Winning a Battle, Losing the War

Full Summary
Meredith is in bed. It's 4:37am and raining.

"We live out our lives on the surgical unit. Seven days a week, fourteen hours a day. We're together more than we're apart - aaah!"

Izzie stares from beside Meredith's bed holding some coffee saying that George's bedroom is bigger than hers. Meredith gets up but trips and falls flat on her face. She limps away.

"After a while -"

Following her, Izzie explains that she needs the space as she has more clothes.

"the ways of residency -"

George butts in saying he got there first but Izzie says that its Meredith's decision.

"become the ways of life."

George tells Izzie that his room is just two inches bigger than hers but Izzie says that he has a bigger closet.

"Number one: always keep score. Number two: do whatever you can to outsmart the other guy."

George tells Izzie to just put her clothes somewhere else but she insists that everywhere is filled with Meredith's mothers' boxes. They hesitantly ask Meredith if they can put the boxes in storage or unpack a few things like lamps, painting or pillows to make the house more homey. Izzie and George quickly ask if they can watch the tapes of surgical procedures from one of her mother's boxes but Meredith slams a door in their faces; a moment later, she  re-opens it and takes Izzie's coffee and shuts the door again. She slumps against the other side of the door, holding her coffee.

"Number three? Don't make friends with the enemy."

Bailey stands on a street corner looking confused, Shepherd joins her and says hello but she tells him to be quiet and that something important is to happen today but she can't remember it. Derek walks forward to cross the road, Bailey gasps and grabs him as

Bailey: Doctor!

We see several bike riders race past, two crash.

Bailey: Now I remember! Dr Shepherd, watch out.

The bike riders aren't professionals and are kicking each other etc. Another one crashes.

Cut to the hospital, Bailey with her interns.

Bailey: Fools on bikes killing themselves. Natural selection is what it is.

Alex: (quietly to George) So what's up with the Nazi, is she off her meds?

George: You never heard of the race?

Shot of a nice, neat OR schedule. Webber, Burke and Shepherd are standing in front of it.

Webber: Excellent board. Well-timed, balanced, efficient - if all goes well, we'll have an early night.

Bailey: Chief! Dead baby bike race started twenty minutes ago.

Webber: All right, people! Dead baby bike race day!

Intern wipes the schedule off.

George: Every year this bar -

Meredith: The Dead Baby Bar.

George: Every year, they hold this underground bike race.

Izzie: Don't you wonder why someone would name a bar something so disgusting?

Cristina: Keep your panties on, Nancy Drew.

George: The race is completely illegal, and -

Meredith: Crazy, a bunch of bike messengers racing against traffic trying to beat each other for free shots of tequila.

Alex: All-out, no holds barred competition, sounds like fun.

Izzie: Yeah, you would think that.

George: The race doesn't even have any rules. Except eye gouging - no eye gouging.

Cristina: Oh great, we're going to be trapped in the Pit bandaging up idiots when we could be up in the OR?

George: What kind of people engage in a race that has, as its only rule, that you can't rip out the eyeballs of another human being?

Alex: Men, Georgie, men.

Bailey: I need someone to get up to the OR floor, the Chief needs a right hand.

Everyone's hands shoot up.

Bailey: George:

Meredith VO: And number four: everything, everything is a competition.

Bailey: Okay people, the rules of trauma. Don't mingle with the ER interns, they don't know their ass from their oesophagus. Sew fast, discharge fast, take bodies up to the OR yesterday. Don't let me catch you fighting over patients. Got it? Come on, let's go.

The interns run and jostle for position. We see injured bike riders everywhere.

Cristina: Oh, it's like candy, but with blood, which is so much better.

Izzie: Oh my god...

Cristina: Mine!

Izzie: I saw him first!

Meredith VO: Whoever said that winning wasn't everything...

We see a guy with nails in his side.

Meredith: Ooh. I'll take that guy.

Alex: No, you'll have to beat me to him first. (they run for him)

Meredith VO: ...never held a scalpel.

Opening sequence.

Alex: Heads he's mine, tails he's yours.

Meredith: Why do you get to be heads?

Alex: Because I have a head, and you are tail.

Meredith: Excuse me. (Meredith closes the curtain on the patient) How do you make everything dirty? (Alex flips it) Ha. Tails. There are plenty of other cases.

