Season 2, Episode 8: Let It Be
Overall Episode Number: 17
Created by: Shonda Rhimes
/ / /
In the 8th grade, my English class had to read Romeo & Juliet. Then for extra credit, Mrs. Snyder made us act out all the parts. Sal Scafarillo was Romeo. As fate would have it, I was Juliet. All the other girls were jealous, but I had a slightly different take. I told Mrs. Snyder that Juliet was an idiot. For starters, she falls for the one guy she knows she can't have. Then she blames fate for her own bad decision. Mrs. Snyder explained to me that when fate comes into play, choice sometimes goes out the window. At the ripe old age of 13, I was very clear. That love – like life – is about making choices. And fate has nothing to do with it. Everyone thinks it's so romantic. Romeo & Juliet. True love. How sad. If Juliet was stupid enough to fall for the enemy, drink a bottle of poison and go to sleep in a mausoleum... she deserved whatever she got.
- Meredith Grey
/ / /
At the nurse's station, where an agitated guy named Weiss is talking to one of the nurses. "I've already told you I don't need an appointment. I'm not a patient; I am a friend from New York."
Derek sees the guy talking to the nurse, and he looks confused. "Weiss?"
Weiss turns around and he smiles at the neurosurgeon. "Derek! I've been looking for you."
/ / /
Addison is walking down an open hallway, meeting a blonde woman named Savannah, nicknamed Savvy. Addison opens up her arms, "Sav!"
"Oh, it's good to see you." Savvy told her.
The two hug tightly.
"Oh why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Addison asked as they finally stop hugging. "If I knew you were coming, I would've taken the day off."
"Well it was kinda last minute," Savvy replied.
Addison grew concerned. "Is everything okay? Are you all right?"
/ / /
Derek and Weiss are chatting in an empty staff/conference room, sitting at a table with cups of coffee.
"A month ago, her mother died. Ovarian cancer," Weiss told Derek.
Derek looked shocked. "Katherine died?" Weiss nodded. "I'm sorry."
"That's Savvy, she's... I mean, you know how close they were. I mean all she could think about was this breast and ovarian cancer gene." Weiss remarked.
"BRACA," Derek suggested.
/ / /
Addison is talking with Savvy in a similar room that Derek and Weiss were talking in. Addison is looking over Savvy's file. "A positive test result isn't the end of the world, Sav. It just means that you have a gene mutation that could..."
"I know what it is. I've talked to the genetic counselor. I've been to my gynecologist... and now I'm here." Savvy interrupted softly. Addison sits back. Savvy sits down across from her, pleading, "Addie, you're the best surgeon there is."
"True," Addison smiled. They both chuckled. "But this isn't surgical."
"Yes, it is." Savvy argued.
Addison shook her head. "No Sav, you don't understand. You don't have cancer."
"And I have no intention of getting it," Savvy implied.
Addison stares at her quietly, and then she shakes her head slightly. "So you want me..."
"I want you to take out my ovaries and the uterus. And when that's done... you're gonna find the best person out there to cut off my breasts."
/ / /
Mackenzie was sitting in her hospital bed, reading a book when Bailey and the interns walked into her room for rounds. Mackenzie sat the book down, hoping to get discharged today.
"Who would like to present?" Bailey asked her five interns.
Meredith stepped up to Bailey's side. "Mackenzie Shepherd-Sloan; 11 years old. Post-op day 7 of an emergency appendectomy due to mild appendicitis and her appendix rupturing."
"Dr. Bailey, I've been here for a week. I haven't run a fever, and I've been taking my medicine like I'm supposed to. Can I please get discharged today? Please?" Mackenzie practically begged.
Bailey looks at her with a gentle smile. "Yes, you can get discharged. Although, you should've been discharged a few days ago. I don't know why you're still in here."
Mackenzie shrugged. "My papa wanted to make sure that there was nothing wrong with me or my incision. He was very insistent."
Bailey chuckled and smiled at her. "Well, I can say that without a doubt, you are cleared to go home. I'll have to make sure that both Dr. Shepherds sign your discharge papers. Just promise me you'll take it easy for a little while."
"I promise, Dr. Bailey." Mackenzie replied.
Bailey looked at George. "Dr. O'Malley... let's get Mackenzie prepped for her discharge."
