derek, please. I hear you. But no matter what I say social services still needs to re-evaluate the placement and when that happens, Zola can't be in your home. I'll give you a minute to say good-bye.

Derek:
I still don't understand what you possibly could've been thinking.

Meredith:
They fired me. Janet basically told me that they were gonna take Zola away. I mean, possibly send her back to Malawi. You and me... I just needed some time. I just needed to hold her and look at her and just think about how everything, everything got so screwed up. You should take Zola. Janet has a problem with me, not with you and we need to do everything that we can to make sure they don't take her away and if that means that you have custody of her and I don't... then that's what we need to do.

Derek:
You're not fired. Richard's gonna take the fall for you.

Meredith:
What? He can't do that. I'm not gonna let him do that.

Derek:
Yes, you will. If you wanna keep this baby you will let him protect you.

Meredith:
I think I stole a baby.

Cristina:
Okay, first of all, you didn't steal the baby, she's your baby. What you did is... You took her for a nap... in a very odd location and you failed to answer your phone. But y'know, many people find all the technology in our lives to be intrusive, so you're not the first person who didn't answer your phone or your pager. You know, all we have to do is- is find a reason why you were AWOL for an hour.

Meredith:
Four... hours. [Cristina glares] Janet was gonna take the baby so I took off.

Cristina:
Okay, okay. You know, people make mistakes. I mean, I almost killed Alex in the OR today, so we'll just figure it out.

Meredith:
How?

Cristina:
I don't know.

Meredith:
No, how'd you almost kill Alex?

Cristina:
With a cc of epi. [Meredith looks shocked] Ah, y'know, whatever. He'll be fine. Just uh-- stay here. I'll fix this.

Meredith:
What are you gonna do?

Cristina:
I'm gonna fix it.

Meredith:
[voiceover] You think that true love is the only thing that crush your heart. The thing that will take your life and light it out. Or destroy it. Then, you become a mother.

Meredith:
[voiceover] You work, you study, you prepare… months and years leading to a day, the day when you step up. On that day, you have to be ready for anything. But there’s one thing you can never quite prepare for… the day when you step down.

Derek:
You did it again today in the OR.

Meredith:
What? I had a successful surgery today.

Derek:
You refused to listen to me.

Meredith:
I didn't listen to you because I didn't need to listen to you. I knew what I was doing and I was right. You just couldn’t trust me.

Derek:
Why should I ever trust you? Why should I trust you? You ended my trial, you set back my career, you nearly ended your own, you destroyed Richard’s. I have no reason to trust you!

Meredith:
Well, then, why are you with me?

Derek:
[points to its post-it] Because of that! Because I meant that! I promised I wouldn’t run. I promised I would love you.

Meredith:
Even when you hate me.

Derek:
Even when I hate you. I’m trying, Meredith. I’m trying, but you make it so damn hard.

Meredith:
I understand, and I don’t want you to keep the promise, not if you don’t want to, and not if you can’t trust me with our daughter.

Derek:
I do, I trust you with Zola.

Meredith:
Well, you just said—

Derek:
That’s not what I said. I know that you took her to protect her, I know you altered the trial for Adele and for Richard. You stood in front of a bullet for me. I know why you do all of it. It’s what I love about you.

Meredith:
And what you hate about me.

Derek:
Yeah!

Arizona:
You know, you have a kid and your worry a lot about screwing them up. Like something you do or say, or something you don't say will change 'em forever.

Jackson:
Yes ma'am.

Arizona:
I was just thinking, you're totally determining the course of this kid's life. You will determine whether or not this kid gets made fun of for his looks or if he cries when he looks at his school picture every year. And today you will decide who goes to prom with, and who he will marry, I mean if he gets married at all. If he dies all alone, unattractive and unloved. Did you want me to call Sloan?

April:
You know Sam's wife took care of him after his last two surgeries, she died of a stroke last year. His son Jason dropped out of college one semester before graduating and he was--

Alex:
What the hell, Kepner. Why are you telling me this?

April:
Talking to patients is your job, Alex. Because they're more than just... an easy A or something that you can win. It's your job.

Alex:
No, it's not. Not anymore. My job is to open him up and to fix him. And if I can't do it, no one's gonna do it for me. It's on me. So I can spend time talking to him or I can use that time figuring out what I'm gonna do after I open him up. Which one do you want me to do?

April:
You're really nervous. That's why you didn't wanna work on a kid today. Look, you'll be fine. You're ready. I mean, you feel ready, right? [Alex nods]

Webber:
I am thoroughly enjoying this book, Karev.

Alex:
That's great.

Webber:
Hopefully I'll finish it in there. Because as long as I'm reading it means that you're not screwing up. Will I finish this book today?

Alex:
Yes, sir.

Meredith:
[voiceover] Sometimes it happens in an instance. We step up, we see a path forward. We see a path and we take it. Even when we have no idea where we're going.

Derek:
[voiceover] There are distinct differences, between male and female brains.

Webber:
[voiceover] Female brains have a larger hippocampus...which usually makes them better at retention and memory.

Alex:
[voiceover] Male brains have a bigger parietal cortex, which helps when fending off an attack.

Jackson:
[voiceover] Male brains confront challenges differently than female brains.

Mark:
[voiceover] Women are hardwired to communicate with language. Detail. Empathy. Men, not so much.

Owen:
[voiceover] It doesn't mean we're any less capable of emotion.

Derek:
[voiceover] We can talk about our feelings. It's just that, most of the time, we'd really rather not.

Mark:
Derek! You're trying to steal my guy. He's my guy. Avery go get in the car.

Jackson:
What? No.

Derek:
Mark.

Mark:
You've been moving in on him all week. You weren't even interested in him until you saw how much he meant to me. I don't take the time to teach anyone if I can help it.

Derek:
Mark.

Mark:
But I'm takin' the time with Avery because he's a quick learner and he can do a c-plasty better than I could at his level.

Jackson:
I can? [Mark turns to walk away]

Derek:
Hey, hey. Don't do that. Don't just yell at me then walk away.

Mark:
I'm not. It's just that Sofia likes it if I'm moving.

Owen:
You guys talk. I'll take the baby.

Mark:
Okay, careful. We had a scare this week. [hands Sofia to Owen] Thank you. Now, Avery go get in the car. Friends don't steal from each other.

Derek:
It's not stealing if he asks to scrub in on my surgeries.

Mark:
Oh, don't be a jackass.

