Blink

"We assume the really serious changes in our life happen slowly, over time. But it's not true. The big stuff happens in an instant. Becoming an adult. Becoming a parent. Becoming a doctor. One minute, you're not, and the next... you are. Ask any doctor, and they can point to the one moment they become a physician. It usually isn't med school graduation day. Whatever it is... nobody forgets it. Sometimes you don't even know anything's changed. You think you're still you and your life is still your life... but you wake up one day and you look around and you don't reognize anything. Not anything at all. You never forget the moment that you become a doctor. A switch flips. Suddenly, you're not playing dress-up anymore. You own the white coat. What you may not notice is the moment that being a doctor... changes you."

- Meredith Grey

 is the eleventh episode of the sixth season and the 113th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary
Mark flies Addison to Seattle to help with a difficult procedure on his pregnant daughter, Sloan, Owen questions Teddy's motives when she assigns Cristina the lead on a complicated surgery, and Derek's suspicions are raised when the Chief recruits Meredith to assist with a high profile operation.

Full Summary
Voiceover Meredith gave a little foreshadowing, saying the big stuff in life happens in an instant. Meredith was rushing to the hospital late at night and told Derek the chief was walking her through another surgical procedure.

Sloan's daughter, Little Sloan, walked in on him and Lexie hooking up. She didn't knock first. It was awkward. Lexie wanted to take a shower, but Little (Pregnant) Sloan thought she was on the verge of throwing up, so Lexie went across the hall to Cristina and Callie's apartment. Cristina told Lexie to use her shower. Lexie walked in to find Arizona and Callie in the shower together, kissing. She didn't knock first. It was awkward. They came out and Callie told Lexie there was no more hot water.

Teddy handed Cristina a solo cardio surgery. It was the moment Cristina became "a living, breathing, cardiothoracic surgeon."

Lexie gave Little Sloan an ultrasound and appeared concerned. She wanted to do another one on a different machine. Meanwhile, the doctors outside brought in a high-profile patient, a quarterback who took a serious hit in a game.

Another doctor looked at Little Sloan's ultrasound and explained the problem: bands of amniotic tissue were wrapped around the fetus' legs, putting them at risk. Sloan wanted his daughter treated by the best possible prenatal surgeon in all the land: Dr. Addison Montgomery. He made a call to SoCal.

Just like that, Addison was back, roaming the halls of Seattle Grace. As soon as she arrived, she started giving Sloan a hard time about becoming a grandpa. Addison also started trying to think of ways to hook Bailey up with a man. Derek then tried to get Bailey into talking about a guy she might know.

Cristina's heart patient was hung up on her many allergies, and wanted to list them for Cristina. The woman had many complaints and concerns, each of which made Teddy smile. The patient also wanted a pig's valve, instead of the mechanical she was supposed to receive, inserted in her heart.

Addison and Arizona gave Little Sloan her options: surgery while the baby was in utero, waiting a few more weeks, or waiting until the baby was born and fitting him with prosthetics. She opted for the quick surgery.

Reed was hitting on Alex, offering him drinks and "you know" that night, in exchange for letting her scrub in on his surgery on the quarterback. Charles overheard all this and confronted Reed about it. She said she was just messing with Alex. Meredith saw this.

Derek introduced Bailey to Dr. Stanton, to discuss the quarterback's CT scan. Bailey realized what was going on when Dr. Stanton wanted to talk about it over lunch. She launched into a speech about her divorce, her nickname ("The Nazi"), and how one of the many people in her life who let her down recently was herself. Dr. Stanton passed on lunch.

Derek took Bailey's next patient, the guy whose common bile duct was nicked by the chief, resulting in the guy turning yellow. Derek was caught by surprise by all this.

Cristina was worried about the pig valve situation with her patient, but Teddy said it would give her a chance to learn even more. Derek went back to the quarterback and told him a relatively minor surgery was all he really needed and he'd be back on the field the next season. The quarterback then started breathing heavily and clutching his chest. He was having a panic attack.

Meredith confronted Alex about Reed and taking sex in exchange for surgeries. She reminded him he's still married to Izzie and he said he was done worrying about Izzie because "she sure as hell isn't worried about me."