"Yes ma'am." George replied and sent Mackenzie a smile.
After seven whole days, she finally gets to go home.
/ / /
Savvy, Addison, and Weiss are all sitting together at a table. Izzie is standing at the doorway, watching.
"My mother died of it. My aunt. My cousin! She's 37, has ovarian cancer." Savvy argued.
Weiss sighed. "But you don't. You don't have cancer! This is crazy, Sav."
Savvy sighed. "But I have the gene Weiss..."
Derek walks into the room.
Addison interrupts, "which gives her up to an 85% chance of getting cancer, Weiss."
"And a 15% chance she won't." Derek argued.
Addison looked up at her husband. "What are you invited
"I'm not betting my life on 15%!" Savvy retorted.
Derek looked at Addison. "Weiss asked me to come." He kisses Savvy's head and sits down next to Weiss.
Weiss shrugged. "I thought it might help."
Savvy looked at her husband. "Help what?" She asked and turned to Derek. "I'm sorry Derek, cause I love you and I'm really glad to see you but until you grow a uterus and watch your mother die from this disease you don't get... you don't get a vote."
Derek looks to Addison. "She tell you that they were trying to get pregnant?"
Addison nodded. "Yes she did."
"Having a hysterectomy is gonna throw a wrench into that," Derek argued.
"Derek! We've been trying for months." Savvy said adamantly.
"Why give up now?" Weiss questioned.
Savvy sighed. "Come on. We've talked about this. There are other ways to make a family Weiss. We can adopt, we can do..."
Weiss interrupts, "Savvy I just..."
Savvy interrupts angrily. "No. NO! I'm not talking about this!"
Derek sighed. "Let's just take a step back. Take a deep breath and think about this." He gives Addison a look, who gives him one back, annoyed with her husband.
Savvy looked at her friend. "I've already thought about it, Derek. This... this is going to happen."
Addison grabs Savvy's patient chart, handing it to Izzie. "Dr. Stevens, get a complete history and her pre-op labs. Get her scheduled for a double mastectomy and consult Dr. Quenar from plastics for a reconstruction."
"Derek," Weiss said. He was very upset.
"Addison this conversation is not over!" Derek told his wife.
Addison scoffed. "This ... She is my patient Derek! Doing a bilateral prophylactic oophorectomy and hysterectomy tomorrow." Izzie looks amazed at what is going on. Addison looks to Izzie. "Get moving."
/ / /
Derek and Addison are walking down a hallway together. "Prophylactic surgery is extreme," Derek contested.
Addison angrily sighs. "This is has nothing to do with you. Why were you even in there? She came to me for medical consultation, Derek. I'm her doctor. Me."
"Those are some of our closest friends. This isn't medical, it is personal," Derek replied.
Addison nodded. "Fine. Okay if it's personal we should be dealing with them as a couple. Acting like a couple."
Derek furrowed his brow in confusion. "What? What does that mean?"
Addison holds up her wedding ring on her hand. "See the ring?"
Derek gets angry. "Don't go to the ring!"
"The ring Derek! Remember? When we're here at work you won't talk to me or on the ferry where you pretend not to see me or in couple's therapy 3 times a week where we're arguing about whether or not we should be in couple's therapy. What are we doing?" Addison questioned.
"This is not about us," Derek quipped.
Addison glared. "It is! Medicine aside our friends are going through hell in there and we can't even act like we like each other long enough to help them."
Derek shakes his head and Addison walks off.
Talk about trouble in paradise.
/ / /
Mackenzie sighed in relief when Derek strode into her room. "Finally! Please sign my discharge papers so I can go home. Dr. Bailey cleared me today."
Derek chuckled as he kissed his daughter's head. "I will sign them, pumpkin. I'll bet your ready to go home."
"I've been ready all week! I hate to admit it, but I miss the trailer," Mackenzie said playfully.
Derek laughed and kissed her head once more. "I love you so much, baby girl. I'll make sure that you get to go home today."
Mackenzie beamed. "Thank you! I can finally sleep at night without nurses poking at me every hour and a half."
/ / /
Weiss is sitting on an empty hospital gurney against the wall of a hallway. Derek is leaning against the wall, talking to him. Mackenzie is at Derek's side.