Jackson:
Okay, look. I appreciate this, I do. But if I have to choose, I choose plastics. I mean, I really appreciate being able to take the lead on your neuro surgeries but I feel like--

Mark:
[to Jackson] You usin' my boy here? To get more surgery? Nobody uses my boy. [Derek smiles, Jackson looks confused]

April:
Okay, I get that you like to put your dirty clothes in my laundry because, frankly, if you didn't you'd never have any clean clothes. Fine. I will wash your dirty underpants. But you know what? I am not okay with washing your "skank of the week's" dirty underpants.

Jackson:
Actually those are Lexie's, thank you.

April:
Oh, she w...

Jackson:
Oh yeah.

April:
Okay, never mind. [Leaves]

Jackson:
Not Lexie's.

Alex:
Nope. Lauren, third floor, radiology.

Jackson:
Oh, nice.

Mark:
It's three days. We're gonna be fine. Bye mommies. Have fun at the conference mommies.

Arizona:
Bye-bye, baby boo...

Mark:
Go.

Arizona:
Just one more kiss.

Mark:
Go. Come on.

Callie:
I'm gonna miss you so much.

Mark:
Bye. See ya.

Arizona:
Bye.

Mark:
It's just you and me kid. High five. High five. Dap. Blow it up.

Alex:
[voiceover] People say 'be a man.' People say it all the time.

Owen:
[voiceover] But what does that even mean?

Webber:
[voiceover] Is it about strength?

Owen:
[voiceover] Is it about sacrifice?

Jackson:
[voiceover] Is it about winning?

Mark:
[voiceover] Maybe it's simpler than that.

Derek:
[voiceover] You have to know when not to man up. Sometimes it takes a real man to set his ego aside, admit defeat, and simply start all over again.

Meredith:
[voiceover] The human body is designed to compensate for loss. It adapts, so it no longer needs the thing it can't have. But sometimes the loss is too great, and the body can't compensate on its own. That's when surgeons get involved.

Meredith:
Where are you going?

Lexie:
Um, to visit Molly for two days.

Meredith:
Oh, that's great.

Lexie:
Jackson arranged it. It was a surprise.

Meredith:
Oh.

Lexie:
What so you mean by that?

Meredith:
Nothing. Just oh.

Lexie:
'Cause it sounded like you meant, "Really, he arranged for you to visit your sister at the exact time his mother's coming into town? Guess he's not really that into you, otherwise, he'd want you to meet his mother like a normal person."

Meredith:
No. You had a mother. Jackson and I had surgeons who procreated. It's just a little complicated.

Lexie:
I-I-I shouldn't go, right?

Meredith:
No, I think it's sweet that he wants you to get out of the line of fire.

Catherine:
Congratulations, we have our winners.

Cristina:
Uh, he's (about Jackson) your son and you're the judge, isn't there some rule against that?

Catherine:
I don't play favorites, dear. Nepotism is for the weak.

Jackson:
That's what my birthday card has always said.

Catherine:
Happiness is for ordinary people.

Meredith:
[voiceover] We're so hopeful at the beginning of things. It seems like there's only a world to be gained not lost. They say the inability to accept loss is a form of insanity, it's probably true. But sometimes, it's the only way to stay alive.

Meredith:
[voiceover] As babies, we were easy. One cry meant you were hungry, another you were tired. It's only as adults that we become difficult. They start to hire feelings, put up walls. It gets to the point where we don't really know what anyone thinks or feels. Without meaning to, we become masters of disguise.

Lexie:
[after being berated by Derek]: Can you go have sex with him so he'll be nicer?

Meredith:
I told you, he's going to be hard on you until you learn all of his quirks.

Lexie:
They're not quirks. They're these scary, nitpicky rules just to drive me crazy. [Meredith chuckles] Like what is the deal with him needing 16 towels in the O.R. at all times?

Meredith:
[smugly] Well, if I give you all the answers, you'll never learn on your own.

Lexie:
You're just as mean as he is.

Mark:
Homemade maple-ginger scones. Try.

Derek:
Oh, no, no, no, really.

Owen:
I just had a big lunch.

Mark:
The scone's a very tough pastry to make. You have to be exact with the ingredients, the baking temperature––

Owen:
[glances at Derek] Hey, how is the house coming?

Derek:
Oh, we're working on the drywall now.

Owen:
Really? All right.

Mark:
I get it. I'm a bore. But Avery's doing all my surgeries, and I'm taking up cooking to keep my mind sharp for when the next big case rolls in.

Derek:
[smirks] Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.

Arizona:
Hey! You bought pizza?

Mark:
No! Pizza? I made a coq au vin!

Callie:
[dumps pan into the trash; Arizona and Mark protest] Mark, I love you. I love how great you are with our daughter. I love that you and Arizona are friends, but you, you need to leave 'cause tonight I'm gonna eat pizza and drink beer in bed with my wife and tell her all about the neck I just built and then we're gonna have lots and lots of sex. Okay? We're great parents, but, we're more than just mommies and daddies. We are hot and we are sexy, and your new hobby? The hollandaise and the short ribs and the [mockingly] coq au vin? It's getting in the way of our sex lives. So, please. Start having sex again. Okay? But, not tonight. Cause tonight? You're babysitting.

Meredith:
[voiceover] It's not always easy to speak your mind, sometimes you need to be forced to do it. Sometimes, it's better to just keep things to yourself, play dumb, even when your whole body is aching to come clean. So you shut your mouth, keep your secret, and find other ways to keep yourself happy.

Meredith:
[opening voiceover] Surgeons can't be lazy, the risks are too great. The second we stop pushing ourselves, something terrible happens. Something we never see coming.

Cristina:
I give up. I have no idea what you're trying to do. I'm in trouble if I cut, I'm in trouble if I don't cut. I'm a fifth year who does the work of an intern. What do you want?

Teddy:
I want you to make a list.

Cristina:
[laughs] Where? On a blackboard? 'I will not do any surgeries without a safety helmet.' Hmm.

Teddy:
I want you to make a list of every surgery that you have ever dreamed of performing. Shoot for the moon and I will try to get you some. [Cristina stays silent] Because we're done. You've graduated, this is your present.

Cristina:
You're messing with me.

Teddy:
Okay, you know, at the beginning of this year, you nearly killed Alex Karev in that O.R because you just had to get in there. You had to be the best and you had to be first. But today? Today I saw a different surgeon. Every bit as good, every bit as advanced, but you were willing to work on a team. Today you put the patient before yourself and that is who I wanted to see. So... you're done. Make a list.

Owen:
I just want to say how proud I am of all of you. You are an incredible team.

Cristina:
[to Bailey] Now who's drunk?

