Sympathy for the Parents

"Psychologists believe that every aspect of our lives, all our thought processes and behavior patterns, are the direct result of our relationship to our parents. That every relationship that we have is really just another version of that first relationship. It's just us trying over and over again to get it right. It's the most important job in the world. You probably should need a license to do it, but then most of us wouldn't even pass the written exam. Some people are naturals. They were born to do it. Some have other gifts. But the good news is biology dictates you don't have to do it alone. You can waste your whole life wondering, but the only way to find out what kind of parent you'd be is to finally stop talking about it and just do it."

- Meredith Grey

 is the nineteenth episode of the sixth season and the 121st overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary
When Alex's younger brother, Aaron, shows up at Seattle Grace-Mercy West with a hernia, it's up to Alex to get Bailey's approval for his pro bono surgery. Matters are further complicated when Aaron discloses that his family has not heard from Alex since he arrived in Seattle, and parts of Alex's past long kept secret are revealed to his friends and fellow doctors.

Full Summary
Voiceover Meredith started the night by saying psychologists believe that everything people think and do is based on their relationship with their parents. Speaking of parents, Derek told Meredith she was pretty and then said he was thinking about how pretty their children would be. This sent Meredith into a mini-panic and she had to ask Alex--who was in the shower--for advice. He told her Izzie wanted a divorce. Derek came in and told Alex his brother showed up at the front door.

Alex's brother said it had been seven years since Alex visited home. His brother, Aaron, showed him some kind of condition where his belly button was covered by a lump and asked if he should be worried about it.

Arizona awkwardly interrupted Sloan and Callie while they talked. After Arizona left, Callie said it was awkward because of the kid situation. Sloan told Callie the sex with Teddy was mind-blowing. In the elevator, Teddy was telling Arizona that Sloan was a legend for a reason. There was an awkward moment in the elevator when Owen came and left. Teddy explained to Arizona that Owen was going through something that Cristina didn't understand.

Dr. Webber was working with a patient with cancer who'd fainted. Lexie said the woman was anemic. Dr. Kepner started to get involved in the diagnosis.

Aaron told Alex that he didn't have insurance. Cristina told Meredith that Owen was back in his dark place and Meredith told Cristina the thing about Derek wanting a baby. A shot female police officer came to the E.R. in an ambulance, but she'd shot three guys before she went down. They were also brought to the hospital.

Inside, the cop's lieutenant said she should have waited for backup and she was suspended. She panicked and her heart rate went up.

Webber was operating on his patient and Dr. Kepner was surprised to see Derek observing from the gallery. Webber told her that the only person observing her was him, so she needed to focus.

Alex went to Bailey, who was in the daycare area playing with her son, and asked if she'd do his brother's surgery pro bono. He offered to schedule her surgeries for the next month, which she later told Tucker she would have done anyway, "but he just kept talking."

Bailey checked out Aaron and he shared that Alex was in and out of foster homes most of his childhood. He started sharing all kinds of information about Alex's troubled childhood, including that he'd been in juvenile detention. He also shared that their father was just a bad guy.

The cop's husband was worried about her because she was more focused on giving her statement about the shooting to keep her job than she was on getting treated and saving her life. He hoped for the moment when they could settle down and start a family.

Webber's patient was unconscious and Kepner explained that she'd changed some settings on her ventilator. The woman may have stroked out. Her husband came into the room and he talked to her while she was unconscious.

Derek checked the patient's scans and said he couldn't do anything about the woman's stroke. He left to get coffee with Meredith.

In surgery, Hunt noticed a certain type of bullet lodged inside the cop that was designed to explode on impact. He told everyone to be careful. A conversation about having babies started, and Teddy said she was "waiting for the right guy." Cristina bluntly said she didn't want kids and Owen quickly glanced at Teddy. Cristina said she thought she felt one of the bullet pieces and Owen told her not to touch it. She did, and it exploded in the cop's chest.

Arizona met Aaron and spilled the fact that Alex got married. Lexie came over and kept spilling more information, about Izzie having cancer. She kept spilling more information until Meredith told her to stop talking.

Back in the OR, Owen was upset with Cristina and told her that "when your commanding officer tells you to stand down, you stand down." She said she isn't in the Army, "and you're not my commanding officer." He kept yelling at Cristina, who said nothing.

Alex was upset with Lexie for telling Aaron he'd been married. Alex told Aaron not to worry about it and just get his free surgery and leave. Aaron was upset, though, and said Alex walked out on his family and then walked out on his wife, "like father, like son." They fought and Alex punched Aaron in the face.

Webber asked Lexie to explain the stroke to their patient's husband. Kepner explained that her heart was only beating because of the machine that was keeping it going. Her husband pleaded with them not to unplug her, but Webber said she'd signed a DNR. The man grew angry with Lexie, because she'd already told him his wife's surgery went fine.

Bailey said she was impressed that Alex became a doctor despite everything he'd been through.

Lexie asked Sloan how she could try to not care about what happened with Mr. Clark and his wife. He said it's the hardest part of the job and he's still learning.

Something was going wrong in the cop's surgery and Hunt grumbled that, "if we hadn't been distracted by artillery in the O.R., we would've found this a lot sooner." Teddy told him, "Not now." Cristina said nothing.

After surgery, Cristina and Owen didn't speak, and she ended up talking to Teddy. Teddy told Cristina that Owen was in love with her but needed time. Teddy told Cristina not to tell Owen what to do (as in, get therapy), "just tell him how you feel."

Bailey told Callie that the best time to have kids is never. She said they take everything and you've got nothing left for you. But hearing him pronounce the "k" sound when he told her to "wake up" that morning filled her with pride. "If you wait for the perfect time to have kids," she said, "you're never going to have kids."

Meredith told Alex that his brother's hernia surgery went well, but Alex said nothing.