"You know we had a future. We had plans. We picked out baby names together. She betrayed that... without even asking my opinion. Without even giving me time to process." Weiss said, an upset tone in his voice.
Derek sighed. "It's a difficult time. For both of you. She's emotional."
"And hormone changes. Mood swings. They say she could lose her sex drive," Weiss lamented.
"You'll get through this, all right?" Derek said. He sits down next to Weiss, "you'll get through this. You guys love each other."
Weiss looked at Derek. "Is that what you said about you and Addie?"
"What?"
Weiss shrugged. "You left her."
"That was different," Derek replied.
"Was it, Derek? Really?" Weiss asked.
Derek sighed. "You know, I gotta go check on a patient and get ready for dinner. See you later." He gets up and walks off with Mackenzie.
Mackenzie sighed as she walked with Derek. "I feel bad for them."
"So do I, sweetheart." Derek said.
/ / /
Savvy is putting makeup on, getting ready for a night out. Izzie walks into her room. "Oh, I didn't... have you been discharged?"
Savvy turns around to see Izzie. "Wha? No. I'm going out to dinner with my surgeon and our husbands. Sort of a last supper I guess. I know, I know. Nothing after midnight." Izzie nods and moves to leave. Savvy looks at her. "You're disappointed aren't you?" Izzie stops and turns back. "How do I look?"
Izzie nodded. "You're a beautiful woman."
"And so are you." Savvy said. Izzie half shrugs it off looking down. "Is that why this is so hard to understand? Ugh, menopause, I know. Boobs. But they have hormone replacement, reconstructions," Savvy spoke. She gets reflective. "But the sexy Savvy. The Savvy that gets noticed when she walks into the room. Hmmm. The Savvy that loves to wake her husband up in the middle of the night to make love. Yeah I wonder if that Savvy is still gonna be there. Honestly I haven't a clue." Izzie is silent. Savvy sighed. "But then I think is, is that why Weiss married me? God, I hope not."
/ / /
Bailey is in the staff room, eating a piece of chocolate cake and coffee. Richard comes in. "You're being wooed, aren't you?"
Bailey looks up. "Excuse me?"
"The fellowship. LA Med, Chicago Central. They're wooing you. I mean you're fielding offers, you're looking at bonus packages, you're letting yourself be wooed." Richard deducted.
Bailey looks a little surprised. "No, Chief I..."
Richard interrupts. "No it's fine! It's fine. Go be a hotshot somewhere else." He goes to a table and makes himself a cup of coffee. He comes back a little upset. "But tell me... how could you do this to me? I mean, I'm hurt. Really hurt. After all I've done for you. You're gifted and you're ungrateful. And that's all I'm saying."
Bailey looks up, annoyed. "I'm pregnant, you blind moron."
Richard is shocked and looks sheepish. "You're what?"
"My heart rate is 110. I'm burning 3000 calories a day. My legs are swollen. I've got indigestion and gas. Did you know that carrying a boy in your uterus means you burn 10% more calories than if you had a girl? Guess what I'm carrying! I try for 7 damn years and a month before my fellowship notifications the stick turns blue. Men! From the very beginning they just suck the life right out of you. I'm not leaving. I'm pregnant," Bailey said.
"Um... congratulations."
/ / /
Meredith is entering an empty elevator. Well... except for Derek, who's dressed for dinner, and standing in a corner, typing something into his mobile. The doors ding shut.
"So, apparently we both live on this elevator." Derek joked.
Meredith doesn't reply. He shuts his phone and walks to face her. She avoids looking at him.
Derek sighed. "Meredith. You know, you could at least acknowledge I exist."
The door dings open and Addison is waiting to get on. Derek turns around so his back is facing Meredith, and Addison enters the elevator. "Hello, Dr. Grey."
Meredith nodded. "Hello."
Addison looks to Derek. "You ready to go?"
"I was on my way," Derek said. "Dr. Grey, do you mind watching my daughter tonight? If it's not much trouble, that is."
Meredith shook her head. "It's not much trouble. I'll make sure I set up the couch for her."
There is an awkward silence for the rest of the elevator ride.
/ / /
Addison, Derek, Savvy and Weiss are sitting in a booth together at Joe's, having a few drinks.
Savvy smiled. "When Addie told me she was coming out here, I had such a good feeling. You guys are gonna make it. You were always meant to be."
