This is Why We Fight

"There is a procedure to treat epilepsy that involves surgically severing the connection between the left and right brain. The goal is to block signals that cause seizures. The problem is this also cuts off the brain's ability to communicate with itself. The left side has no idea what the right side is up to. They patient may experience problems with coördination, memory, speech. There's a reason surgeons are willing to roll the dice on a risky, go for broke, point of no return surgery with potentially devastating consequences. Sometimes, it works."

- Meredith Grey

This is Why We Fight is the sixteenth episode the ninth season and the 188th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary
As word of Seattle Grace’s financial trouble spreads, Catherine encourages Jackson to move to Boston, and the interns fear they might lose their jobs. Meanwhile the doctors meet with a potential investor in a last-ditch effort to save the hospital, and Alex impresses Jo while caring for a patient.

Full Summary
Cristina is worried about Hunt not understanding the "sneaking around" to try to buy the hospital. Meredith and Cristina are talking about it in Cristina's kitchen when Alex walks in and they immediately stops. He gives us the update: It's been a week since they all walked out and the hospital is falling apart. He says a bunch of nurses left, too. He says "people are saying that without a buyer the whole place could go belly up in a month."

Leah reports to Hunt that the ORs are overbooked. More nurses aren't showing. Bailey shows up in a suit she only wears for job interviews. The interns are surprised and worried. Hunt tries to assure them that Cahill is getting Pegasus to re-evaluate. Hunt tells Bailey that she's "the heart of this hospital." He tells her she can't walk because that could blow the Pegasus deal again.

Jackson sees his mother and Webber in the hospital. She thinks Jackson should move to Boston because a Pegasus hospital is garbage. Webber advises her to slow down and see how things shake out. Jackson agrees with him. Catherine doesn't like this sudden collaboration between them.

Leah is trying to get surgeries pushed, including Jo's tumor surgery on a little boy. No luck. There's some new tension between Jo and Alex. He claims it's about the stress at the hospital, not her boyfriend. Then he says he "should've gone to Hopkins" when he had the chance.

Derek, Meredith, Cristina, Arizona and Callie are preparing for a meeting with a capital investment company. They're offered coffee and all decline except Cristina, who asks for coffee and "a bagel or something." Stan thinks Julian Crest the billionaire they're seeing is the right investor. Cristina gets a croissant and coffee, but it's time for the meeting which was 30 minutes late to start. They get up to walk in and Meredith advises her to leave it. Cristina takes a bite and walks.

Back at the hospital, Bailey tells Heather she's not "the heart of the hospital," but just "a chump who didn't leave when she had the chance." Heather doesn't answer Meredith's call. Meredith is trying to reach her about some patients she left behind. Heather and Bailey are heading to one such patient a woman named Melissa who's been on dialysis but has exhausted all viable veins and is now septic. Bailey says the patient is hopeless, but is torn when she sees the woman's husband and two young children in the room.

Hunt is lurking around a meeting with Pegasus. Cahill comes out and reports that the deal is done and will close at 8 a.m. the next morning. He can't believe it. Cahill says there are just a few things to iron out and tells him to go "be a doctor" and she'll find him when there is an update.

Meanwhile, Derek and the others are discussing their plans to build on Seatlle Grace's reputation. It turns out they're talking to two guys wearing hoodies. Stan explains later that "those junior execs" could pass them along to Crest's business development guys, then they'll see Crest himself. He says his phone will ring any second now. He holds it up and nothing happens.

Finally, Stan gets a call. He reports that they got the next meeting. Meredith's phone rings next. Heather is sneaking a call and reporting on Melissa. She says Bailey isn't ready to throw in the towel. Meredith starts telling her about an article about artificial arteries for patients like Melissa. Bailey walks in and catches Heather on the phone in a dark room. Heather hangs up and pretends she was talking to her mom. Bailey is losing hope on Melissa but Heather mentions an article on artificial arteries. Bailey tells her to find it and tell her more about it.

Stephanie tells Jackson that "angry Avery" is back. He tells her about his mom's urging him to return to Boston. Stephanie tells Jackson that their surgery has been pushed and he's really angry now. It's the fifth time this week. He thinks his mom might be right.

Alex tells a young boy about the process he's going to use to remove "Phil," the tumor the boy has had since he was 6. Jo is in awe of Alex's approach.

April and Hunt are working on a patient whose gut is messed up after four surgeries. He wonders why he keeps "coming back to this chop shop." Hunt assures him the next procedure is going to work. The complainer, Andy, asks what would happen if he refused the next surgery. April says he'd die. Andy stops complaining.

Jackson comes and talks to Webber and asks if he knows something. He thinks Webber's talk of "winds of change" and "standing firm" was a little optimistic since it seems like the ground is crumbling under them. Webber tells him about having seen Callie, Cristina, Arizona, Derek, Meredith having some kind of meeting and when he asked what they were up to they slammed the door in his face. "An hour later, they all resigned," he says. "Does that sound suspicious to you?"