Derek met with Mr. Clark, Webber, Lexie and Kepner in his office. Derek told him they were bound by law to follow her orders. Mr. Clark said that if they unplug her, they'll be killing her. Derek told him to take all the time he needs to call family. Mr. Clark said they had no family, no kids. It was just him. Kepner had enough and left the room, and Lexie followed her. Kepner was humiliated and asked Lexie to forget what she saw.

Alex sat next to his brother's bed. Aaron and Alex had a nice little heart to heart.

Owen, Cristina, Callie and Teddy told the cop about her surgery. It went well, but there were complications. In order to stop the bleeding, they had to remove her uterus. They realized they could never have kids and Callie was stunned watching them react to the news.

Mr. Clark had been at his wife's side for about three hours. Webber told Lexie it was time. Lexie went into the room to break the news. He told Lexie he was hoping there was even a one-percent chance she'd start breathing on her own when Lexie turned the ventilator off.

Lexie cried as she told him she was "so sorry," and turned off the machine. He pleaded, "Please, wake up."

Webber asked Derek if he was checking up on him in the surgery, but Derek said he was just observing. As they looked at Mr. Clark, Derek bluntly said there was nothing the could have done and left to go home to his wife. "You should do the same," Derek told Webber. Kepner saw this and looked a bit stunned.

The cop told the doctors she was quitting and that she and her husband were going to adopt 10 Haitian orphans, or maybe eight. That's when the lieutenant came in and said the review board wanted her back on the job. A bunch of cops streamed into the room and she smiled and thanked them. Callie looked at the cop's husband, who stood silently in the corner.

Meredith came home and told Alex he was nothing like his father. He told her she's nothing like her mother. "You're good," he said. "You'd be good. You'd be a good mom."

That night, Callie told Arizona she wanted to have a baby. They said they were going to talk about it.

Cristina came home to find Owen making dinner. The first thing he mentioned was her quip about not wanting to have kids. His sausages were burning in the pan. Cristina tried to help move them but he got upset and slammed the pan into the sink. Cristina flinched as he turned toward her. He asked if she was scared of him and she said, "I don't want to be." He realized he had to go back to therapy.

Derek told Meredith he didn't want her to be alone if anything happened to him. She said they'd make pretty babies.

Sloan and Teddy were getting it on -- and it involved chocolate -- but she said she had to be honest about something. He said that if she was honestly enjoying herself, that was as honest as she had to be. The doorbell rang repeatedly. It was Little Sloan, who said her baby was coming now.

Main Cast

 * Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey
 * Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang
 * Justin Chambers as Dr. Alex Karev
 * Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey
 * James Pickens, Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber
 * Sara Ramírez as Dr. Callie Torres
 * Eric Dane as Dr. Mark Sloan
 * Chyler Leigh as Dr. Lexie Grey
 * Kevin McKidd as Dr. Owen Hunt
 * Jessica Capshaw as Dr. Arizona Robbins
 * Kim Raver as Dr. Teddy Altman
 * Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Derek Shepherd

Guest Stars

 * Michael O'Neill as Gary Clark
 * Sarah Drew as Dr. April Kepner
 * Jesse Williams as Dr. Jackson Avery
 * Wendy Raquel Robinson as Gina Thompson
 * Leven Rambin as Sloan Riley
 * Jake McLaughlin as Aaron Karev
 * David Ramsey as Jimmy Thompson

Co-Starring

 * Caroline Williams as Alison
 * James Shanklin as Lt. Moore
 * Brooke Blanchard as Jill the Paramedic

Notes and Trivia
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 * This episode's title originated from the song , originally sung by Marilyn Manson.
 * This episode scored 9.87 million viewers, the first time in the show's history that an episode failed to top 10 million viewers.
 * The episode sets up and foreshadows the shooting that befalls Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital at the end of the sixth season.
 * Mr. and Mrs. Clark are introduced, setting up Gary Clark's rage that leads to the shooting.
 * While Callie is in the OR in a surgery one the policewoman, she remarks, "Could you imagine going to work everyday knowing you're going to end up on the wrong side of a gun?" Assuming that the finale shooting had already been outlined with the introduction of Mr. Clark, this line could have been added to foreshadow events to come.

Quotes

 * Meredith: Well, you're looking all thoughtful.
 * Derek: I was just thinking of how pretty you are. (Meredith smiles) And how pretty our children will be. (Meredith's smile fades)
 * Meredith: Children? Like, multiple?
 * Derek: Child. Let's just start with one and see how it goes.
 * Meredith: You wanna start?
 * Derek: I'm just sayin' you're pretty. That's all I'm saying.


 * Meredith: Alex? So, okay, Izzie's not here and Cristina's not answering her phone and I have a thing, so I need you to be a girl for me.
 * Alex: What'd he do? You want me to kick his ass?
 * Meredith: He wants me to have a baby.
 * Alex: So you do want me to kick his ass?
 * Meredith: Alex.
 * Alex: Do you wanna have a baby?
 * Meredith: A baby doesn't want me. I had the worst mother in the world. I would be the worst mother in the world.
 * Alex: Izzie wants a divorce. She sent the papers. The official papers.
 * Meredith: You want me to kick her ass?
 * Derek (walks in): Hey, Alex... (sees Meredith) Hey.
 * Meredith: He's being a girl for me.
 * Alex: Dude, it's true.
 * Derek: Right. There's a guy downstrairs who says he's your brother. Do you want me to send him up here to the bathroom since this seems to be where you receive your visitors?


 * Cristina: Owen's still in his dark place and he's still not talking. So I turned off my cell in case he wanted to say something, which he didn't. I hate men. They're stupid.
 * Meredith: Derek asked me to have a baby with him this morning.
 * Cristina: Really stupid.