Owen:
I've watched you work together, solve problems together, I've watched you teach each other and learn from each other. You step up when you need to and you... you do more than anyone asks you to. You're the finest team I've ever been a part of.

Mark:
Oh, my God.

Alex:
Sad.

Webber:
Beautiful.

Callie:
You don't think we have a shot at winning this.

Owen:
What this? This. No, no, we're screwed. You are all horrible at softball but... [they all laugh] As doctors, you're pretty great and I'm proud to just to get to lead you. And you're all here so I just... I just wanted to tell you. But, now, we're going down. But what do you say we go down fighting? [they all cheer]

April:
What the chief doesn't realize is that a lot of the work I do makes it possible for these surgeries to take place. I mean all the staffing and scheduling, I mean, so maybe, okay, maybe I'm not in the O.R. all the time but I--

Callie:
April do you want to be an administrative assistant? Is that what makes your heart sing?

April:
No, of course not.

Callie:
Then stop being a whiner. Stop hiding behind paperwork. If you love it, do it. Just get into the O.R, okay? Don't sleep, don't eat, just... do this. [hands her the drill] Here.

April:
You want me to place the k-wire?

Callie:
Will it make your heart sing?

April:
Yes, yes.

Meredith:
[closing voiceover] So we may no always be winners, but we're not lazy, we take chances, we go for broke, we swing for the fences, and sometimes, yeah, we struck out. But sometimes... you get a home run.

[Mark interrupts Derek, who is analyzing a patient's scans]

Mark:
Hey, you got a second?

Derek:
Wait just one second.

Mark:
I'm a little worried about Avery.

Derek:
[tries to ignore him] I'm--I'm this close to getting this.

Mark:
We had a real connection, you know?

Derek:
[puts away his notes and looks at Mark] Okay.

Mark:
Well, we were having such a good time together, and suddenly he's avoiding me. He's cold and distant.

Derek:
Well, you're afraid You're about to have your heart broken by him.

Mark:
Kind of. Derek, you know me. I never gave a crap about teaching in my life. But lately, I like the idea of passing it on. And I, you know, I just-- I want to see him do well. Maybe I just need to back off.

[Owen enters the room]

Derek:
Ah, Hunt. Just in time. Mark is afraid that Avery is gonna break up with him.

Mark:
Can this just stay between you and me?

Owen:
[awkwardly] I'd prefer that. Uh, Shepherd, about these cases--

Derek:
I know what you're gonna say. You're worried about the hospital's mortality rate going up. See, that's the worst part about being chief. You have to say no to everybody, and they hate you for it. And you say no enough, you're gonna hate yourself, which is why I'm not gonna watch you go through this. I have a consult. [looks at Mark] If you love someone, set them free. If they come back.. [facetiously blows a kiss to him]

[Derek quickly leaves the room]

Mark:
I'm gonna punch you. [to Owen] Hey, let me ask you something––

Owen:
No.

Meredith:
[voiceover] It's a little bit horrifying just how quickly everything can fall to crap. Sometimes it takes a huge loss to remind you of who you care about the most. Sometimes you find yourself becoming stronger as a result; wiser, better equipped to deal with the next disaster that comes along. Sometimes, but not always.

Meredith:
[voiceover] "I had a terrible day." We say it all the time. A fight with the boss, the stomach flu, traffic... That's what we describe as terrible when nothing terrible is happening...

Derek:
Meredith didn't want kids. I pushed her... She opened herself up. Now I feel like I... I did this to her.

Cristina:
She wanted it, too. Or it wouldn't have happened.

Derek:
She'll blame me... like I've been blaming her. We lost Zola and now if I lose Meredith...

Cristina:
She always comes back. She might need a minute to back away, but... she comes back.

Mark:
I offered to time share Sofia with Derek and Meredith if they don't end up with kids of their own. He said no.

Arizona:
Why?

Derek:
Because your child is not a rental car. We're not gonna take her out one week a month.

Arizona:
Have you seen her? Because she's heart-stoppingly adorable.

Derek:
You're missing the point.

Mark:
He's missing the point.

Arizona:
No, she's delicious. She's addictive. Why wouldn't you want to parent her?

Meredith:
[voiceover] These are the things we beg for: a root canal, an IRS audit, coffee spilled on our clothes... When the really terrible things happen, we start begging a God we don't believe in to bring back the little horrors and take away this. It seems quaint now, doesn't it? The flood in the kitchen, the poison oak, the fight that leaves you shaking with rage... Would it have helped if we could see what else was coming? Would we have known that those were the best moments of our lives?

Meredith:
[voiceover] Victims of a sudden impact are some of the hardest to treat. It's not just the collision that injures them. It's everything after. The centrifugal force keeps them moving, tossing them from vehicles, throwing them through windshields, slamming their internal organs into the skeleton. Their bodies are injured over and over again. So there's no way to know how much damage has actually been done. Until they stop.

Derek:
How much trauma has your girlfriend done?

Mark:
A lot. She's told me about a bunch of her cases.

Derek:
Oh, so we're just going off your pillow talk? If I get a hint that your girlfriend is in over her head, I'm gonna boot her out of my O.R.

Mark:
You know what your problem is? You don't think anyone who sleeps with me can be talented or have half a brain.

Derek:
That is not true.

Mark:
It's mostly true.

Derek:
Yeah. Yeah, it's mostly true.

Mark:
Your ex-wife is brilliant, and she slept with me. I'm not trying to start a fight. I'm just sayin'.

Dr. Julia Canner:
Oh, thank god that is over. Did I seem nervous in there? Just be-be honest with me.

Lexie:
Oh, you-you seemed more than OK.

Julia:
That is Derek Shepherd in there, one of the best neurosurgeons in the country, and Mark's best friend. And the whole time I was in there, all I could think about was my high school cross-country team. Coach would always say, "Don't look back, never look back, because if the kid behind you sees that, he knows you're weak, and he will run you down." The whole surgery that that's all I was thinking about. Don't look back.

Lexie:
Well, you didn't.

Meredith:
[Voiceover]You can't prepare for a sudden impact. You can't brace yourself. It just hits you. Out of nowhere. And suddenly, the life you knew before is over. Forever.

Meredith:
[voiceover] Have you ever had the starring role on a play? The solo in a recital? All eyes on you, waiting for you to do what they came to see. Feeling the incredible pressure to perform. There was a time when they used to call operating rooms an operating theater. It still feels like one. Scores of people get ready for the show. The sets are arranged, there are costumes, masks, props, everything has to be rehearsed, choreographed, all leading to the moment when the curtain goes up. You know what they say about Carnegie Hall, there's only one way to get there...