Alex: So go get one. I was here first.

Meredith: I am not backing down so I can do sutures all day while you're up in the OR. This is a surgical case, and you know it.

Alex: It's superficial. I mean, it's cool, but it's superficial.

Meredith: How do you know those things didn't rupture his peritoneum?

Alex: Because he's sitting up, and he's sitting there talking to us! (guy pulls the curtain back)

Guy: �Allo. Excuse me, I was wondering if you could take these out, and sew me up, so I can go and win my race?

Meredith: Well, we can't just pull them out, I mean, we ought to - (Alex does just that.) do some tests -

Guy: Oh, wicked.

Meredith: Are you out of your mind?

Alex: It's a superficial wound. Sew him up, and let him finish his race.

Meredith: You - you -

Guy: Good man.

Cut to Cristina, Izzie and Derek.

Cristina: Unidentified John Doe, mid-thirties pedestrian, hit by a motorist swerving to avoid a bike, GCS 3, pupils fixed and dilated, atropine given for a pulse in the forties, BP 183 over 112...[medical jargon]

Izzie: ...and a gram of Phenytoin.

Burke: Is he corked?

Derek: Looks like.

Burke: The bike race claims its first victim.

Burke: I ought to make my Triple A repair after all.

Izzie: Uh, Dr. Shepherd, he's not going to the OR?

Derek: No. Do an EEG, and confirmatory tests. If he doesn't respond, six hours. Declare him. (leaves)

Izzie: Declare him? Declare him what?

Cristina: Brain dead.

Cut to Webber cleaning up.

George: (pulling on a mask) Sir, Dr. Bailey sent me in to assist you, should I scrub in?

Webber: No, I'm stuck here all day. I need you on the floor, monitoring my pre and post-op patients.

George: Oh.

Webber: You got a problem with that, O'Malley?

George: Oh, uh, no sir.

Webber: Oh, a mate of mine in 4451, Lloyd Mackie? Give him whatever he needs.

George: Yes sir.

Cut to a patient, in his bed, lighting up a cigarette.

George: Mr Mackie! No smoking! There's no smoking

Mr Mackie: Why not?

George: Oh my god, you're in a hospital.

Mr Mackie: Your point being...

George: I don't know if you've listened to the surgeon-general lately, say in the past twenty years, but smoking is bad. Smoking will kill you.

Mr Mackie: Liver cancer will kill me. Smoking will just speed up the process.

George: You're at the top of the donor list for a new liver. There's hope.

Mr Mackie: Sweetheart, I've been at the top of the donor list for eight months. I'm not in the batter's cage. I'm in a dugout, about to be traded.

George: You like baseball?

Mr Mackie: No.

George: Oh. Um, well, um, the chief wanted me to look in on you.

Mr Mackie: Richard's a dear old friend. He's been my doctor for thirty years.

George: Well, whatever you need, I'm your man. Just name it.

Mr Mackie: I'm sure I'll think of something.

Cut to Izzie and Cristina with their patient.

Cristina: There's no corneal reflexes.

Izzie: It's been fifty-five minutes. If he doesn't respond to these tests in the next five hours, what? We're supposed to just stand here, and watch him die?

Cristina: If he doesn't respond to these tests, it's because he's already dead.

Izzie: Technically. Legally.

Cristina: Actually, Izzie, actually dead.

Izzie: He's breathing, he has a heartbeat.

Cristina: Look at his EEG. There's no higher brain function. He'll never talk, move or think again. There's no one in there. Think like a doctor, Izzie.

Izzie: He could wake up. What about a miracle? There are medical miracles, you know.

Derek: (standing in the doorway) I know. You're right. Miracles happen. People do wake up, that's why we do a series of tests over a set number of hours, so when we call time of death, we know that we've done everything in our power to make sure it's actually his time of death. But there isn't going to be any miracles. This is the hard part. To stand around as surgeons, and not cut. That's what �do no harm' means.

Cristina: Wish he'd just go to the light already, so I can get on another case.

Izzie's shocked.

Cristina: Oh, I'm the devil because I'd rather be in surgery, instead of standing watch over the death squad? It's depressing.

