"When I was a kid, I would wake up every morning in the winter and immediately open the curtains to see if it was snowing. And it usually was. It was Boston. Schools would close. People would hunker down, light candles, and eat everything in the refrigerator. Everyone loves a snow day. Except for one person. My mother. She always said the same thing: "Meredith, surgeons don't get snow days." She was right. We don't. Right after a storm, I would run outside. Whether it was the air or the fresh blanket of snow, it always felt magical or new. But as beautiful as it is, the snow starts to melt. And you're suddenly standing in dirty slush, frozen and unable to feel anything at all. But after enough time, even that disappears. The ground thaws, days get longer, and though you could never imagine it, you start to feel again. It surprises me every time."
-Meredith Grey, S16E15, "Snowblind"
"There's an old joke doctors like to tell. "Hey Doc, it hurts when I go like this." And the doctor says, "Well, don't go like this." It's a lame joke, but it's nonetheless true. As human beings, we can't help but want to follow our instincts. To follow our guts, our primal urges. No matter how much it may hurt. We hold onto hope thinking one small detail, one tiny piece of information will somehow make things right, make it different, make it okay, stop the world from spinning off its axis. When the truth is, there's really no good way to say goodbye."
-Meredith Grey, S16E16, "Leave a Light On"
"Your body contains approximately 35 trillion cells, and every one of them is constantly being pulled down to Earth by gravity. When you're lying down, gravitational forces spread between the thorax, abdomen, and legs. Stand up too fast and blood rushes downward, away from the brain. It causes dizziness or even fainting. It's a minor miracle our cells get anything done at all. Because the human body has to perform even the simplest of tasks under unimaginable pressure. You would think weightlessness is a good thing, but it's not. Because people weren't meant to float. Without gravity, we lose blood volume, bone density, muscle. Without it, we're untethered. So when you feel yourself being pulled towards something, it's not necessarily a bad thing. It may keep you centered. It may keep you safe."
-Meredith Grey, S16E17, "Life on Mars?"
"In 1847, the American Medical Association published its Code of Ethics, in which physicians were encouraged to provide free services to the poor as part of their public duty. Hospitals were meant to be centers to care for the sick and poor. They were meant to be places of refuge, places to heal. But somewhere along the way, that changed. Healthcare became a commodity sold to those who can afford it rather than a physician's dutiful service to the public. It's been said that you haven't lived today until you've done something for someone who can never repay you. But that's easier said than done. Because when your life's a mess, it's hard to be much help to anyone else. I wish I had something more encouraging to say. And if that sounds too hard, well, this might not be the life for you."
-Meredith Grey, S16E18, "Give a Little Bit"
The sound of a slamming door echoed around the small room making Anna flinch with an uneasiness. She sat down near the window, watching the snow fall and cover the town in a beautiful white. It was atleast three feet deep now. Her car was buried. She was stuck here, just another citizen that was trapped inside and advised to take shelter inside due to the rapid falling snow, strong winds, and freezing temperatures. She glanced around the silent apartment, a place that used to be full of love, joy, happy memories, a place she would've once loved to be quarantined inside with her boyfriend; not now. Not anymore. This was the last place she wanted to be now. It wasn't supposed to be like this... this wasn't supposed to happen. She pulled out her cellphone, glancing at the red circle in place of bars. Great, she had no data, no service. Resting her head back against the wall, she closed her eyes and remembered the events of the last few days. So much had changed so quickly, it all felt unreal.
Just five days ago, she was getting dressed in her cap and gown at home, posing for pictures with Meredith, Maggie, Amelia, Zola, Bailey, and Ellis. She headed to the auditorium, greeted friends, and couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she crossed the stage, accepting her medical degree, looking out and seeing her family accompanied by Dr. Bailey, Ben, Webber, Jackson, Alex, Jo, Owen, Teddy, Colton, even DeLuca, Link and Addison among the cheering, estatic faces in the crowd. Everyone at Grey Sloan threw her a graduation party at the hospital, she had a great time, drinking, dancing, and answering questions during a "medical trivia" game, accepting some surprise gifts from Cristina, Callie, and Arizona. Meredith and her had a serious, sweet conversation which ended in happy tears and lots of hugging. Just five days ago, her future looked big, bright, and full of happier memories and adventures.