Owen:
Practice, practice, practice until it is perfect, people. This is a long, complex procedure with many parts. Therefore many opportunities for error.

[Jackson, Alex, Cristina and April are in the gallery watching Derek and the others separate the conjoined twins when Meredith walks in carrying Zola.]

Meredith:
Look at this face. Seriously, look at this face.

Cristina:
Yeah, yeah, yeah, super cute. They're in the spinal cord now.

Meredith:
Bailey spent the last two hours telling me how crappy my life is, but look at this face. Oh, Zola, look. [points at Derek] There's your daddy. He's about to repair a myelomeningocele. [coos to Zola] Can you say myelomeningocele?

Ben:
How was your lunch, Dr. Grey?

Meredith:
Oh, it was fine. Actually, no line at all. I was able to get my sandwich, find my daughter, see my husband, go watch the groundbreaking surgery that's going on right next door. And still get back in time to do my work.

Ben:
Sounds like you have it all, Dr. Grey.

Meredith:
I do, actually. I have it all.

Bailey:
[to Ben] I had a husband and a baby and I was a surgeon. I had it all. And then it all turned bad. So I got divorced. And then I got back on my feet. I found you. And then there was a shooting. So now I am finally back on my feet again and I have you again. I just don't want it to blow up.

Meredith:
[voiceover] If only life was just a dress rehearsal and we had time to do-overs. We'd be able to practice and practice every moment until we got it right. Unfortunately everyday of our lives is its own performace. It seems like even when we get the chance to rehearse, and prepare, and practice... We've still not quite ready for life's grand moments.

Meredith:
[voiceover] There's nothing else we can do for you. These are the last words a surgeon wants to tell a patient. Giving up doesn't come easy to us, so we do everything in our power not to. For surgeons "lost cause" just means..."try a little harder".

Bailey:
[to Meredith] You want to waste your talent playing with one little predictable organ for the rest of your life? Nah, I'd rather spend my days leaping from the liver to the pancreas to the stomach to the bowel, and any one could go wrong at anytime. There's nothing wrong with knowing one organ and knowing it well, just like there's nothing wrong with being fifth-chair viola in the back of the orchestra. But it's a hell of a lot more fun being the conductor.

Derek:
They're not called lost causes because they're fun.

Lexie:
I don't need them to be fun. I just need them to not be like today.

Derek:
Ok. Let's flip.

Lexie:
Ugh.

Derek:
Heads, you keep doing lost causes. Tails, you can do the fun stuff.

Webber:
Bailey says you're declaring general.

Meredith:
Actually, I'm not sure anymore.

Webber:
Oh. Oh, I thought it was a done deal. I mean, it makes sense since you're––

Meredith:
Because of my mother. I know. Don't you mention her, too. That's all anyone ever says it's in my blood, it's my legacy. That's why I don't want to do it. I don't want to be like my mother.

Webber:
Meredith, look at everything you did today this party for your daughter, what you did for me in that O.R. You don't have to ever worry about being anything like your mother. I knew her, and you're nothing like your mother. You have a gift. Don't waste it.

Meredith:
[voiceover] When do you throw in the towel? Admit that a lost cause it's sometimes just that? There comes a point when it all becomes too much. When we get too tired to fight anymore. So we give up. That's when the real work begins. To find hope where there seems to be absolutely none at all.

Meredith:
[voiceover] The baby you have is the baby you were destined to have. It was meant to be. That's what all the adoption people tell you. Anyway... I like to think it's true, but everything else in the world seems so completly random. What if one little thing I said or did could have made it all fall apart? What if I've choosen another life for myself? Or another person? We might have never found each other. What if I've been raised differently? What if my mother had never been sick? What if I've actually had a good father? What if...? What if...? What if...?

[Alternate universe]

Alex:
What the hell is wrong with me?

Miranda:
I just lost my job. Do you see me crying? I have no earthly idea what to do next, but am I hiding in an elevator, whimpering about it?

Alex:
No.

Miranda:
No. Because what do we say, Alex? What do we say? "We create our own destiny."

[Alternate universe]

Richard:
Meredith!

Meredith:
No, Dad. Don't come and clean up after her again. You do it every time and it's beneath you and it's pointless. I can't do anything right for her.

Richard:
Your mother doesn't...

Meredith:
And I finally figured out why. She wants everyone around her to be ordinary, so she can be extraordinary. She wants everyone around her small!

Richard:
Oh, you stop it!

Meredith:
And that's what she's done to you. She has made you small, and I'm not gonna let her do it to me.

Meredith:
[voiceover] Your life is a gift. Accept it. No matter how screwed up or how painful it seems to be. Somethings are going to work out as if they were destined to happen... As if they were just meant to be.

Meredith:
[voiceover] There are times in our lives when love really does conquer all: exhaustion, sleep deprivation, anything. And then there are those times when it seems like love brings us nothing but pain.

[Derek and Meredith are kissing in bed with Zola sleeping in between them.]

Derek:
There's a baby in the bed.

Meredith:
I know there's a baby in the bed.

Derek:
[grins] There's no baby in the shower.

Meredith:
[grins] There is no baby in the shower.

Derek:
[excitedly] All right.

[Derek and Meredith get out of bed and head to the bathroom]

Meredith:
[looks at Zola's bath toys] There's a baby in the shower, too.

Derek:
[continues kissing Meredith] Oh, come on. Just look the other way.

Meredith:
I can't do it in front of the duckies.

Derek:
Yes, you can. Do it in front of the duckies.

[Mark answers the door and is surprised to see Jackson.]

Jackson:
I got steak and I bought a really good red, and a salad, and I'm gonna cook for you.

Mark:
Avery, I have a girlfriend.

Jackson:
And she's operating tonight, so as soon as you put Sofia down, you can help me study for my boards, 'cause I am behind. Way behind.

Mark:
What'd you pay for that bottle of wine?

Jackson:
50 bucks.

[Mark lets him in]

Meredith:
Our patient's seizures stopped, and you know why?

Derek:
No.

Meredith:
Because I found this teratoma on her ovary.

Derek:
Well, you know, you could've told me this at dinner. You didn't have to show me a chopped up ovary.

Meredith:
Little sucker thought it could hide from me, but it couldn't. It took a while, but I finally figured out where it was, and I went in and nailed it.

Derek:
[grins] You are so sexy when you're looking at a teratoma.

Meredith:
[voiceover] We are always looking for ways to ease the pain. Sometimes we ease the pain by making the best of what we have. Sometimes is by losing ourselves in the moment and sometimes all we need to do to ease pain is... call a simple truce.