Izzie: Look at his sneakers. They're brand new. And somebody sewed this tear in his shirt, and he has one of those electronic key cards. He belongs to someone. An hour ago, he was out there, alive. To simply stand here and wait for him to die...

Cristina: Would be a waste of life.

Izzie: Exactly.

Cristina: It would be a waste of organs. (leaves. Izzie's shocked at her again)

Cut to Meredith sewing up Viper.

Viper: Ah, you got a nice touch. And by the way, you are a rocking babe.

Meredith: Seriously, do you actually think you have a shot here?

Viper: I like to think I've got a shot anywhere.

Meredith: Look, you really have to let me take you for some tests, and a CT. You could have internal bleeding.

Viper: No thank you, I've got a race to get back to.

Meredith: Why? You can't win now anyway.

Viper: Doesn't mean I can't cross that finish line. There's a party at the finish line. Do you want to meet me there?

Meredith: One test. A CT. I'll have you out of here in an hour.

Viper: Can't do it, gotta go.

Meredith: Okay, well, you realise that you're leaving against medical advice and I strongly urge you to stay.

Viper: The frat guy said I could go.

Meredith: The frat guy is an ass. Okay, well, you have to sign an AMA form.

Viper: Darlin', I will do anything you want me to.

Meredith: What is it with you guys and your need to dirty everything up?

Viper: I don't know. Maybe it's just testosterone, eh?

Meredith: Maybe. You might want to see a doctor about that, too.

Viper: Come here (takes the form and signs) There.

He gets up, takes a few steps towards the door, turns back, grabs Meredith and kisses her.

Viper: That was for good luck. (leaving) Don't worry, darling, you'll see me again.

Meredith: For your sake, I hope not!

Meredith shakes her head and begins to strip the bed. She looks up and sees Derek standing outside.

Meredith: (as Derek enters) What do you want?

Derek: You make out with patients now?

Meredith: What are you, jealous?

Derek: I don't get jealous.

Meredith: We had sex, once.

Derek: And we kissed, in an elevator.

Meredith: And we kissed in an elevator, once!

Derek: No, seriously, I mean come on, go out with me.

Meredith: No.

Derek: You know, I almost died today. Yeah, I came like (gestures) this close. How would you feel if I died? And you didn't get a chance to go out with me?

Meredith: Get over yourself already.

Derek: Come on.

Meredith: It's the chase, isn't it?

Derek: What?

Meredith: The thrill of the chase. I've been wondering to myself, why are you so hell bent on getting me to go out with you? You know you're my boss, you know it's against the rules, you know I keep saying no. It's the chase.

Derek: Well, it's fun, isn't it?

Meredith: You see? This is a game to you. But not to me. Because unlike you, I still have something to prove. (leaves)

Cut to Bailey doing surgery and Izzie and Cristina coming in.

Bailey: I know you see me resecting this bowel, do I strike you as someone who enjoys multitasking?

Cristina: We have a John Doe, in three hours, we have to declare him brain dead. We want to harvest his organs.

Bailey: So why you wasting time on this? You know how many patients we have downstairs.

Izzie: If he dies - and he could still live, you know - his death should mean something.

Bailey: And you want a harvest surgery.

Cristina: I want to save lives. (Bailey looks derisive) Okay, I want a harvest surgery.

Bailey: Getting organs from a John Doe is a long shot. Without ID, you can't contact the family, without the family, you can't get consent to harvest the organs. Let the poor man die in peace.

Izzie: But if we can find the family -

Bailey: And get consent.

Cristina: We could harvest the organs?

Bailey: If you find the family.

Izzie and Cristina hurry away. Cut to Alex walking over to a desk where George is.

Alex: What're you doing?

George: Hiding. There's this VIP patient, he likes me.

Alex: Well, that's good, right?

George: He likes me likes me.

Alex: Go for it, man, get yours. I'm down with the rainbow. (George looks up, wide-eyed) Oh. Are you not gay?

George: No.

Alex: Really? (looks bemused) Dude, sorry.

He leaves as Izzie and Cristina come up to the other desk.

George: (holding out a disk) Cristina?

She comes over and he drops the disk.

George: Do you - do you think - does Meredith think I'm gay?

Cristina: Are you?

George: No.

Cristina: Really?

George looks frustrated. A woman comes over to Izzie and Cristina returns there.