The group is giving another pitch to Crest Capital and the group starts throwing a lot of business terms at them. Stan says he has everything. The doctors have no idea what any of it means, but Stan seems to be on top of it. A woman starts texting. She says she's running it by Mr. Crest. She's done texting. They all wait for a moment. He texts back and says he's leaving that night for Dubai. He texts back and says he can make 15 minutes for them that afternoon.

The hospital's lawyer meets Cahill outside and says she didn't expect the deal to go down this quickly or this way. The board has called an emergency meeting for one hour from then. Cahill hasn't yet told Hunt that Pegasus is buying Seattle Grace "for parts" and planning to liquidate its assets and lay off its staff. She hasn't figured out how to tell him. Heather is outside and hears all this. She's on the phone with Meredith, who asks, "What's going on?"

Waiting for their meeting with Crest, the millionaire doctors are worried that they've killed the hospital. They decide they need to make the most of their 15 minutes. They decide to have Stan teach them all the "boring crap" the business stuff in case Crest asks them questions.

Heather tells Bailey the news and Bailey says she doesn't want anyone to know in order to avoid panic. Heather immediately goes and tells the interns that the hospital is being sold for parts. Stephanie hints at going to Boston with Jackson. Jo tells her not to be "that girl."

Meanwhile, Webber is trying to assure Alex and Jackson that the millionaire doctors aren't just retiring to open a restaurant. Webber then hears Heather talking about it and asks what she's talking about.

Webber meets Bailey. She knows he knows. Heather gave it up. Bailey tells Webber about the procedure she's going to try to keep Melissa going. She invites him to scrub in on what could be their last surgery together. She tells him she thought she'd be chief one day.

Shane tells April the news and she says he shouldn't spread that kind of rumor. Shane urges her to ask Hunt, but she says it's not her rumor. Hunt walks in.

The millionaire doctors are talking to Crest. He's distracted but turns out to have been paying a lot of attention. He knows each of the doctors' proficiencies well, but he's bother by the fact that they're all great surgeons and none of them is a proven administrative leader. He tells them to get someone on their team who can lead and then they can talk. He leaves for his flight.

They're reeling from the meeting and Cristina suggests they get Hunt on board. Webber is also in the mix.

In surgery, Webber is called to the lobby where Meredith is waiting for him. Bailey can't believe he's leaving, saying, "What else can Meredith Grey possibly take from me today?"

"She gave us this fix," Heather says, finally admitting that Meredith doesn't even work at the hospital anymore but cared enough to try to help this patient. Bailey questions what Heather was doing sharing patient details with someone who doesn't work there.

Hunt is in surgery and mentions to Shane that if it doesn't work they'll try again in six months.

"But we won't be here in six months," Shane says.

April jumps in and tells Hunt that Shane heard a "stupid rumor" that the hospital is shutting down. Hunt is confused, but announces to everyone in the room that Pegasus is buying the hospital and "nobody is going anywhere." Shane says Pegasus is buying the hospital so they can liquidate it. Shane then says it was Cahill who said it. Hunt leaves. Shane thinks Hunt was lying, but April tells him "he didn't know."

Alex and Jo are getting his patient's tumor out.

Jackson is on the phone hearing about "a very interesting offer." Stephanie is watching. She's worried about not being able to have sex with him anymore. Leah tells him that every step she takes toward Jackson is a step back for womankind.

Hunt is looking for Cahill but Cristina finds him first. Cristina asks Hunt if he made the deal to sell the hospital for parts and he says it's the deal she and the others made when they walked out. She tells him, "We're trying to buy the hospital."

Meanwhile, Meredith is talking to Webber in a supply closet, telling him that they're trying to get money from an outside investor. He says he's good for $3 million, but she says they need his experience. He asks how much they need and she tells him $175 million. He laughs and she does, too, until they both realize it's not really funny.

Cristina is explaining to Hunt that they only walked out to stall Pegasus. She tells him it's not over, they just need Hunt and Webber to get the investor on board to get the investor. She tells him she wanted to protect him from a lawsuit or jail. He gets up to go to the board. He says that if they think the hospital can be saved, it can buy some time.

Jackson and Stephanie are in surgery and she asks him about Boston. He says, "Not Boston but it's probably time to start thinking about someplace else." He asks her where she's headed and says they could end up somewhere near other. "That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world," he says.

Alex and Jo's patient wakes up after surgery and they tell him all the gory details about getting "Phil" out of him. Jo plays along for a moment, but then leaves as she's starting to cry. Alex finds her crying. She says she isn't going to find another hospital like this one, or a teacher like him who's going to show her cool surgery techniques and ways to talk to kids. She says she'll find another job but she doesn't "never want to see" Alex again.

The board is meeting with Cahill and Hunt storms in, saying, "You can't take this deal." The lawyer says it is the deal they have even if it isn't the one they want. Hunt says he has another buyer.