Derek asked Bailey about the gall bladder patient's "high-class care." Bailey covered it up by saying she had "a thing" for the patient and that was why he was coming back so regularly.

Cristina's patient was having second thoughts about the pig valve, and was considering a cow's valve. The woman wanted to see the different valves side by side. Cristina gritted her teeth while trying to be as accommodating as possible.

Derek asked the chief to join in on the quarterback's surgery and the chief said nothing. Meredith called Izzie and left a message on her phone, saying Alex "might be moving on." Cristina got her pig and cow valves for her patient to see.

Addison and Sloan were in surgery and it was getting complicated when Little Sloan's uteran arteries were enlarged and got in the way. Addison tried to convince Sloan she could handle the risky procedure and Sloan made her "shut it down."

Derek and Bailey were prepping for the quarterback's surgery when Derek demanded to know what was going on with the chief. Bailey said it wasn't her job to get involved in the chief's personal life.

Addison was upset with Sloan for acting like a parent in her O.R. He decided it was too risky of a surgery to try it again. "Congratulations," Addison told him. "You're a parent."

Cristina's patient wasn't drawn to either valve. Cristina forced her to choose, pig or cow. She settled on pig.

Derek told the quarterback his surgery went fine and then realized the guy had a panic attack earlier because he was afraid of playing football anymore. The quarterback opened up about how he used to be able to block out the fear, but ever since his son was born he was afaid of the hits. He was afraid something would happen to him and his son could grow up without a dad. Derek asked him why he couldn't retire, but the guy was just two years into a pro career. He said he couldn't complain about his place in the world when other guys are soldiers in Iraq.

Alex and Reed were flirting in front of Meredith while they all sat in the gallery watching Cristina's valve replacement surgery. Meredith reminded Reed that Alex was married to Izzie, but then something went wrong in the surgery and they all turned their attention toward Cristina's mishap. Cristina couldn't find "the bleeder," and Teddy told her to keep looking. Reed wondered why Teddy was doing nothing.

Callie and Derek were looking at the quarterback's knee X-rays when Derek suggested they tell him he needs a knee replacement, even though Callie said he should be able to play through the pain. Derek said the quarterback needed to stop playing, and said they could make him think it was his idea.

Teddy continued reading her magazine while Cristina struggled, but Teddy began to seem confident rather than disinterested. She didn't want to jump in and help, thinking Cristina was going to be able to get herself out of the jam, even while Hunt stormed into the room and told Teddy she should help. Cristina yelled at Hunt to leave because he was breaking her concentration.

Derek told the quarterback they thought he needed a knee replacement. He realized a knee placement would take him out of the game forever. "Exactly," Derek said.

The chief and Meredith were watching old films of Meredith's mom operating on patients. Meredith told the chief Derek was worried about him, but the chief didn't seem to care.

Sloan told Little Sloan about the risky surgery and the decision he made. Little Sloan cried when she told him that her baby needed to have legs, because he didn't have a dad and had a "stupid, slutty mom." Sloan told her she wasn't stupid because she'd come all this way to get help with the baby. Lexie suggested they go to L.A. to have Addison do the surgery there. Sloan agreed, then offered Little Sloan a place to stay even after the baby was born. Lexie was a little stunned but said nothing.

Reed was in the knee replacement surgery with Callie and Alex, upset that she wasn't going to get to do anything. Callie told her not to focus so much on cutting, that there are more important things in life. She said Tom Kates' career was ending in front of them and they should show some respect. Callie then said she couldn't believe she was taking out the best quarterback Seattle's ever seen.

"You're not," Derek said. "He was out of the game a long time ago."

Later, Teddy told Hunt she would have stepped in before Cristina's patient died. Hunt asked her to assure him "nothing else was going on in that room." Teddy seemed upset by the question and said, "No."

Alex asked Reed if she was ready to "pay up." She said there might have been a misunderstanding "about what 'you know' means." Alex got serious and said he doesn't trade surgery for sex. "If you want sex, ask for it," he said. "If you want surgery, go kiss an attending's ass, not mine."

Charles came over and tried to break them up, saying what they were doing was "illegal and immoral." Alex and Reed parted ways and she told Charles to shut up.