Just three days ago, she celebrated her 24th birthday with everyone at a pretty fancy restaurant recommended by Jackson. The celebration moved to the house where everyone engaged in board games and telling crazy, embarrassing first year intern stories while trying to prepare Anna with experienced, knowledgeable advice. Just three days ago, she remembers babbling on and on about the possible gender of Amelia's baby while tipsy and suggesting bizzare, unique baby names while her aunt laughed so hard she literally peed her pants.
Just yesterday, she remembers the shocking conversation with Jo revealing that Alex had reconnected with Izzie, found out she was the mother of his twins, living on a farm in Kansas. Alex had left to go visit, meet his children, and then returned. He and Jo tried to come to an agreement, but Jo was adamant about staying in Seattle. She understood how Alex felt, she understood that he wanted to be a good, active father in his children's lives, but she wasn't going to uproot her life and move to the middle of nowhere and leave behind her career just to play stepmommy. She wasn't going to do that, she told him, standing her ground. Alex confined in Anna, saying he had already started looking at hospitals near Izzie's place in Kansas, already contacted his lawyer about seperating from Jo. She didn't want to hold him back, he didn't want to hold her back. She wanted that life, that experience for him, told him to go, and signed the divorce papers with teary eyes and a deep, strong love for Alex Karev still in her heart. That was the end of Jo Karev. Their breakup was ultimately amicable. He didn't go to Kansas for his ex wife, he went for his children, but Jo told herself she'd never hold it against him if he rekindled his relationship with his other ex wife. Even if they were still on good terms, and talked regularly about patients, it didn't make their split hurt any less. Anna had been spending a lot of time texting with Jo because she was the only one who knew the real reasons behind Alex's sudden departure.
Five days ago, Anna would've never pictured her afternoon starting out like this. With all the talk about Anna's future changing, her graduation, upcoming internship, and the possiblity of getting her own place soon, Colton had started planning a future for her all on his own. He picked her up in the morning, treated her to breakfast in one of her favorite cafes, grabbed her a coffee as they bundled up and took a stroll through the light sprinkling of snow, and shocked Anna to the core as he got down on one knee near a trail they often walked together and proposed. Anna's reaction wasn't the immediate-heartwarming-overwhelmed-with-love "Yes!" that he was expecting. She froze, choking on her coffee, before smiling politely and helping him back on his feet and off of the freezing ground. He took it as a rejection, got immediately defensive, didn't let her explain herself or her feelings before he was overcome with anger.
"I love you, Anna, and I thought you loved me!"
"I do, Colton. I do-"
"They why aren't you as happy as me about moving forward in our relationship?"
Anna's attitude was soured when he mentioned her age, how friends her age were already married and having children, how she wasn't eighteen anymore but an adult. Anna hit back that she was new to relationships, that he was her first love, that not everyone has the same timeline and she didn't know if she'd want marriage a year, or ten years from now, that she'd been too focused on her education to think about getting married. Colton asked if she could ever see herself marrying him.
"The only thing I can see myself being, right now, is a surgeon."
"I thought we were being serious, I thought this relationship meant something to you."
"It does, but why does everything need to be planned out, or have a timeline? Why can't we just focus on right now?"
"I guess, we're just on different speeds. I thought you would've wanted this..."
"It's just too fast for me."
"Well, it's not for me. You can't expect me to wait ten years just because you don't wanna plan for our future together."
Colton stormed off and locked himself in his bedroom after they arrived back to his apartment as the snow started falling quickly and gusts of wind came out of nowhere.
Anna shifted, stretching her arms out with a quiet yawn, her eyes zeroing in on the small box that sat on the kitchen island. They say, "when you know, you know," but Anna really didn't know... was that her answer?
~ GREY'S ANATOMY ~
"And this will help with the pain."
"It doesn't hurt, actually."
"It will. I mean, none of your blisters are open now, but there's a very strong chance I'm gonna need to debride in the OR. And, DeLuca, I can't stress this enough the next 12 hours are critical. Thank you."
"Thank you. I'm not really in the mood for visitors."
"Andrew, that little girl is alive because of you. So I just wanted you to know that."
"I do know that. And I also know that if you'd had it your way, I wouldn't have gone out there, and that little girl would be dead. So I guess you're thanking me for not listening to you."
"Andrea, we were just worried about you. Okay, this is just like when Papa-"
"I'm not him, okay?! I'm not him! For the first time in my career, I'm succeeding on my own, without anybody's help. Why can't you just be happy for me and accept that? Why-Why-Why you do you always got to accuse me- of-of not being well?"
"Because there's a history-"
"Okay, well, I don't accuse you of having Alzheimer's every time you forget something, do I? You know, you can go, Meredith. Please, just-just leave."