Meredith:
[voiceover] When you've tried everything but that headache don't go away, you can't stop coughing, the swelling don't go down. That's when you turn into a professional. As surgeon we spend years developing skills of perception that allow us to see exactly what the problem is. Trouble is sometimes all that time spent developing those skills of perception can leave a person with an extremely narrow point of view... And how are you supposed to argue with someone who has science on their side?

Lexie:
Hey, you paged?

Amelia:
Look, I can remove the tumor and the diseased carotid together. All I have to do is run balloon catheters in through the femoral, place them in precise position, inflate them to stop the blood flow, do two arteriotomies, then feed a hepernized shunt into place, and reestablish blood flow.

Lexie:
That's all?

Amelia:
Oh, and I have to do it in 90 seconds. Any more than that and she strokes out.

Lexie:
Is that even possible?

Amelia:
Not sure. I would love to test it out.

Lexie:
We should set up a simulator.

Amelia:
Uh, don't we need to get Derek's approval?

Lexie:
Yeah, but that shouldn't be a big problem--

Amelia:
He loves to say no to me. That is his favorite thing to do.

Lexie:
Maybe you should refrain from calling him a jackass.

Amelia:
I can't help it, 'cause he is one.

Lexie:
Maybe I should ask him.

Amelia:
Would you? He's in surgery, OR 2.

Lexie:
[turns to leave but stops] You just called me down here so that I would go to Derek for you, made me feel like it was my idea.

Amelia:
Aren't I good?

Lexie:
Amazing.

Webber:
Meredith Grey.

Callie:
No. Not Grey. Yang, maybe.

Webber:
Yang's a cowboy.

Callie:
Kepner.

Webber:
[makes face] Kepner?

Callie:
Not Kepner. Definitely not Grey. She spent all that time in neuro, and suddenly, she's chasing general. She's unfocused.

Webber:
You're underestimating her. I think she'd surprise you.

Callie:
[chuckles] She'd have to.

Webber:
She will.

Callie:
She'd have to come to me.

Meredith:
You guys studying for the oral boards in the middle of the day?

April:
It's just another benefit of having a study buddy. You should get one.

Meredith:
I have one. It's just that my stupid study buddy's too busy trying to save her stupid marriage to actually help me study.

Alex:
Well, you know what's better than a study buddy? A study lackey. Check it. [to intern] Hey, you. [whistles] Brown-haired girl, you're up.

Morgan:
[walks up] Uh, trauma incident or a surgical situation?

April:
You made your interns come up with study questions?

Alex:
[to Morgan] Surprise me.

Meredith:
[voiceover] We may not like it but it really is important to stop every once in a while, get out of your own head and see the bigger picture. Actually find out that you were looking things all wrong can be sort of liberating. And suddenly you see new potential, new possibilities, where you’d never seen them before. And that's all fine when a hopeless situation suddenly looks good. Unfortunately sometimes it goes the other way.

Meredith:
[voiceover] As surgeons we are trained to consult with each other to get opposing views. We even encourage patients to seek second opinions. But why seek a second opinion when you know that you are right? Cause if we are honest with ourselves, surgeons are more like cowboys. We are more likely to go it alone.

Meredith:
[to Cristina] I've been up since 4:00 A.M., studying for the boards with Callie. Since 4:00 A.M. I haven't seen my husband or my baby since yesterday. I don't even care, because Callie blew my mind. She blew my mind. My hair is on fire. I mean, literal flames shooting out of my head.

Derek:
How's it going with your better half?

Mark:
(referring to Avery) He's uptight, worried about the boards, snapping at patients. I tried to get him laid, but…

Derek:
I'm talking about Julia.

Mark:
Oh. Of course.

Derek:
You know what might be fun?

Bailey:
I have no idea what might be fun.

Derek:
A play date with Zola and Tuck.

Bailey:
Oh. Uh...well, Tuck's 5, and Zola's, what, 1?

Derek:
1 and a quarter, but it's more like she's 3. She's very mature.

Bailey:
Well, uh, playing for Tuck means throwing things, breaking things, um, shooting things at people and things. I don't think Zola would survive a play date with Tuck.

Derek:
Yeah. It's probably not a good idea.

Cristina:
Did you have any pets growing up?

April:
Uh, a fish tank, couple hamsters, two dogs-- Why?

Cristina:
I'm just trying to get to know you better, that's it.

April:
Okay.

Cristina:
What were your dogs' names?

April:
Well, let's see.. Uh, there was Buster...

(Cristina tries 'Buster' as a password, it doesn't work)

April:
And, um, Pickles.

(Cristina tries that, it doesn't work)

April:
Pickles was a Schnauzer.

Cristina:
What was your mother's maiden name?

April:
Are you hacking me?

Cristina:
I need the nurses' schedule.

April:
I don't schedule the nurses. If you knew anything about how this hospital was run, you would know...

Cristina:
You know the nurses' schedule. You are April Kepner. You know everything.

Lexie:
I can't wait to get back to neuro. At least with lost causes, you know where you stand, and the patients can tell you when they have had enough. I don't know how Morgan can bear it. I don't know how any of you can.

Alex:
Come here. (shows her pictures of preemies on a wall) Jolene Joramo, one pound, four ounces at birth. She's 12 years old now. She's a goalie. Uh... Benji Gellerman, one pound, two ounces at birth. He's 9 years old, plays the trumpet. This one, Hannah Slavin? I worked on her myself. She looked like a hamster when she came out. Her dad just called, said she took her first steps. Some of them survive.

Meredith:
[voiceover] You can seek the advice of others, surround yourself with trusted advisers, but in the end, the decision is always yours and yours alone. And when it's time to act and you are all alone with your back against the wall, the only voice that matters is the one in your head, the one telling you what you already probably knew. The one that's almost always right.

Meredith:
[voiceover] We're trained to be vigilant, to chase down the problem, to ask all the right questions. To find the root of cause until we know exactly what it's and we can confront it. It takes an extremly amount of caution or we can overstep ourselves. We can create problems where none exist.

Derek:
Come back to me.

Meredith:
I'm not coming back.

Derek:
You miss it.

Meredith:
What's to miss about neuro?

Derek:
Me.

[Later]

Derek:
[grins] Ah, Dr. Grey. So glad you could join us.

Meredith:
[drearily] I've been kidnapped.

Derek:
[to Lexie] She misses me.

Lexie:
She's not even on neuro anymore.

Derek:
Well, she's thinking about coming back.

Meredith:
[chuckles] I'm not.

Derek:
[smirks] She is. She's remembering the magic.