Weiss nodded. "Yeah a couple of clams on a half shell. A couple of peas in a pod."
Addison chuckles. "Hmm."
"Still working on the pod part," Derek replied.
Addison nodded. "It's about choices."
Savvy holds up her coke for a toast. "We'll here's to taking life in your own hands."
"Cheers," Addison said.
Savvy nodded. "Cheers."
"Cheers." Derek said as he raised his drink.
Weiss looks upset. "Yeah. And here's to bull and here's to crap. And here's to oophorectomy, hysterectomy, double bilateral mastectomy."
Savvy looked at him. "Please stop."
"How smart am I to know all those words?" Weiss said dryly.
"Stop." Savvy tried.
Weiss continues. "Here's to breast reconstruction, nipple reconstruction. Here's to losing your wife. Here's to being the ass who can't be supportive. Here's to that." He gets up and leaves.
/ / /
In the ground floor waiting room, Weiss is sitting in one the chairs. Derek walks in. "Weiss?"
"Don't talk to me. Keep walking."
Derek sighed. "You should get some sleep. Sober up. So you're ready for Savvy's surgery. Come on I'll drive you."
Weiss scoffed. "I'm supposed to hold her hand while they rip her apart? That's the definition of love?"
Derek sighs and sits down, facing him. "You can do this."
"Maybe I can't. Maybe I'm just a guy who likes to screw his wife," Weiss replied.
Derek shakes his head. "Weiss."
"And that's what she'll think if I'm not there."
Derek looked at him. "You're gonna be there."
Weiss chuckles. "This is coming from a guy who packed his and his daughter's bags in the middle of the night and drove 3,000 miles to live in a trailer."
"Yeah well what am I doing with Addison now? Hmmm? I'm trying to work it out. I don't know, am I out of my-my mind? I don't know. You tell me? It's about the ring. It's about the vows. Savvy didn't screw around with you with your best friend. She's looking for support. If you don't give that to her now, if you don't give her that support, then what the hell am I doing?" Derek asked.
Weiss just shakes his head.
/ / /
Addison is sitting on Savvy's bed with a Polaroid camera, taking photos of Savvy, who's sitting opposite her on the bed, doing provocative poses with nothing but a red gown.
Addison smiled. "Hold still." She takes the photo and they both laugh.
"Make sure you get both sides," Savvy said.
Addison nodded. "Okay."
Savvy was smiling. "You know, these are gonna be next year's holiday cards." Addison laughs and takes another picture. "I want them to be immortalized before they're gone. And this way Weiss gets to look at them whenever he wants."
Addison takes another picture. "These are gonna be great."
"We're scheduled to go in at 8?" Savvy asked.
Addison nodded. "Yeah. I'm gonna take you down to the pre-op in just a few minutes."
"Weiss will show up, Addie. He always does."
Addison gets slightly teary. "Sav... As your doctor, you know I'm a 100% on your side but... as your friend, are you absolutely sure about this?"
Savvy sighs. "I know what I'm losing. I get it. But think about what I'm gaining. My life. This gives me a shot. A shot at the future. At shot at me and Weiss... becoming this crazy, old wrinkled couple that argues all the time. I mean, wouldn't you want that? A chance to grow old with Derek? To raise Mackenzie together, and watch her live out her life?"
Addison gets teary. "Yeah. Yeah I do."
"Oh god." Savvy starts crying.
"Oh Sav." Addison said as comforts her friend.
/ / /
Maybe Romeo and Juliet were fated to be together, but just for a while. And then their time passed. If they could've known that beforehand maybe it would've all been okay. I told Mrs. Snyder that when I was growing up I'd take fate into my own hands. I wouldn't let some guy drag me down. Mrs. Snyder said that I'd be lucky if I ever had that kind of passion with someone. And that if I did, we'd be together forever. Even now I believe for the most part love is about choices. It's about putting down the poison and the dagger and making your own happy ending ... most of the time. And that sometimes despite all your best choices and all your best intentions, fate wins anyway.
- Meredith Grey
/ / /
3106 words
Next Update: Thanks for the Memories
*Sorry for the sporadic update, but I was on vacation. I'm back home now, and I'm going to update a lot more. Not a lot of Mackenzie content, but I enjoyed writing this.*
Published: 2/17/2021