~ GREY'S ANATOMY ~
The last person Jo thought would show up on her doorstep with a bottle of champagne, cookie dough, rocky road ice cream, jalapeño bread, mozzarella sticks, pretzels with a powder cheese center, and different flavored marshmallows was Anna.
"Anna? What-"
"Colton broke up with me." Anna informed her before she started sobbing, lifting up the grocery bags, "I've never done this breakup thing b-before, and I d-didn't know what to get. So, I j-just got what I like."
"Oh, Anna." Jo let her in, opened the champagne, and preheated the oven, "Do you wanna talk about it?"
"He proposed, I didn't automatically accept, he ended it."
"He proposed?" Jo's jaw dropped, "I... I wasn't expecting that."
"Neither was I. Didn't get the reaction he wanted, even if it was my genuine reaction. I just didn't want to move so fast. He wanted to move too fast. I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready."
"Coming from someone who just lost the love of her life: no, you don't. Take your time. A real guy would listen, try to understand, but you can't expect someone to wait forever even if they say they will." Jo opened the package of mozzarella sticks and dumped them onto a pan before putting them in the oven, "If this was his reaction to you, maybe it's better you're not together. Sounds really controlling, if you ask me."
"Doesn't make it suck any less." Anna pouted, sitting down on Jo's bed, leaning back on the soft pile of blankets.
"I know."
"I miss Alex."
"I miss him too. I'm glad, he's happy."
"I wonder what Izzie's like, if she's still the same?" Anna felt the bed dip as Jo laid down beside her, "I just remember her leaving one day and never seeing her again."
"She never said goodbye?"
"Nope. Now, everyone really is gone. Meredith's the only one who never left me."
"Hey," Jo looked her in the eye, promising, "I won't ever leave you, Anna."
"That's what they all say," Anna couldn't help herself, watching a smile appear on her face, giggling.
"Well, I mean it. And so does, Maggie, Amelia, Bailey, Webber. They're all still here."
"Yeah, I guess they are."
Anna and Jo ate through their heartbreak, binged tv together, and planned their next haircut and dieing their hair together. By the time Meredith called Anna to check up on her and ask where she was, she didn't feel nearly as bad as she was hours before arriving at Jo's.
~ GREY'S ANATOMY ~
"Mer, this is not the way I wanted to do this. The last thing on Earth I want to do is hurt you, but I'm leaving. I already left, actually. I'm gone. This is not the way I wanted to do this, but you know me. Any chance to take the easy way out. Or maybe that used to be true. I don't know. What I do know is I owe you the truth, and I don't know how else to tell you. But you know as well as I do if I showed up on your doorstep, you'd yell or give me guilt or crap or whatever you do that seems to always set me straight. You were always the one to set me straight... to point out when I was being an ass. And when that didn't work, you'd flop in my bed and say the one perfect thing that would make sense. I can't face you. It seems like five seconds ago, we were the interns hiding in the tunnels. I deserve the guilt and to be called an ass, but I don't want to be set straight. I don't want you to say the right thing because the one perfect thing isn't in Seattle. Not anymore. But I swear, it's not about work or you or Jo. It's about me. I left. And I'm with Izzie. This is probably the part where you're gonna get on your phone and call a million times and leave hateful messages on my machine till I call you back. But I can't, Mer. I can't lie to you, and I can't promise I'm gonna come home because it's not home anymore. When you were in danger of losing your license, when I called everyone to write letters and show up on your behalf, I called Izzie, too. I want to say I hoped she wouldn't answer, but the truth is I hoped she would. I want to say, "I had to call her for you," but that would be a lie. The truth is your trial gave me an excuse good enough to call her. 'Cause I wanted to know where she landed. I wanted to know if she was alive and well. I wanted to hear her voice. When she picked up, I blurted out the whole thing about you picking up trash off the street and needing a letter that proved you're better than that. And she laughed and said, "Of course she'd be trash-picking, trying to save the world." And then these voices were in the background and a girl was singing this song about "greasy, grimy gopher guts" that I learned in first grade and I started laughing and I asked if she had kids and... Izzie got quiet. For so long, she was quiet, and finally, she said, "Yeah, I have kids. Twins." And it turns out they're my kids, Mer. Izzie's and my kids. She had our kids. I love Jo. Deeply. Still. I think I always will. And if it was just about two women I love, I'd choose my wife. You know I would. But it's not just her. Izzie made our kids. She was single and wanted children and couldn't have 'em because the cancer nuked her eggs. But she had our embryos. Back then I was too freaked out to care about what she did with them if we never used them. So I signed papers saying she could do whatever she wanted with them. And so she used them. And she had twins. Eli and Alexis. I should have told Jo or told you, but I didn't. I got through the trial and then I came here and I met the kids. Met, my kids, Mer. They're