Little bird

thanks for the memories

“ Gratitude, appreciation, giving thanks. No matter what words you use, they all mean the same thing. Happy. We're supposed to be happy. Grateful for friends, family. Happy just to be alive. Whether we like it or not. Maybe we're not supposed to be happy. Maybe gratitude has nothing to do with joy. Maybe being grateful means recognizing what you have for what it is. Appreciating small victories. At the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage to still be standing is reason enough to celebrate. ”
— Meredith Grey

Izzie gathers cookbooks in the kitchen and starts reading.

Meredith sneaks down the stairs. She tries to sneak out but Izzie catches her right before she reaches the front door. Izzie reminds her they were all supposed to get together at 9 A.M. to help her make Thanksgiving dinner. Meredith is not in the mood. She goes to answer the door. Three men ask for "Georgie". They enter and head upstairs while chanting his last name. Using them as a distraction, Meredith rushes out the door with Izzie yelling after her.

George counts down before the men burst into his room, wishing him a happy Thanksgiving.

Delilah's pov
April invited me for a early Thanksgiving brunch before they have to go to work. I asked if I could bring a plus one and they said that if was fine. Me and Noah were excited to be together in front of people, no needing for secret glances. We got to the apartment and we're welcomed by Jackson. We went to the living room and I introduced my boyfriend to all the Mercy Westers.  We started talking about operations we had done that was interesting. Noah joined in and talked about some of his coolest operations. Charles came with the Chinese and they ordered alot , but we feasted like we do not get food. We all just laid on the floor after eating. With very full stomachs. We said our goodbyes, because they almost have their shift.

Bailey finds Meredith in the locker room and tells her they are working with a temp attending, Dr. Kent, from Mercy West. She thanks Meredith for volunteering to work today.

Derek, Burke, and Richard gather in front of the OR board. Burke likes to start his day cutting. He finished a surgery in under an hour so now he's leaving. Richard and Derek both claim they are only there for a little while. He doesn't buy it. Richard tries to convince Derek he knows how to have a life outside the hospital.

George's father and his two brothers lead him out of the house, much to Izzie's dismay. George explains their family's tradition to go turkey hunting. This is the year George will kill his first bird. Izzie wonders who is going to help her but George points out he is in need of help, too, as his brother literally drags him out the door.

Burke and Cristina ring the bell at Meredith's. Cristina warns him not to bring up Derek and Addison. Burke knows how to handle social situations. Izzie opens the door and is shocked to see that Cristina brought Burke. Cristina quietly tells Izzie she tried to blow him off. Burke tells Izzie he can call her Preston since he showed up uninvited. Izzie informs Cristina where the others are. Izzie tries to reach Alex. Burke smells something burning.

Izzie tries to reach Alex again. Burke figures out that Izzie has never made a Thanksgiving dinner. She says she's a baker. Burke jumps in to help her out. As they begin cooking mimicking a surgical procedure, Cristina says she needs lots of liquor.

Alex is listening to Izzie's voice mail message while studying in the tunnels. He doesn't return her call.

Cristina lets Joe and his boyfriend Walter into the house. She is disappointed to hear he only brought pie, no liquor.
Alex sits down with Meredith on the floor in Holden's room. They each wonder why the other isn't at Thanksgiving. Meredith goes first. She feels too miserable to be around normal people, like she'll infect the happy people. Alex says he failed the medical boards. Izzie will be all supportive, which make him feel like he's being emasculated. Meredith says he should go, even if he's not telling her about the boards. They both feel a little bit better now.

Burke is coaching Izzie as she cuts the celery. He reminds her to check the turkey with the meat thermometer. Walter and Joe place bets on if she's going to pull it off. Cristina has had enough of them operating on a turkey. She leaves to go get liquor. Burke follows her into the hallway. She is not enjoying his making friends with her friends. She asks for his keys and leaves. He goes back to his surgery.