Izzie: I found this on a John Doe, it's a hotel key card? I've called the police and they're going to send someone over, maybe they can figure out what hotel he's staying at, get his ID from there. Could you...

Woman: I'll make sure the police get it.

Izzie: Okay. It's just, it's really important. We only have a few hours before we have to declare him and I'd really like to find his family.

Woman: You want their permission for organ donation? (George looks up, interested)

Izzie: I just - really want to find them. (leaves. Cristina looks after her, surprised, and then turns to go)

George: You have a potential donor? (Cristina nods) What's his blood type?

Cristina: Uh, O-neg. (George pulls out a folder)

Cut to Izzie looking at her patient.

Izzie: Okay, well, I know you probably can't hear me, and you're feeling this big push to go towards the light, where everything is all haloes and all-you-can-eat buffets and stuff, and I mean, sharing your organs is really great and all, but I think you have a family. I can feel it. So I think it'd be great if you could do me a favour, and get better. Just ...live. So you think you could give that a shot for me?

Alarms start going off. His pulse is dropping.

Izzie: Oh no. Meredith! (Meredith comes in) He's crashing.

Meredith: Well, what the hell are you doing, call code!

Izzie: I can't, I'm not supposed to, he's brain dead.

Meredith: Well Izzie, if he's brain dead, you have to let him go.

Izzie: No. It's only been five hours and thirty-three minutes, he's supposed to get six hours.

Meredith: Well, we can't do anything to make him live, it's not our place to make that call.

Izzie: He's a person, we're doctors, we should have every right to make that call. We can't just stand here and do nothing while he dies. He has a right to the next twenty-seven minutes.

Meredith: Screw it. I'll get the dopamine, you get the blood, we'll transfuse him.

Cityscape, then cut to George examining Mackie.

George: Do you feel any pain here?

Mackie: No. You know, you really do have beautiful eyelashes.

George: Um, thank you. Uh, what about here?

Mackie: No. And nice eyes. Kind. I like a man with kind eyes.

George: Really, you think I have kind eyes?

Mackie: Mm-mmm.

George: (pulling Mackie's singlet back down and writing on the chart) I mean, uh, you can, um...

Mackie: What are you examining me for?

George: You know, just routine, medical stuff. You're doing very well.

Mackie: Because I'm enjoying the view.

George: Okay...well...I gotta go.

Mackie waves. Cut to Izzie and Meredith going upstairs.

Meredith: He's stable.

Cristina: (coming downstairs) For now. I had a radiologist look at his chest, apparently he has a traumatic aortic injury. He's going to rupture and bleed out.

Izzie: So he needs surgery.

Cristina: If he's going to remain a viable organ donor, yeah.

Izzie: If he's going to live.

Cristina: Izzie...

Izzie: No! I'm not giving up on him. He has the surgery, he lives longer, that's the point. So I'm going to help find the family, you guys find a way to get him into surgery. (continues upstairs)

Cristina: She's vice-president of fantasyland.

Meredith: So who do we go to, Bailey?

Cristina: No, we need to go higher than Bailey. (they start upstairs)

Cut to Burke in the men's room. Meredith opens the door.

Meredith: Dr. Burke?

Burke: Hello?

Meredith: (closing the door) Okay.

Cristina: (opening the door) Dr Burke, um, I know you're busy, but our John Doe needs an aortic repair.

Burke: The guy from this morning? Isn't he legally dead?

Cristina: Well, yeah, he's kinda still around? We gave him two units PRBCs and put him on pressers.

Burke: On whose orders?

They shut the door and open it again.

Meredith: Mine.

Burke: You gave a brain-dead John Doe a blood transfusion without consulting anyone. And now you want me to repair his heart.

Cristina: Well, yes.

Burke: You do enjoy crossing the line, don't you?

Meredith: He is an excellent candidate for organ donation.

Burke: I am a surgeon. I save lives. This guy is already dead. Now, this is the men's room. Either whip one out or close the door. (They close the door).

Cut to Meredith talking to Derek.

Derek: You're asking my advice?

Meredith: Yes.

Derek: Now who's chasing?

Meredith: Not funny. This is important.

Derek: Okay. You want to get around Burke? You gotta find a way to get the chief involved.