five. And hilarious and stubborn as hell, just like Izzie. Like this little team that gangs up on me with stubbornness and sticky hands. And the second I walked in the door, they wanted to show me their rooms and the look on their faces when they were showing me all their toys and books and... asked if they could call me... Dad. They both want to be doctors, and Izzie teaches them to bake just like her. And they scribble pictures of stethoscopes all over the walls in chalk. And Alexis... oh, she's got Izzie's eyes. And Eli smiles crooked just like I do. And now I live on a freaking farm in Nowhere, Kansas. And the kids play with the chickens and Izzie goes to work as a surgical oncologist. Oh, and she's amazing, Mer. The progress she's made. She's alive. And she's a miracle and keeping other people alive. And I'm applying to the hospital nearby. And I wanted to be mad at Izzie for keeping them from me, but I can't because all I am is grateful she made them. Oh, they're so damn smart, smarter than I was at their age. Hell, sometimes at my age. And they get to have everything... a home where they feel safe and loved, and they play "sleepover," where they just keep swapping beds non-stop, all night until they land in ours at 1 a.m. And they wake up with two parents, when I rarely ever even had one. Oh, I love them, Mer, with every inch of me and every cell, and I get to be their dad. I'm the guy who lied and said I only had one ball to get into Seattle Grace. And it worked. I got a job and a career I love based on a lie that no one really cared about, and I made it work. And when I look at my kids and doubt if I know how to do right by them, I just think of you and Anna and Zola and Bailey and Ellis. You're so brave. And you've grown into this incredible mother, this incredible surgeon. You did that. You always said Cristina was your person. Then I was your person. But you've always been your own damn person, a force of freaking nature. You've never needed anyone but you. And you can come here, you know? You... You... You could show up at my door and... and get me to walk away from all this and just go back to you and Jo and the hospital- and everyone who helped me get here. But I hope you don't. Mer, you are my best friend, and I will miss the hell out of you, but I'm finally exactly where I should be. I never had that before. So, I hope you do come here one day,- but not to ask me to leave. I hope you come to meet my kids and they get to call you "Auntie Mer." Because you'll love them, and they'll love you. And until you're ready to do that, try not to hate me too much. Please?
Alex."
~ GREY'S ANATOMY ~
"Dear Dr. Bailey,
I regret to inform you, blah, blah, blah, that I will not be returning to Grey Sloan. I'm guessing you're not surprised by this, and definitely not happy about it. They called me Evil Spawn most of the time growing up in your hospital. It's probably one of the better nicknames I had most of my life, to be honest. I earned the name. I know it, you know it. Hell, you probably know that better than anyone. Truth is, you didn't like me very much in the beginning. I didn't really like you much, either. You were mean and impatient... and knew everything, and you liked everyone else but me, even when you pretended you didn't. Or you were convinced I had "it"... that something that would make them great someday. Hell, you named your kid after O'Malley. And Mer named her kid after you, and you... you just seemed like all my other teachers before you who took one look at me, decided I was garbage, and that was all I'd ever be. But here's the thing. Unlike everyone else, you let me grow the hell up. You gave me crap when I deserved it. You pushed my buttons and my limits when I needed it. Yeah, it's a teaching hospital and all that, but you did more than that, and you know it. And, sure, it'd be pretty great if I just stayed there forever and repaid you for everything you did for me. But you and I both know I can't. Never could. You helped me grow the hell up, and you took a bullet out of my stomach. You protected Jo from herself, and if I started the whole list of everything I learned from you, I would never stop writing. And right now my hand hurts. So just know this. It took me a long time to say it, but I'm a good peds surgeon. I'm an okay guy. I'm still trying. But I'm a really damn good surgeon. And I don't mind saying it now because I didn't figure it out myself. You kicked my ass and asked more of me than anyone and hired other teachers who kicked my ass and asked more of me. And I know who I am. I'm not that guy with a million Catherine Fox Awards on a shelf. I became the guy you trusted to run the hospital and keep your secrets. And now... and now I'm a surgeon, a friend, a father of two incredible kids with Izzie Stevens, which I'm sure is breaking your brain. But it's true. I'm all these things. And by the way, I have a shot at being Chief of Peds at Shawnee County here, but I'm guessing you're the last person I should put down as a rec right now. Okay, look, the... the kids keep asking for pizza sushi, and I have to go tell them that's not a thing. And if I say any more in this letter, there are going to be feelings all over the place. Yours, not mine. And, really, I'm just writing to say goodbye. And thanks. And that sounds lame and small compared to everything you've done, but there it is. Goodbye, and thanks. I love you, Dr. Bailey.