Meanwhile, the millionaire doctors are trying to chase down Crest. He's on his way to the airport when they introduce him to Webber, who was the chief for 12 years. He says he has 20 minutes to talk if they can ride with him to the airport. He only has room for two people.

We next see Derek and Webber in Crest's helicopter getting ready to take off. The others watch the helicopter take off and then head toward SeaTac Airport to pick them up.

Hunt is telling the board that he has a solid capital investor with a team of surgeon consultants led by all the former Seattle Grace surgeons, Webber and himself. He says they can formally present their offer the next day if they wait on the Pegasus deal. Cahill says they can't make Pegasus wait. Cahill says if the Pegasus deal goes away again, the hospital will have nothing. Hunt says all they need is one day.

The millionaire doctors see Derek and Webber walking toward them at the airport. They'r trying to figure out if they look happy or sad.

Hunt is sitting at the bar, looking worried. Cristina walks in and he's excited to tell her that he got the board to wait a day. Cristina says Crest met with Webber and liked him, "liked all of us, then he said no said he just wasn't 'feeling it.'" They realize "it's over."

Shane finds April outside the hospital and says their patient is awake. April says she doesn't know how "something like this" could happen. She says she has to believe these things happen for a reason. He just wanted to ask her for a letter of recommendation.

Heather and Bailey look at Melissa, who is awake. After a moment, Heather tells Bailey she really is the heart of the hospital.

"I was," Bailey says. "I was."

Arizona is looking at real estate listings. Since they're not buying a hospital, they can buy a house wherever they want. Callie looks around and they talk about how they'll probably want to sell Sloan's place, but they agree they don't have to move yet.

Hunt and Cristina are in her kitchen scraping for something to drink. Vermouth will have to do. Alex walks in, angry that the hospital "had a good thing going" and now people are losing their jobs and it's their fault. Cristina tells him they were trying to buy the hospital they were trying to help, and they "screwed up." She's sorry. Alex opens a secret drawer and pulls out some 40-year-old Scotch that a patient gave him. He demands that they both sit down and talk to him.

Derek is at home writing letters of recommendation for all the interns. She asks if he did one for Heather. She wants to do it herself.

Webber is telling Catherine that the doctors were trying to buy the hospital and just needed more money. She asks him what he's going to do. He says Boston is nice, but then laments how much of his life he put into Seattle Grace. He says he's not ready to retire. He just never thought it would be gone before he was.

"How much money did they need?" Catherine asks.

The next morning, Arizona and Callie get to a hotel and see Jackson. Webber meets them in the lobby and says they're right on time." He leads them to a meeting room where the other millionaire doctors are already seated. Jackson asks Catherine, who is texting on her phone, what's going on. She says she's about to tell them.

She tells them Webber told her about their need for an investor to buy Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital.

"It is my pleasure to tell you that the Harper Avery Foundation would like very much to take you up on that offer," she says. She adds one condition the foundation would like a representative of its choosing to sit on the board of directors. They all agree.

Jackson is confused. He approaches his mom, asking if she woke him up at the crack of dawn to tell him she was coming to Seattle to be his boss. She says that isn't the case at all.

"The foundation is electing you as our representative," she tells him. "We're the majority shareholder, that means you are in charge."

He's confused.

"Now, give your mama a kiss, Jackson," she tells him. "She just bought you a hospital."

Jackson looks back at the group of doctors, who are all waiting to see what he does next.

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
 * Kevin McKidd as Dr. Owen Hunt
 * Jessica Capshaw as Dr. Arizona Robbins
 * Sarah Drew as Dr. April Kepner
 * Jesse Williams as Dr. Jackson Avery
 * Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Derek Shepherd

Guest Stars

 * Debbie Allen as Dr. Catherine Avery
 * Hart Bochner as Julian Crest
 * Constance Zimmer as Dr. Alana Cahill
 * Eddie Jemison as Stan Grossberg
 * Roma Maffia as Roberta Thompson
 * Camilla Luddington as Dr. Jo Wilson
 * Gaius Charles as Dr. Shane Ross
 * Tina Majorino as Dr. Heather Brooks
 * Jerrika Hinton as Dr. Stephanie Edwards
 * Tessa Ferrer as Dr. Leah Murphy

Co-Starring

 * Steve Kahela as Andy Carmichael
 * Karla Droege as Lisa Brinn
 * Bryan Chesters as John Brinn
 * Kate Mines as Nurse Gloria
 * John Adrian as Executive One
 * Daniel Kash as Executive Two
 * Anzu Lawson as Executive Three
 * Alec Medlock as Kid
 * Erica Giles as Receptionist
 * Madeleine Hamer as Assistant
 * William Edward Jennings as Bobby Brinn
 * Faith Alhadeff as Shelly Keyser

Notes and Trivia

 * This episode's title originated from the song This is Why We Fight, originally sung by The Decemberists.
 * This episode scored 8.75 million viewers.
 * Intern Heather Brooks has a new hairdo. Her hair is way shorter than it used to be.