Sloan apologized to Lexie, saying he should have asked her about inviting Little Sloan to live with them. She said she didn't want to stop Sloan from becoming a father and Little Sloan from becoming a mother, but she didn't sign up for becoming a grandmother. Sloan asked her not to make him choose between her and Little Sloan, saying he would choose Little Sloan.

"I think our relationship just ended," Lexie told him, before kissing him and leaving.

Derek told Meredith something was wrong with the chief and it seemed like he was afraid to operate. He realized Meredith knew but couldn't--or wouldn't--tell him.

Cristina was excited about what she'd done in surgery and was telling Hunt all about how alive she felt and how much she was learning. Hunt told her that Teddy was leaving Seattle. "It's just not going to work out for her," he said.

Alex went back to the house and found Lexie in his room. She said she was moving back in because she wasn't going to live with Sloan anymore. "I'm too young to be a grandmother," she told him.

Meanwhile, Meredith was telling Derek that she wasn't lying to him about the chief, she just didn't need to tell him every thought that was in her head.

Lexie told Alex that at her age she should be working like a dog, then doing stupid things. She said she didn't even know what people her age do anymore. Alex said he could think of something stupid she could do. They said nothing, then kissed and fell into bed.

Meredith finally broke down and told Derek that she kept trying to convince herself there was no problem, but if there was no problem, why couldn't she say what was going on?

Back at the hospital, Cristina chased down Teddy as she was leaving Seattle Grace. As Voiceover Meredith talked about "the moment you become a doctor," Cristina begged Teddy to stay and teach her. She offered Teddy anything she wanted -- anything at all.

"Tell me what you want, and I will make it happen," Cristina pleaded.

"I want Owen," Teddy replied.

"Take him," Cristina said, as Voiceover Meredith further explained that the moment you become a doctor changes you.

Main Cast

 * Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey
 * Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang
 * Katherine Heigl as Dr. Izzie Stevens (credit only)
 * 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
 * Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Derek Shepherd

Special Guest Star

 * Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Montgomery

Guest Stars

 * Kim Raver as Dr. Teddy Altman
 * Cynthia Stevenson as Ruthie Carlin
 * Robert Baker as Dr. Charles Percy
 * Nora Zehetner asDr. Reed Adamson
 * Leven Rambin as Sloan Riley
 * Sinqua Walls as Tom Kates

Co-Starring

 * Mark Saul as Dr. Steve Mostow
 * Giselle Jones as Jessie Kates
 * James DuMont as Sheldon Morris
 * Amol Shah as Dr. Rob Stanton
 * Jarrod Crawford as Dr. Oslow
 * Kerri Higuchi as Dr. Elizabeth Chen
 * Stephon Fuller as Gregor

Notes and Trivia
thumb|300px|right
 * This episode's title originated from the song , originally sung by Moloko.
 * This episode scored 12.78 million viewers.
 * This is the first part of a Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice Crossover that ends with the Private Practice's episode Another Second Chance.

Quotes

 * Owen Hunt: (asking about Cristina's surgery) How is it going?
 * Alex: Yang's killing her patient and Altman's reading "The Atlantic Monthly".


 * Sloan Riley: So which one of you did he sleep with anyways?
 * Arizona: Oh, not me!
 * Addison: You told her?
 * Mark: She's my kid. We were bonding.
 * Addison: That is not how you bond with children!
 * Mark: I'm still getting the hang of it.
 * Sloan: So you're sure he didn't like knock you up and leave you with a child to raise on your own or something?
 * Addison: Wha–?
 * Sloan: You're not just like really pissed and trying to get revenge, right?
 * Addison: No. No. It was a long time ago, okay? The fact is, Mark, your father, is a good guy and I think you're a good kid and I'm going to do everything I can to help you with your baby.

---
 * Mark: I made a judgment call, you didn't like it. I'm sorry.
 * Addison: You threw me on a plane in the middle of my morning coffee because you wanted my judgment.
 * Mark: It was risky.
 * Addison: That is not your call to make in my O.R.! You acted like a father. Why do you think they don't let parents in the room during an operation?
 * Mark: I'm not her father, Addison. Biologically, yes, but... I just met the kid. I'm helping out.
 * Addison: You reacted like a parent. Now, I don't know when, and I don't know how, but at some point you became a dad to that little urchin because you just lost it in my O.R. and Mark Sloan never loses it in the OR, not ever.


