White Wedding

"Germs, disease, toxins. Our bodies encounter dangers all the time, just beneath the surface. Hidden. Whether you realize it or not, your body is constantly protecting itself. Every time you blink your eye, you wash away thousands of unwanted microbes. Breathe in too much unwanted pollen and you sneeze. The body knows when it's encountered something that doesn't belong. The body detects the invader, it releases its white blood cells and it attacks. Just when we think we've figured things out, the universe throws us a curveball. So we have to improvise. We find happiness in unexpected places. We find our way back to the things that matter the most. The universe is funny that way. Sometimes it just has a way of making sure we wind up exactly where we belong."

- Meredith Grey

 is the twentieth episode of the seventh season and the 146th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary
As Callie and Arizona's wedding approaches, the couple quickly realize that the day they've been looking forward to is not turning out the way they'd envisioned. Meanwhile Alex continues to make the other residents jealous as he appears to be the top contender for Chief Resident, Meredith and Derek make a decision that will change their lives forever, and Dr. Perkins presents Teddy with a very tempting proposition.

Full Summary
Episode in detail.

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
 * Sarah Drew as Dr. April Kepner
 * Jesse Williams as Dr. Jackson Avery
 * Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Derek Shepherd

Guest Stars

 * Judith Ivey as Barbara Robbins
 * Peter MacNicol as Dr. Robert Stark
 * James Tupper as Dr. Andrew Perkins
 * Denis Arndt as Daniel Robbins
 * Gina Gallego as Lucia Torres
 * Héctor Elizondo as Carlos Torres

Co-Starring

 * Bambadjan Bamba as Sefu
 * Mark Chaet as Judge
 * Rachel Andersen as Nurse
 * Ameenah Kaplan as Makena
 * Jay Ellis as DJ
 * Oren Skoog as Drunk Guy
 * Jalen Harris as Kondo
 * Nina Monet Hudson as Asha

Zola Limbani

 * Diagnosis:
 * Spina bifida


 * Doctors:
 * Derek Shepherd (neurosurgeon)
 * Alex Karev (surgical resident)


 * Treatment:
 * Shunt

Zola, 6 months, was born with spina bifida. She was brought to Seattle as part of Alex's exchange program. Derek went into to look at her and she was crying. He explained to Makena that sometimes babies with spina bifida can develop chiari malformation, which causes fluid build-up. Adjusting the head position can relieve the pressure. Derek did this with Zola as he talked and she stopped crying. Derek said they'd run an MRI to see if she had chiari malformation or hydrocephalus. If she did, they'd need to do a shunt, which would postpone her spinal surgery, but it'd be worth it. The MRI revealed no chiari malformation, but she did have hydrocephalus, so he scheduled surgery to insert a shunt.

Kondo

 * Diagnosis:
 * Pentalogy of cantrell
 * Ventricular septal defect


 * Doctors:
 * Arizona Robbins (pediatric surgeon)
 * Teddy Altman (cardiothoracic surgeon)
 * Mark Sloan (plastic surgeon)
 * Lexie Grey (surgical resident)
 * Cristina Yang (surgical resident)


 * Treatment:
 * Surgery

Kondo was in Seattle to have his heart defect repaired. He didn't have a sternum, which caused the skin to attach direct to his heart and left his heart unprotected. Teddy would be fixing his heart defect and Mark was going to construct him a new sternum.

ER Patient

 * Diagnosis:
 * Head laceration


 * Doctors:
 * Owen Hunt (trauma surgeon)
 * Cristina Yang (surgical resident)


 * Treatment:
 * B-52 cocktail
 * Staples

Owen was trying to calm down a patient in the ER who was drunk. Cristina gave him a B-52 cocktail to calm him down. Owen then stapled his head laceration.

Asha

 * Diagnosis:
 * AIDS
 * Abdominal injuries
 * Intestinal tuberculosis
 * Intestinal perforation


 * Doctors:
 * Robert Stark (pediatric surgeon)
 * Owen Hunt (trauma surgeon)
 * April Kepner (surgical resident)


 * Treatment:
 * Anti-biotics
 * Perforation repair
 * Anti-TB meds.

Asha, 10, was injured in an explosion. She hadn't healed well and her condition was complicated by the fact that she was living with AIDS. Asha began to cough up blood, which was treated with packed cells. They couldn't stop the bleeding, so they rushed her into surgery. In the OR, they discovered intestinal TB. They continued with the perf repair and then planned to treat with anti-TB meds. They were able to finish the surgery without having to remove much of the bowel, avoiding short gut.

Mrs. Brooks

 * Diagnosis:


 * Doctors:


 * Treatment:

Father Brooks' wife was in an accident and she was taken to the ER, meaning he was unable to make the wedding.

Notes and Trivia

 * This episode's title originated from the song White Wedding, originally sung by Billy Idol.
 * This episode scored 10.11 million viewers.
 * This episode marked the first appearance of Derek and Meredith's first child, Zola.
 * Karev said that Zola was born with Spina Bifida with no Chiari Malformation. Every child who is born with Spina Bifida has Chiari Malformation, but only 10% have symptoms. As a doctor, Karev should know that Zola simply doesn't have symptomatic Chiari.

Quotes

 * Cristina: You know, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm such an exceptional surgeon that it threatens you. I'm sorry my surgical repair saved Callie's life and yours didn't. I'm sorry your ego is so fragile that I had to stand on the sidelines of a surgery I should have been performing with you today. I have been standing on the sidelines for the past three months basically ruining my chances for chief resident. You wanted sincerity? I could have not been more sincere.
 * Teddy: And you still don't get it, again.


 * Bailey: OK, first of all, you do not need the law or a priest or your mother to make your wedding real. And the church can be anywhere you want it to be - In a field, on a mountain, right here in this room, anywhere because where do you think god is? Come on, He's in you. He's in me. Just right here, in the middle of us. Your church just hasn't caught up to God yet. Your mother, she hasn't caught up to God yet. And, by the way, she may not ever catch up, but it's OK. It's okay. If you are willing to stand up in front of your friends, family, and God, and commit yourself to another human being to give yourself in that kind of partnership for better or worse in sickness and in health. Hunny, that is a marriage. That is real, and that's all that matters. Besides, I got legally married in a church. Look how well that turned out.


 * Derek: You know, I was holding her yesterday, and she was crying and then she stopped. And I've held a lot of babies; I've fixed a lot of babies. But, I looked down at Zola, and I don't know what it was, but I just couldn't imagine her being with any other parent or any other family. We've been trying so hard to start a family, and she needs one. Let's adopt her. I'm serious, let's adopt her.