I was in love with Noah and I am going to tell him soon that we can tell people. He dropped me off at the house. I gave him a big kiss before going to the house. Just outside, I got a call from Mark, he started saying, " Happy Thanksgiving. I know I should have called earlier but life sucks sometimes. I have the results to the test, do you want to hear it?" I quickly replied a yes. He said," One of the people's hair was your biological mother and the other was your full blooded sister...are you okay Birdie?"

After a moment of silence ,I broke out in tears. I hang up and was going inside with shaking hands. Izzie came and before she saw me said," Where have you been? We needed your help." I then loudly said," Does it look like a give a flying shit about dinner? Leave me alone!" I stormed past her and went to my room and slammed the door. I was lying on the floor sobbing and wondering why was she my mother. Someone who could've raised me. A sister I could've had. Bad experiences I would not have had. Why,why ,why? Millions thoughts running in my head. I grab a whiskey bottle and drink until I fell asleep. Noah called me during my mental breakdown, but he did not reach me. I was too in my head. He thought that he will visit me later that night.

After I went upstairs, Izzie and Burke have found their rhythm as a cooking team. Izzie asks where he learned to cook. He says his mother owns a restaurant in Alabama. Izzie guesses Cristina doesn't know that. They agree she is hard to get to know. Preston asks if she's okay with Alex not showing. She is not. Joe comes in to ask for liquor, which makes Izzie realize that Cristina has been gone for a suspiciously long time.

Cristina is in the ER. She fetches a man who has swallowed a wish bone from the waiting room. She hopes he has torn his oesophagus, which means surgery.

Izzie tells Burke that Walter and Joe have set up the table. The turkey needs a few more hours. Burke wonders why she planned this dinner if she can't cook. She likes Thanksgiving. She says they work 18-hour shifts six days out of the week, 50 weeks a year. They don't have time for family or non-doctor friends. Thanksgiving is when they get to be like other people, where nobody dies on their watch. She wants to appreciate that day.

Izzie and Burke are sitting by themselves at a decorated table. Joe and Walter have to leave to go open the bar. People need a safe haven from their families. Burke refuses to leave until the hostess does. Cristina and George come in and sit down. George tells Izzie he committed bird murder and touched his father's ass, so he gets points for showing up at all. Cristina shows the booze she brought. Izzie decides not to get mad. They start eating.

Meredith watches the others from outside. Alex shows up and asks her if she's heading in. She's not. She tells him to go inside and make Izzie happy. He enters and Izzie's face lights up.

Izzie told Alex about me yelling and freaking out and he excused himself and went to the attic. He walked in and saw me laying on the bed just staring at the ceiling. His heart hurt seeing his person broken. " Sunshine, what happened? Who do I need to kill?" He tried to talk to me and I did not move, but he could see tears rolling down my cheeks. He laid next to me and hold my hand and waited for me to talk. "Why do people abandon me? Am I not enough? I found out who my biological mother is. And I hate her so much . I have this anger in me and I do not feel okay. I cannot live in this house. I need to move or I will kill someone." Alex then said," No matter what I will help you and be by your side." I felt a bit better and told him that he can leave and I will be okay.
Burke and Cristina are in the car. She noticed that he was nice. He brings up that she doesn't ask a lot of personal questions and that she is hard to get to know. She agrees. He tells her about his mother's restaurant. In return, she tells him that she scrubbed in a foreign body extraction this afternoon. He smiles and starts the car.

Noah was worried about me and showed up. I hugged him when he came in. He saw my red, puffy eyes and knew that something had happened. I asked him if I could stay with him for a few days and he said yes. I packed a bag of clothes and all my necessities. When we were at his house, we cuddled on his couch and I told him about Ellis Grey being my mother and that I did not know what to do with that information. He just hold me and told me that he will support me with anything I decide to do.

At Joe's, a man asks Meredith if the seat next to hers is taken. After verifying that he doesn't work at the hospital or is a doctor of any kind, she tells him the seat isn't taken. She's open to letting him buy her a drink.