Meredith:
[trying to comfort Lexie] You're not gonna cry right now. You're gonna go and talk to Derek. And he is gonna be pissed and disappointed and he's gonna scream at you and he won't look at you for days. Just take it. And you'll move on and you'll learn from this and you will never make this mistake again.

Meredith:
[voiceover] Our intentions are always pure, we always want to do what's right, but we also have the drive to push boundaries. So we are in danger of taking things too far. We're told to do no harm while we're trained to cut you open with a knife. So we do things when we should have left well enough alone. Because it's hard to admit when there's no problem to treat, to let it alone. Before we make it so much worse. Before we cause such a terrible damage.

Meredith:
[voiceover] We have a phrase in the operating room "Don't pet the lion". It means no matter how nice a tumor looks. How small it is. How perfect the margins may be. It's still a tumor and it's still dangerous and it can bite.

Owen:
What happened?

Bailey:
She has a lion for a pet is what happened. It tried to eat her and then it got away and it probably tried to eat other people because it is a lion. Who has a lion living in their house? I'll tell you who has a lion living in their house a crazy person does. Now because she's crazy doesn't mean she doesn't deserve excellent care. In fact, we're going to save that crazy lady's life just so I can tell her she's crazy.

Derek:
I'm not gonna tell Mark what to do.

Lexie:
You're not?

Derek:
They're gonna move in together either way. The man has always been easy to read. And the only thing that could change that is if he knew he still had a shot with you.

Lexie:
Really?

Derek:
He's happy with the eyeball doctor. So make sure you want him back because you want him, not because he's with somebody else.

Meredith:
[voiceover] We all have heard the warnings and we've ignored them. We push our luck. We roll the dice. We play with fire. It's human nature when we've been told not to touch something we usually do, even if we know better. May be because deep down we are just asking for trouble.

Meredith:
[voiceover] Every little kid knows the words to the song. "The foot bone is connected to the leg bone. The leg bone is connected to the knee bone. In med school you learn it's a bitter more complicated than that, but still the song not wrong. Everything is connected. "The foot bone is connected to the leg bone, the leg bone is connected to the knee bone. And if you take one piece out, the rest just falls apart.

Derek:
[about a patient] Well, frankly, I don't know what you think I can do for him by 3:00 this afternoon.

Mark:
Rise.

Derek:
Excuse me?

Mark:
You have it in you. Lost causes, right? Making the impossible possible? Rise to the challenge, Shepherd. I believe in you. Rise. [Derek stares at him]

Miranda:
Hey, um, I can't do ladies night. Sorry.

Callie:
Mm.

Arizona:
What? But we need you.

Miranda:
Well, um, I can't come because, well, Ben and I are taking dance lessons tonight-- salsa.

Callie:
[raises an eyebrow] You and Ben...

Miranda:
Yeah.

Callie:
And salsa? No, you just want to go home and get laid.

Miranda:
[flustered] Hey, we have a long-standing salsa appointment tonight, and sorry. You're on your own. [leaves hurriedly]

Callie:
[deadpan] Right.

Arizona:
I bet it's gonna be long.

Webber:
[to Mark] You're a good doctor, and you may one day make a great chief of surgery. But you're a plastic surgeon, chief Sloan. You're a perfectionist. And you want everything by the rules so it'll end up pretty. Well, I don't need pretty. And I don't need perfect. What I need is for this to work. And what's gonna make it work is for me to take out that tumor and put these healthy organs inside my very sick patient. It won't be pretty, but it will work, and it will keep my patient alive.

Meredith:
[voiceover] The human body is made of systems that keep it alive. There's the one that keeps you breathing and the one that keeps you standing. The one that makes you hungry and the one that makes you happy. They are all connected, take that piece out and everything else falls apart. And it's only when our support system look like they might fail us, that we realize how much we've depended on all along.

Meredith:
[voiceover] When you are a kid you always want things to stay the same. The same teachers, the same house, the same friends... Being a surgeon is no different. You get used to the same attendings, the same scrub nurses, the same hospital. Of course that all changes the minute fifth year comes around and you have to find a new job.

Cristina:
Aw, Karev. Is this hard for you, having to beg for interviews while some of us just sit back and get wooed?

Alex:
No one is begging.

April:
Oh, yeah, maybe you should. Maybe that way, you'd actually get an interview.

Cristina:
Ha! I love mean Kepner.

Alex:
I got an interview.

April:
Oh, really, where?

Alex:
At... places.

Meredith:
[voiceover] It's one of those things people say. You can’t move on until you let go of with the past. Letting go is the easy part, it's the moving on that's painful. So sometimes we fight it, trying to keep things the same. Things can't stay the same though. At some point you just have to let it go. Move on. Because no matter how painful it is. It's the only way we grow.

Meredith:
[voiceover] Picture this, you've spent the past five years of your residency training to become a surgeon. But those five years, suddenly don't matter. The only thing that matters, the only thing between you and your career is a test. In a random hotel, in a random place with a random examiner asking you random questions. Nervous? You should be.

Callie:
They hate each other.

Bailey:
They are professionals, they'll be fine...

Callie:
No, it's awful, it's tense and it's cold and it's dangerous. It feels like diffusing a bomb...in a haunted house...that's built on a mine field, and there are bears...EVERYWHERE...and, the bears have knives!

Cristina:
Owen slept with someone.

Meredith:
Yeah.

Cristina:
Did you know it?

Meredith:
Yeah.

Cristina:
Does everyone know?

Meredith:
No. He thought you've told me, so he told me. Anyway that's how I know.

Cristina:
OK.

Meredith:
He is a pig and you deserve better. Are you still there?

Cristina:
Yeah. I'm still here

Cristina:
Well he is my husband. This is a marriage.

Meredith:
OK.

Cristina:
Oh I wanna leave him.

Meredith:
OK.

Cristina:
So that means I'm gone.

Meredith:
So you are gonna take the job at Stanford?

Cristina:
Or Columbia.

Meredith:
You'll be leaving me too.

Cristina:
You might go to the Bringham.

Meredith:
Probably not.

Cristina:
Maybe. Yeah I'll leave you too... There're phones you know.

Meredith:
Oh, you hate the phone.

Cristina:
I know I do. But I mean I don't have to like it.

Meredith:
Put your hand under the door.

Cristina:
What?

Meredith:
Just do it.

Meredith:
[voiceover] Kindergarten. High school. College. Med School. Residency. That all leads to this moment. Some people can crack under the pressure others thrive. Either way there's nothing left to do. No more studying no more preparing. Like it or not the moment has arrived. The only thing left you to do is show up.