Cut to George eating a sandwich. Izzie, Cristina and Meredith are standing in front of him in a line.

George: What'd I do?

Meredith: How close a match for the liver is your guy to our John Doe?

George: Very. Same type, same size. UNOS couldn't find a better match, why?

Izzie: And he's the chief's VIP, right?

George: Right.

Cristina: How much would you kill to be in on a transplant surgery?

George: You underestimate me. I'm not a baby, I'm your colleague. You don't have to manipulate me, if you want something, all you have to do is ask.

Izzie: We want you to go over Burke's head to the chief.

George: Ask me something easier.

Cut to Webber coming out of a door. George is waiting.

George: Sir?

Webber: O'Malley. How's Mackie?

George: Fine. Sir, actually, that's what I want to talk to you about. I-I kind of think that - we - uh, me, and the other interns, we think - we're - we're not -

Webber: O'Malley, I'm not getting any younger.

George: We found Mackie a liver.

Meredith: We are so going to hell.

We see that Cristina, Izzie and Meredith are watching George and Webber from down the hall.

Meredith: Burke is sending us straight to hell.

Cristina: On an express train.

Izzie: If it works.

Alex comes up.

Alex: What're you doing?

Izzie, Meredith and Cristina in unison: Nothing.

Alex sees them watching George and Webber. Burke walks past and Webber stops him, starts talking to him.

Izzie: (grinning) Yes.

Webber is gone and Burke looks at George, who leaves immediately. He turns to look at them.

Cristina: Oh, crap.

They hurry away. Alex stays, and when Burke turns to leave, goes after him.

Alex: Dr. Burke! Dr. Burke!

Cut to open heart surgery. Alex is assisting Burke.

Alex: Excellent work, sir, excellent.

Burke: Flawless. It's a shame he's brain dead, if he wasn't, he'd be on his feet in a few days.

Alex: I'm amazed at what skill your hands have, it's ...

Cristina: (watching with Izzie, Meredith and George) I seriously hate that guy.

Meredith: Alex is vermin. That surgery is ours.

Izzie: At least Burke is doing the surgery. I don't care about Alex. George? You did good.

George: I'm going to have to dodge Burke for the rest of my career. He could kill me and make it look like an accident.

Woman: (entering) The police called. They've identified your John Doe, his wife is on the way.

Cut to Izzie watching the John Doe. Derek brings a young woman into the room.

Woman: Oh my god. Kevin...

Derek: It's okay to...

Woman: Oh my god.

Derek: This is Dr. Stevens.

Izzie and the woman nod.

Derek: If you have any questions, please, please call me. (leaves)

Woman: Is there still a chance?

Izzie: We can hold off till morning, but if there's still no change, we'd...we'd like to talk to you about organ donation.

Cut to Webber going to see Mackie. George is in the background.

Webber: (shaking Mackie's shoulder lightly) Mackie? How're we treating you?

Mackie: Oh, fine. Except that beautiful boy won't let me smoke. You should reprimand him. Make him change bedpans.

Webber: (laughing) Mackie. That beautiful boy may have found you a liver.

Mackie stops smiling, glances up at Webber and then to George. His faces begins to break up and he looks away, trying desperately not to cry while Webber pats his shoulder. George leaves.

Cut to Meredith in civvies, at her locker. Her pager's beeping. Alex bursts in.

Alex: God, I smell good. You know what it is? (turns to Meredith) It's the smell of open heart surgery. (breathes in deeply) It's awesome. It is awesome. You gotta smell me (coming up behind Meredith and leaning onto her)

Meredith: I don't want to smell you.

Alex: (nuzzling her hair) Oh, yes you do.

Meredith: (turning around and grabbing him, pushing him against the lockers by his shirt) You have got to be kidding me! Okay. I have more important things to deal with than you. I have roommates, and boy problems, and family problems. (Alex yawns and glances around) You want to act like a little frat boy bitch, that's fine. You want to take credit for your saves, and everybody else's? That's fine too. Just stay out of my face. (Derek opens the door, Meredith grabs Alex by the chin, making him look at her) And for the record, you smell like crap.

She turns and they both see Derek. Meredith goes back to her locker. Derek motions as if to say, what happened?

Alex: She attacked me.