 * Mark: I should've asked you first, but I was so excited, and I was so sure it was the right thing. And you know why? 'Cause of you. Since you, I know for the first time in my life what the right thing is.
 * Lexie: I'm happy for you. I really am. Something happened to you today. You became a dad. A real one. And Sloan, against all odds, became a mom. But I didn't. I was barely ready to move in with you, never mind your daughter and a grandbaby. I... I just... I don't want this.
 * Mark: You wanted to give your liver to your dad. This is what you do for family, right?
 * Lexie: I understand why you're doing it. I just don't understand why I'm doing it.
 * Mark: I think you're doing it for me.
 * Lexie: Don't make me out to be the selfish one. You don't get to unilaterally decide to let a teenager and her infant move into our house.
 * Mark: We'll get a bigger place. She needs us. Lexie, I thought I missed this. This is a chance for me. Don't make me choose between you and her.
 * Lexie: Why? 'Cause you'll choose her?
 * Mark: Yeah. I'll choose her.
 * Lexie: I think our relationship just ended. (she kisses him goodbye)


 * Bailey: You wanna show me the scan?
 * Tom: Uh, how about we look at it over lunch?
 * Bailey: I'm in the middle of a divorce. People call me the Nazi, and it's not because of my ice blue eyes. I spend 12 hours a day carving people up, and I like it. I have a child and I have no room for casual anything. I'm angry all the time. And deeply confused because a lot of people in my life have let me down recently, one of them was me. It's devastating, but not completely because it turns out I like sleeping crosswise in the bed and not having to shave my legs. My 3-year-old used to be potty trained, and now he isn't because his father no longer lives with us and his world no longer makes sense, and the only thing he thinks he can control is his bladder. So he urinates, in a lot of places you wish he wouldn't urinate. ... You want lunch or you want to show me the scan?


 * Sloan Riley: Hey, um do you have any cash? I lost the headset to my phone.
 * Lexie: How about you hold the phone up to your ear?
 * Sloan Riley: You were the one who was bitching at me last night for being on the phone so late. Maybe if I had a headset, I wouldn't have to talk so loud.
 * Lexie: Maybe if you had your own apartment, you could talk whenever you want, but we're all making compromises.


 * Sloan Riley: I can't have a gimpy kid.
 * Mark: Now, I know I haven't been your father for long, but you say "gimp" one more time, I'm gonna smack you.


 * Alex: What're you doing in here?
 * Lexie: (laying on the bed, holding a bottle of booze) Moving in.
 * Alex: No, no, no. I'm sick of living in a damn trailer. Go live in Izzie's old room.
 * Lexie: You go. She's your wife.
 * Alex: I thought you were shacking up with what's-his-face. (sits down on the bed, and takes the bottle from her, and drinks it)
 * Lexie: I'm not. I'm too young to be a grandmother. (laughs) I'm just supposed to be working like a dog and then come home and do stupid things, like bungee jumping. And Jell-o shots. I don't even know what people my own age do anymore.
 * Alex: I know something stupid you can do. (he and Lexie kiss)


 * Cristina: Did you see that? I mean, I'm holding a heart. I feel it almost starting to fibrillate in my hand! I mean, piss-poor aortic tissue, possibly irreparable, and then bam! Sutures hold and it comes back. I mean, please, I don't wanna see the face. I... I don't wanna hear what you have to say, I… I was fine. I was on fire! I was learning! I felt alive for the first time, in I don't know how long, Owen. It was like I had air in my lungs.
 * Owen: She's leaving Seattle. It's just not gonna work for her.
 * (Cristina stares at him in shock)


 * Cristina: Dr. Altman, wait, wait. What do you want? More money? 'Cause I'll talk to the Chief.
 * Teddy Altman: No.
 * Cristina: You know, they can set up a new cardio unit with a-- a research lab, or you could work with vets.
 * Teddy: It isn't about that.
 * Cristina: Wait, wait, wait. No one's ever believed in me like this. You believe in me more than I do. And I need that. I'm gonna die here without that.
 * Teddy Altman: (talking over her) Cristina it's more complicated than that.
 * Cristina: (trying to talk over Teddy) Tell me what you want and I will make it happen…
 * Teddy: I want Owen!
 * Cristina: Fine. Take him!