Meredith:
[voiceover] Carpe diem. How annoying is carpe diem? How are you supposed to plan a life? A career? A family? If you're always "carpe"-ing the "diem"? If we all seized every moment of every day, there wouldn't be doctors. Who'd sit through med school? We'd all be too busy living in the now, whatever that means.

Arizona:
What the hell were you thinking?

Nick:
Dude...

Arizona:
You're an idiot. You should have called me. I mean, w-why didn't you call me?! I'm a doctor what do you think I do all day long?! Instead you go to some quack in Tibet? I mean, you should have freaking called me!

Nick:
Naturopathy works too, Flagstaff.

Arizona:
Woah! It's not Flagstaff! And it's not Phoenix and it's not Tempe it is Arizona Robbins, M.D. do you know what that means?

Nick:
How do you spell it?

Arizona:
It's not funny Nick! Nothing is funny. You're dying! And you know what hell it was when Tim died because you were there, and-and you and I barely made it through that so to do nothing for six years and then come when it's too late I-I-

Nick:
Why do you think I didn't come to you sooner? Honestly after Tim died, I could...You think I don't know how this must feel for you?

Arizona:
You're an idiot! I couldn't have helped him! But I could have helped you! [storms out]

Lexie:
Oh, hey.

Mark:
Hey.

Lexie:
Thanks, uh, for today. For-- For letting me, uh...

Mark:
You did a good job in there.

Lexie:
Thanks.

Mark:
You okay?

Lexie:
I love you. Oh, G-- Oh, my God. That just came... fly-flying out of my face, like it was s-s-some kind of-- I-I l... I love you. I just-- God! Did it again! [laughs] I... I-I-I-I love you. I-I do. I just-- I-I love you. And I have been trying not to say it. I have been trying so hard to just mash it down and ignore it and not say it. And Jackson is a great guy. He-he is, and he... he's gorgeous, and-and he's younger than you, and he doesn't have any grandkids or-or babies with his lesbian BFFs and he's an Avery, and-and he liked me, you know? He... he really liked me. But it was never gonna work out because I-I love you. I am so in love with you. And you're-you're... you're in me. It's-- You're like... it's-- It's like you're a disease. It's like I am infected by Mark Sloan. [laughs] And I just can't... [voice breaking] I can't think about anything or anybody, and I can't sleep. [crying] I can't breathe. I can't eat. And I love you. I just... I love you all the time, just every minute of every day. And I-I-I... I-I... love you. God, that feels good, just to-to say that... to... I am... I feel so much better. Just... I love you.

Examiner:
You seem awfully sure of yourself

Cristina:
I'm sorry. Is that a question?

Examiner:
You feel threatened?

Cristina:
Oh. Have we moved into psychology?

Examiner:
I find your hostility curious.

Cristina:
I'm curious as to why you think me hostile.

Examiner:
You know, if you don't agree with my approach I wish you'd voice your issues.

Cristina:
I don't disagree.

Examiner:
I don't believe you.

Cristina:
Are you calling me a liar, sir? Fine. You know what? Earlier when I said I was OK with that open procedure I wasn't. That might have been OK when Hawkeye and BJ did it on MASH. But being the new century and all, I would have, as I said earlier, treated endoscopically.

Examiner:
Then you lied earlier.

Cristina:
You know. Oh God. I can answer these questions any way you want using medical techniques from any era. So how about if we just... You know pick a decade you are comfortable with and go from there.

Examiner:
Well then. It's been a pleasure being witness to such a genius. I can now finally retire knowing that such advanced and creative minds work in the surgical field.

Cristina:
That's it?

Examiner:
Oh I think we've had enough of an education today Dr. Yang.

Cristina:
But... there still twenty minutes.

Examiner:
No need. Oh... best of luck.

Meredith:
[voiceover]: I'll admit the Romans had a point. You gotta to live life. And living means that every morning when you wake up you have to chose between seizing what life offers in the moment and forging ahead, no matter the weather or closing the curtains and shutting out the day.

Meredith:
[voiceover]: So there is this bird, some sort of swallow I think. Every September thousand of them ditch rainy Seattle to winter in Mexico. These birds aren't dumb. And every year crowds of people gather around to drink beer and watch the flocks take off. They call it the Great Migration.

Alex:
Hopkins!

Cristina:
Uh, Hopkins is not in the running.

Alex:
Not for you, for me! Hopkins! Hopkins wants me, HOPKINS WANTS ME!

Cristina:
Johns Hopkins? The hospital? Not Hopkins Refrigeration School?

Meredith:
[at the same time] Alex, how?

Alex:
I kind of bitched out their Chief of Surgery at my boards and I-I guess he was impressed.

Cristina:
So they know you're a jerk.

Alex:
They totally know, And they want me. Hopkins wants me!

Meredith:
[smiling] I am not surprised at all.

Cristina:
I am one-hundred percent surprised.

[Alex looks at Cristina and turns around preparing to leave]

Cristina:
Hey.

[Alex turns back]

Cristina:
[gives Karev a hug] Nice work, Evil Spawn.

Alex:
[Smiles and turns and walks away happily] Yes! Hopkins!

Derek:
How's Julia? You impregnate her yet?

Mark:
I was all ready to, but then Lexie... she told me she was in love with me.

Derek:
Oh... What did you say?

Mark:
I said "Thank you for your candor."

Derek:
"Thank you for your candor"?

Mark:
What was I supposed to do?

Derek:
Well, I don't know, kiss her?

Mark:
Julia's away on a conference, I'm not a cheater. [Derek gives him a look] Usually.

Webber:
Hopkins didn't pull the offer, did they?

Alex:
They, uh, gave me the international rotation and the moving expenses, and they took care of, uh, all my loans-- college, med school.

Webber:
Yes.

Alex:
They're even throwing in a mortgage allowance. I could buy a house.

Webber:
Good.

Alex:
They gave me everything I asked for. So did Hunt.

Webber:
Then... why the hell aren't you celebrating?

Alex:
No one's ever wanted me like this.

Webber:
You just don't recognize the view, Karev...The crowd going wild, people taking pictures, the snap of the tape as you break it.

Alex:
What are you talking about?

Webber:
What it looks like when you finish first.

Miranda:
You're a physician. Is this really the first time you missed a lunch and the crossword because of a surgery?

Meredith:
Here we go.

Ben:
It was important to me.

Miranda:
Well, this parasite's important to me.

Ben:
Yeah, I can see that.

Miranda:
You know what? Fine. Let's do it right now. Give me the damn crossword.

Ben:
Just forget it.