Meredith moves to really attack him

Derek: Meredith, Meredith, Meredith! (Derek grabs her arms and she lets him push her back) You know, you might want to leave. Before I change my mind and let her beat you to a pulp with her tiny ineffectual fists.

He pushes Alex out the door and closes it while Alex pulls a face at Meredith. Derek sighs. Meredith looks at him.

Derek: What?

Meredith: Nothing. (pulls out a jacket) It's just...(gives him a long look. He nods a little, encouragingly) Nothing.

She closes her locker and makes as if to leave, he opens the door for her and she looks at him again for a few seconds, then strides away. He looks upward and sighs.

Cut to Meredith entering her apartment. Izzie and George are going through video tapes.

Izzie: Ooh, this one is skin grafting!

George: Skin grafting? No way! I've never seen that done before.

Meredith: Are those my mother's surgical tapes?

George: We should watch the skin grafting one first.

Meredith: Where did all this stuff come from?

Izzie: Oh, I unpacked some of your mother's things. I was upset, and when I'm upset I like to nest.

Meredith stares, then starts taking pictures down.

Izzie: Ooh! Hemipelvectomy.

George: I think we should watch this one first.

Meredith: No. No. We're not watching my mother's surgery tapes, we're not unpacking boxes, and we're not having long conversations where we celebrate the moments of our lives. And use a coaster!

George: ...I ordered Chinese food.

Meredith: (going upstairs) I hate Chinese food!

Izzie and George exchange looks and giggle.

Cut to Cristina and Meredith walking towards the hospital.

Meredith: They're everywhere. All the time. Izzie's all perky, and George does this thing where he's helpful and considerate, they share food and they say things and they move things, and they breathe. (whimpers) They're like happy.

Cristina: Kick them out.

Meredith: I can't kick them out. They just moved in. I asked them to move in.

Cristina: So what, you're just going to repress everything into some deep dark twisted place until one day you snap and kill them?

Meredith: Yup.

Cristina: This is why we are friends.

Alex comes up behind them as they enter the hospital.

Alex: Why is the Nazi making us stay in the Pit two days in a row?

Meredith: Leftovers.

Alex: Leftovers?

Meredith: Gotta get the cyclists who were too drunk or too stupid or too scared to get themselves to a hospital yesterday.

Alex: While meanwhile, she gets to do a freakin' organ harvest.

Cristina: Oh, that kills you, doesn't it?

Alex: What?

Cristina: That two women got the harvest.

Alex: No, it kills me that anyone got the harvest but me. Boobs do not factor into this equation. Unless you want to show me yours.

Meredith and Cristina exchange looks. They're waiting for the elevator.

Meredith: I'm going to become a lesbian.

Cristina: Me too.

The elevator dings but they go for the stairs.

Cut to Cristina talking to Kevin's wife and little girl.

Cristina: This form simply says that you consent to the donation of your husband's major organs - heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. (The woman signs) Now I need to ask you a few questions. Are you willing to donate his corneas?

Mrs. Davidson: You want his eyes?

Cristina: Um, corneal transplants can give someone back their sight.

Mrs Davidson: I suppose that's okay. (signs)

Shot of the little girl and then of Bailey, who's leaning against the wall looking a little sad.

Cristina: What about his skin?

Mrs Davidson: What? (trying to hold it together)

Cristina: It's used to help burn victims.

Mrs Davidson: You want to cut off his skin? What about the funeral? You want me to have a funeral, and have people look at him, have his daughter look at her father and he doesn't have any skin? (voice breaking up) It's his skin.

Cristina leaves the room. The mother and daughter hug; Bailey goes after Cristina.

Bailey: What are you doing?

Cristina: I'm not a people person.

Bailey: No kidding.

Cristina: I-I can't do that, I can't talk to the families of patients, I'm sorry.

Bailey: What's his name?

Cristina: Who?

Bailey: The patient. What's his name?

Cristina: Kevin Davidson. Bailey: Remember that. Not gorked guy, not John Doe, Kevin Davidson. He's someone's husband. Someone's son. Not a collection of body parts for you to harvest, a person. Now no one said this was easy.

Cristina re-enters the room and we see her start to talk again.

Cut to George examining Mackie.

Mackie: I owe you George.

George: No, you don't owe me anything. I'm just happy we found a liver.