Dr. Alex Karev."
~ GREY'S ANATOMY ~
"Richard, alcoholic. See one, do one, teach one. That's been the motto of every hospital I run, every teacher I've loved. I loved being a surgeon, saving lives, giving people back their families, their loved ones, and their friends. Giving them back to them when all seemed lost. And I loved my students, not because of ego... but because it gave me that same rush, that same feeling... That's why I'm the chief. It's like you're helping to keep people alive, keep families alive. And then this morning, I wake up to a letter from a student of mine, who, well, let's just say he's not the one I would have put money down on. But he... he did the work. He... He showed up. He... He stepped up. Became an excellent student- a stellar surgeon. A fine teacher. He was working with the best of the best. But instead, he chose to abandon it all for who he says is the woman he loves. And for the two children they now have. You know, I wanted to look him straight in the eye and yell at him and... and tell him that he's made a mistake, that it feels like a mistake. I've been there before, yeah. I've fallen in love with two people at the same time, and... And I know all you can do is go with what your... your bones and your guts and your heart tell you to. I wanted to grab him and shake him and tell him, "Don't give it all away. Not now. Not for... for this." But I missed my chance to watch my own child grow into an adult. And I would give anything to have those years with Maggie. I'd do anything. I guess, um... I just wanted to say goodbye. I just wanted to say goodbye. I wanted to say thank you for helping me to be a better doctor, better teacher. I mean, anything. But he up and left... with only a note and an apology, and that's it, not considering that I might want to say goodbye as a teacher... as a colleague... as a friend. See one. Do one. Teach one. I've seen people leave. I've done the leaving. And lately, it seems like all the people I love just... they just disappear. And... I can't... find a way to make it stop."
Anna slowly worked up the nerve to approach Richard after standing near the enterance and listening to his speech. He sipped on a cup of coffee and stared at her, chuckling, "Anna, last place I thought I'd see you."
"First place I thought to check looking for you." Anna grinned, giving him a hug.
"You heard all that?"
"Yeah. Alex is gone."
"Alex is gone." Richard nodded, putting his coffee down, "Grey Sloan is gonna miss him."
"I sure do." Anna gestured towards an open area away from all of the chatter. Richard followed her, listening, "I heard about everything you're trying to do for me and my internship despite what's going on between you and Catherine. Dr. Webber, I really appreciate everything you're doing, everything you've already done for me, but I don't think I can accept an internship at Grey Sloan... not after... everything and Alex leaving."
"You've accepted somewhere else." Richard stated.
"Yes. Seattle Presbyterian." Anna revealed to him, "You're the first person that knows."
"Anna, please-" Richard pleaded, "Reconsider. You belong at Grey Sloan by my side, Dr. Bailey's side. We have so much more resources and tools we can teach you with. Seattle Pres doesn't have what we do."
"I know, Dr. Webber." Anna smiled up at him, "But this isn't me leaving you. This isn't me disappearing. I just need a fresh start. I can always look into Grey Sloan after I complete my intern year."
"Are you kidding me? You're a Shepherd, they're gonna roll out the red carpet and buffet to keep you there." Anna laughed.
"You're not gonna change your mind."
"Afraid not."
"Well, congratulations. They're lucky to have you."
"Thanks, Dr. Webber."