Miranda:
Oh, no. Nobody's ever gonna forget it. Where is Dr. Warren's bag?

Ben:
Miranda...

Miranda:
Oh, there it is.

Derek:
And this is why you don't work with your girlfriend.

Meredith:
I warned them.

Miranda:
Here we go. Oh, this is gonna be so great. It's way better than a once-in-a-lifetime, bone-eating parasite. Let's see. One down.

Ben:
Dr. Bailey...

Miranda:
Oh, no, no, no. No help from you. I'm too excited. This is what I live for. Let's see "Peruvian mountain range". Oh, Andes. Five, uh-huh. "Planet with water, four letters". Oh, Mars. Duh. Uh,"fancy sauce"? Fancy... ooh. Remoulade.

Ben:
Stop.

Miranda:
What? No, no. I'm on a roll. Come on. Hey, this can't be the Sunday, 'cause this is way too easy. What's ... Oh, hey, this one, 21 across. "My question to you." Hmm.

Ben:
I'm asking you to put it away.

Derek:
He's asking you nicely, Dr. Bailey.

Miranda:
Oh, no, no, no. When he doesn't get his way, he holds on to it in his cheek like a squirrel with a nut. We are doing the crossword. What is "my question to you"? It's a bunch of letters. Um ... oh, maybe it's a phrase. "My question to you," anybody?

Meredith:
How many letters?

Miranda:
Uh, 2 ... 9 ... 13.

Derek:
It's 13 letters?

Ben:
14.

Miranda:
No, I'm looking at it. It's 13.

Ben:
No, it's 14. Count again.

Miranda:
I just counted. What, do you have X-ray vision from across the room?

Ben:
"Will you marry me" is my question to you. And the reason why it's so easy is because I made the crossword. Took me two damn months not to mention getting a mockup made of "The New York Times." The phrase has 14 letters. "Will," four,"you," seven, "marry," 12,"me" ... 14.

Meredith:
[voiceover]: I don't know how those birds do it. Travel thousand of miles without getting lost. Banging into windows, being eaten by cats. But every spring they are always here. I guess they come back to what they know. People say it's pretty cool watching them go. They say you can actually see the moment when at some mysterious signal, all at once, the birds decide to leave. So maybe I've been missing out. Whatever. There's always next year.

Richard Webber:
[voiceover] A month ago, you were in med school being taught by doctors. Today, you are the doctors. The seven years you spend here as a surgical resident will be the best and worst of your life. You will be pushed to the breaking point. Eight of you will switch to an easier specialty. Five of you will crack under the pressure. Two of you will be asked to leave. This is your starting line. This is your arena. How well you play? That’s up to you.

Callie:
Oh, boohoo, poor April didn't pass her test. Big whoop, okay? I got fired from chief resident, and then I got fired from this hospital. Oh, my husband cheated on me-

April:
Wh-you were married? To a man? [Alex nods]

Callie:
[seriously] And then he died. So I didn't think I was ever gonna be happy again. But now? My life is pretty damn great. So, you're having a rough time. It's, nothing! It's a blip! And in the meantime, you're missing your moment! You survived residency! Stop, and celebrate that. Cause life? Changes in an instant. Turns on a dime. One minute you're miserable, and then the next, you've met the most amazing woman in the world, and are in love. This moment, your moment, it only happens once. [turns to walk away] Oh, and the duck is freakin' amazing. [slaps Alex's chips to the floor]

Mark:
You're doing good.

Lexie:
Mark...

Mark:
Cristina's... Cristina's gonna be back any minute.

Lexie:
Mark...

Mark:
She's gonna be back. and we're gonna get you stabilized, and you're gonna be fine, okay?

Lexie:
No, Mark...

Mark:
Just a few minutes, okay? She'll be back any minute.

Lexie:
Mark, I'm... I'm dying.

Mark:
What? No, you're not.

Lexie:
[gasps] Mm-hmm. I am. Please... Tell... [crying] Tell Meredith that I love her. And that she's a good sister. Please. T-Tell my dad...

Mark:
You're not dying. You're gonna be fine.

Lexie:
[crying] Hold my hand.

Mark:
I'm not holding your hand because you're not dying.

Lexie:
Hold my hand.

Mark:
No, you're not dying. Do you hear me? You don't die today. [tries to lift the plane off her again, and realizes, and lays back down and holds her hand] I love you.

Lexie:
You don't have to say it just because I said it.

Mark:
I do. I love you. [teary eyed] I love you. I've always been in love with you. I will always be in love with you.

Lexie:
Yeah?

Mark:
Yeah. Which is why you have to stay alive. We-- We-- We're gonna get married. And you're gonna make an amazing surgeon. And we're gonna have two or three kids.

Lexie:
So Sofia can have siblings.

Mark:
Yeah. A sister and two brothers.

Lexie:
That's nice.

Mark:
And... We're gonna be happy, Lex... You and me. We're gonna have the best life, Lexie. You and me. We're gonna be so happy. So you can't die, okay? You can't die, because we're supposed to end up together. We're meant to be. [starts crying]

Lexie:
Meant to be. [she dies]

Mark:
[crying] I love you. I love you. I- I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.

Bailey:
When you are sharing your life with a person, you talk to them, you think with them, you make decisions with them, you are loyal to them.

Jackson:
I chose Tulane.

April:
Good. That's good for you.

Jackson:
Yeah. ... I feel sick, by the way. Sick to leave here, to leave you. But, uh, I'm glad-- I'm glad you're so friggin' happy about it.

April:
I'm not. I'm not happy with any of it. I'm not happy that everything I thought I was turns out not to be true. Um, I'm not a board certified surgeon. I'm not a virgin. I'm not a good Christian. I don't know what I am, but I know I'm not happy. I loved having sex with you. You made me feel things... You changed me, Jackson. And I loved that. But I hate that I'm not a virgin for the man I'm gonna marry. [voice breaking] I'm not freakin' happy about that. And I'm really not happy that you feel bad about it, 'cause you're my best friend. But you know what? Torres is right. My problems will still be my problems tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that. And in a few weeks, my best friend will be at Tulane, and I may never see him again, so... For one night, I'm just gonna forget all about that. And I'm gonna try. I'm gonna try to be happy. I'm happy tonight. I am gonna be happy, Jackson. 'Cause this is a happy time, and we should be celebrating, okay? So can you please just wipe that freakin' frown off your face and be happy with me?

Jackson:
You look really nice.

April:
So do you.

Meredith:
[voiceover] The years we spend as surgical residents will be the best and worst of our lives. We will be pushed to our breaking point. This is the starting line. This is our arena. How well we play? That's up to us.