Mackie: Well, when I get out of here, how about I take you and my new liver out for a night on the town? What do you say?

George: Uh, Mr. Mackie, no offense or anything, um, you're, very handsome, but I, um, I'm not - I mean, you're not my type, because...you're a man.

Mackie: (laughing) George, I never thought you were guy.

George: You didn't?

Mackie: Oh, child, please. You? Gay? I'm sick, George, not blind.

George: Then...why...?

Mackie: Because dying is a get-out-of-jail-free card. I can be as bold as I want, and there's nothing anybody can say about it. So I flirt. Haven't you ever been attracted to someone you know you couldn't have?

George: Well - at - no.

Mackie: What's her name.

George: There's no - I'm not - you know, this is really, uh, not...Meredith.

Mackie: Meredith. To be young and in love. (holds out a hand, but George doesn't take it) Let's go get that -

George: No, I didn't - (Mackie holds up a hand)

Cut to organ harvest preparation with Izzie, Cristina, the patient and Burke.

Burke: I never liked harvesting.

Cristina: Why?

Burke: Like I said, I'm a surgeon. I save lives. This ends one.

Izzie: I know you tried, so no hard feelings, okay?

Cristina looks at her.

Izzie: I was just...

Burke: You were saying goodbye.

Cut to Meredith and Alex working in Trauma. Viper is waiting in a chair.

Meredith: What's Viper doing here?

Alex: Probably crashed his bike. Again.

Meredith: How long has he been waiting?

Alex: Don't know, I'm busy on real cases. He's all yours.

Meredith: Viper? Viper?

Viper is holding his side and not looking at her. He starts to cough.

Meredith: Are you okay?

He tries to get up and she runs to him, but he falls. He's unconscious and blood is coming out of his mouth.

Meredith: Viper!

She lifts up his shirt. His stitches have ripped open and the area around them has swelled up to the size of a small melon.

Cut to Viper on a gurney. Meredith is sitting on top, trying to hold his wound closed, and talking to a nurse. Alex is there.

Meredith: Call up to the OR and tell them we're coming. Page Dr. Bailey.

Nurse: Right away.

Alex is staring at Viper, hands on hips, a bit stunned.

Meredith: Alex! Push the damn gurney!

Nurse: Clear the way. Coming through.

Alex: Somebody get the elevator!

Meredith: Hurry. I don't know how long I can keep this wound closed.

Elevator doors close. They watch the level numbers light up.

Meredith: Move faster, damnit.

They arrive and go into the OR. Meredith is still straddling Viper.

Bailey: Well, this is a new one. Somebody get her off my patient. (Meredith climbs down) Meredith, go get cleaned up and scrub in, Alex, get back downstairs.

Alex: Yeah, but I helped.

Bailey: Helped! They tell me down in the Pit that you only want to take the hot cases. In every pack of interns there's always one fool that's running around trying to show off, and Alex, this time that fool is you. Get out. (he leaves) Somebody get me something to stand on, lower this table. The mountain's going to have to come to me.

Cut to Mackie going into surgery.

Anaesthetist: Count backwards from ten for me.

Mackie: You're a good friend. The best.

Webber: Shut up and count backwards already, Mack.

Mackie: Ten...nine...eight...seven...ssseeh...

Cut to Izzie and Cristina scrubbing in.

Izzie: I'm not going to stay.

Cristina: It's your job. You have to.

Izzie: You're better at this part than me. I don't want to watch him get taken apart. Look at the vultures. Waiting to pick him clean.

Cristina: Every last one of them represents someone, somewhere, who's going to live because of Kevin. (and I swear to God, Meredith says the next bit. Editing goof; she's not there) Here. Put it on.

Webber and Burke enter.

Webber: I'll be waiting next door when you're ready. (leaves)

Burke: Where everyone's waiting. Okay, doctors. Let's get this over with.

We see them operate. The organs are placed in plastic bags and special sealed containers which look, frankly, like blenders. The liver is placed on ice and George takes it. We see George hand it to Webber, who places it in Mackie. Back to the harvest, and alarmed beeping has commenced. The heart is being removed. Everyone packs up to go, but Izzie remains. Cristina looks back at her.

Cristina: (concerned) Izzie?

Izzie: I'm going to sew him up. For his family.