~ GREY'S ANATOMY ~
"Dear Anna,
Starting to write this letter took some time. It just feels wrong thinking about leaving you, Mer, and the kids back in Seattle. I don't really know what to say, or how to even begin to say goodbye. I just want you to know that I love you and that I'll still always be a phone call away. We can even video chat, too. I'll be expecting your call before Mer's. I can't begin to tell you how much you mean to me, how much watching you grow up, becoming a better surgeon myself because of an awesome surgeon and teacher like your dad- I just wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for you, along with everyone else at Grey Sloan. In the beginning, I didn't really like your father. That's no surprise to you, really, because I didn't like anyone and noone liked me. Something great came from all the drama, fighting, drinking, anger, and growing up I had to do: YOU. A friendship, an understanding with you. I've seen you get so much crap thrown at you from such a young age, stuff you didn't deserve at all (and still don't), I've seen you low, you've seen me low, too, lower than low, but somehow, we always had each other's backs. We bonded through our dark humor, we bonded through our denial of the world crashing and burning around us, we bonded while not acknowledging our loss. And we both have had loss. No doubt about that. They say, "misery loves company," right? So, it's really no surprise we ended up being great friends. No, not great friends, best friends. Mer's my best friend, but you are too. I love you, Anna Shepherd. Oh, I'm sorry, Dr. Anna Shepherd. I always will. Your dad would be so proud of you, your aunt Lexie would be proud of you, O'Malley would be proud of you, and we're all proud of you. I know wherever you end up, you'll be an awesome doctor. Just promise that you won't try to be a cowboy, know it all, doctor like me during my intern year, 'kay? That attitude will having you killing patients, the nurses hating you, and you'll get nowhere. This letter's all over the place, and my hand really hurts, so I'll just end it with this: go kick ass, I love you, call me.
Evil Spawn aka Boss Evil Spawn aka The Very Handsome Dr. Alex Karev
P.S. Oh, year, I also stole a few photos of us from on top of your dresser. I didn't have any, other than the ones on my phone. Izzie gasped when she saw you, said, "Tell Anna banana that I miss her. She's not a little teenager anymore."
Anna folded up the letter with a smirk and put it back in the envelope. She grabbed her phone and sent Alex a quick text, "Just read your letter, thought you'd want to know I've decided on Seattle Pres. Tell Izzie I said hi. Hope the twins are driving you up the wall."
"Hey," Meredith knocked on Anna's bedroom door before entering, "How are you doing?"
"I just finished Alex's letter." Anna smiled, sadly.
"Guess it's just you and me now."
"Mhm." Anna stood up off the bed, grabbing the stack of papers on her dresser, handing them to Meredith, "I start my internship next Monday."
Meredith read through the papers, gasping, "Seattle Pres? Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I am."
"We all just assumed you'd come to Grey Sloan."
"I matched with Seattle Pres. Let whoever else matched with Grey Sloan have the spot that they deserve." Anna took a seat on the bed next to Meredith, "Truth is, right now, Grey Sloan is the last place I want to be."
"Catherine..." Meredith mumbled, knowingly.
"I just- I can't be somewhere where she controls everything- the Catherine Fox Foundation just seems-" Anna sighed, frustrated, "I'm just tired of her running Richard's life, everyone else's lives... she doesn't even care what she did. She thinks that just because she has money that she's in the right and can do whatever she wants."
"Have you talked to her?"
"No, but this is about Richard. I'm sticking with him until she finally apologizes to him."
"Anna, that seems like a marital problem. Not something to concerns you."
"It does concern me because she made it about me, about everyone at Pac North that she either transfered somewhere else, laid off, or just fired."
"I get it, but you shouldn't let this affect your education, the start of your career."
"If I let it affect me, I'd accept Richard's internship at Grey Sloan, and I'd hate every minute of it knowing that she thought her actions, buying Pac North to spite him, didn't have any conscequences."
"Anna..." Meredith folded up the paperwork.
"No, Meredith, you don't get it. When Alex, Dr. Webber, and I were working together at Pac North... they had so many plans, they were so excited, they were finally changing the hospitals outcomes, getting more traffic, increasing jobs, and- and people actually wanted to work there, to work with Alex, and Richard, Owen... all of that's gone now... because of one phone call, because of one arguement, or disagreement she had with her husband. Don't you see how wrong that is? She's always preaching about her foundation's ethics and professionalism... yeah, right."
"What if this doesn't end the way that you want? What if it doesn't end at all?"
"I don't know. Atleast I'll still have some pride, I guess. I was gonna do my internship at Pac North, I was, but now... I don't know. I feel like she's taken some of the excitement from it."
"You could... you could still go to Pac North, right?"
"Alex is gone, Dr. Webber and Owen are back at Grey Sloan..." Anna shook her head, "I have to do this by myself."
"I just want you to be great wherever you go."
"And I will, 'cause I've learned a lot from being around all of you."
Meredith hoped her stepdaughter was making the right decision. Even if she was skeptical, and didn't fully agree with it herself, she couldn't make her do anything. Anna was an adult. She could do what she pleased. Even though she wanted her to succeed, a part of her still hoped she'd end up at Grey Sloan Memorial where she rightfully belongs.