Cristina helps her. Cut to them walking out to the family.

Cristina: You do it.

Izzie: What?

Cristina: You do it.

Izzie walks over.

Izzie: Mrs Davidson? He's ready if you'd like to see him.

We pan past Cristina looking pensive to Viper's friends, who are also waiting. Bailey and Meredith are walking out to see them.

Bailey: This lovely group's his friends. Uh, you all belong to - (to Meredith) what's his name?

Meredith: Viper.

Bailey: Viper?

Man: Yeah, we were in the race.

Girl: How is he, is he okay?

Bailey: Is he okay? No. No, he is not okay, at all. He hurled his body down a concrete mountain at full speed for no good reason. Yeah, I know you all pierce yourselves and smoke up and generally treat your bodies like your grungy asses can't break down to A, you want to kill yourselves, flying down a concrete mountain, go to it, but there are other people walking, people driving, people trying live their lives on that concrete mountain, and one of them got his brains scrambled today because one of you little sniffling no-good snot-rag -

Meredith: Doctor Bailey -

Bailey: Yeah, yeah so no, your friend Viper, as far as I'm concerned, is not okay. (stalks off)

Meredith: She's, um, really tired, but, uh, Viper's going to make it. He's gonna live.

Group: Cool. Thanks.

Cut to Meredith packing up her stuff in the locker room. Derek comes in and shuts the door.

Derek: It's not the chase.

Meredith: What?

Derek: You and me. It is not the thrill of the chase. It's not a game. It's...it's your tiny ineffectual fists. And your hair.

Meredith: My hair?

Derek: Smells good. And you're very, very bossy. Keeps me in line.

Meredith: I'm still not going out with you.

Derek: You say that now. (leaves)

Cut to Mackie.

Mackie: How'd it go?

Webber: Very smoothly.

Mackie: Damn. That means I'll have to quit smoking.

George is there. He grasps Mackie's hand.

Mackie: Ahhh, the pretty ones always come crawling back.

Meredith VO: There's another way to survive this competition. A way that no one ever seems to tells you about. (Meredith is leaving for the day. She sees Viper with his friends and they smile at each other) One you have to learn for yourself. Number five: it's not about the race at all. There are no winners or losers. Victories are counted by the number of lives saved.

Cityscape, then Meredith opening her front door. Izzie, Cristina and George are eating pizza, drinking beer and watching a surgical tape.

Izzie: Okay, this is the best part, watch, this is where she pulls a block of skin down over the face.

George: We were

Meredith: Hi.

George: - we were just - Cristina made us.

Cristina looks incredibly unimpressed with that statement.

Meredith VO: And once in a while, if you're smart, the life you save could be your own.

Meredith: What are we watching? Ooh. (sitting down and taking some popcorn) This is the one where my mother -

Izzie: Literally pulls this guy's face off!

Meredith: Yeah.

They watch for a few seconds and then

Everyone: Augh!

Cristina: (waving her slice of pizza towards the screen in amazement) Holy crap!

Pan away and fade out.

Music

 * "Band/Singer" - Song

This episode's title originated from the song song name, originally sung by band/singer.

Quotes

 * 3 quotes from the episode

Cast
remove this line and list all characters under the following headings. Make sure you have all the cast and their actor names. Use bullet points (*).

Hospital Staff
Ellen Pompeo ... Dr. Meredith Grey Sandra Oh ... Dr. Cristina Yang Katherine Heigl ... Dr. Isobel 'Izzie' Stevens Justin Chambers ... Dr. Alex Karev T.R. Knight ... Dr. George O'Malley Chandra Wilson ... Dr. Miranda Bailey James Pickens Jr. ... Dr. Richard Webber Isaiah Washington ... Dr. Preston Burke Patrick Dempsey ... Dr. Derek Shepherd Kathleen M. Darcy ... Anesthesiologist Zina Zaflow ... Nurse Kristy Munden ... Nurse #2

Patients and relatives
Callum Blue ... Viper
 * Rudolph McCollum ... Viper's Male Friend

Unidentified

 * Keith David ... Lloyd Mackie
 * Claire Lautier ... Shelley Davidson
 * Steven W. Bailey ... Jeremy
 * Dinah Lee ... Grungy Chick
 * Kelsey Kemper ... Shelley's Daughter