Sometimes a Fantasy

"Surgeons usually fantasize about wild and improbable surgeries. Someone collapses in a restaurant, we splice them open with a butter knife, replace a valve with a hollowed out stick of carrot— but every now and then some other kind of fantasy slips in. Most of our fantasies dissolve when we wake, banished to the back of our mind, but sometimes we're sure if we try hard enough— we can live the dream. The fantasy is simple. Pleasure is good, and twice as much pleasure is better. That pain is bad, and no pain is better. But the reality is different. The reality is that pain is there to tell us something, and there's only so much pleasure we can take without getting a stomach ache. And maybe that's okay. Maybe some fantasies are only supposed to live in our dreams."

- Meredith Grey

 is the third episode of the third season and the 39th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary
Meredith begins dating, so Derek and Finn compete against each other, Derek managing to win her over with delicious surgeries for her, while Finn musters home made ice cream. George annoys Callie by scaring her patient away, Mark annoys Addison by missing his flight and Cristina is annoyed by Burke becoming depressed. Alex deals with a young superhero (or CIPA patient) while Izzie tries to return to the hospital, but can't get past the front door.

Full Summary
The scene starts with Meredith lying on her bed fantasizing. Derek is by her side and greets her Good morning to which she answers back and kisses him. He then greets Finn. Meredith turns around, says hi to Finn and kisses him also. He asks her if she had a good sleep and she answers not really. Derek asks if she wants to get some now and she still replies not really. They both kiss her on the cheek and then she suddenly wakes up when she hears a loud noise.

Meredith tosses in her bed trying to sleep again but gave up when George wakes her up after stumbling on one of Callie's boxes. Meredith checks him out and tells him she was having a really good dream and he ruined it. George apologizes while trying to arrange the boxes. He complains that Callie's stuff is all in the house. Meredith says that it's okay and she doesn't mind. He tells Meredith to kick her out but she says he told her she could move in. George replies that she told her that she could stay for a couple of days. He complains that it has been over a week and now boxes are in the house. Callie then comes out of the bathroom with just a towel on and tells them to wait for a while since there is no more hot water. She then rummages through the boxes. Izzie then shows up asking if she can get a ride with them to SGH. Meredith is surprised and asks her if she really is going to the hospital. Izzie says she's gonna talk to the chief to see about coming back. Callie turns to George and Meredith and tells them that it's great that Izzie's coming back. Meredith smiles but George replies that the towel Callie's using is his. Callie approaches George, takes off the towel and hands it back to him. Meredith's shocked and George leaves. Callie jokes that he is moody in the mornings. Meredith agrees and Callie turns away.

At the hotel, Mark tells Addison that he can not leave today and that he could change his flight. Addie disapproves and tells him that she's sober now and that there is work to go to, planes to catch and real lives to live. She thanks Mark for the sex and tells him she feels much better now. She says goodbye and asks him if he needs a cab to go the airport. Mark pulls her and lays her on the bed.

Cristina comes out of their room and sees Burke on the couch playing with a ball with his good hand. She suggests that he tries his bad hand. Burke stands up, throws using that hand and hits a cup and says it works. Cristina replies that there's coffee on the floor but decides to clean it up. He tells her to leave it and that it doesn't matter.

Izzie is on her way to the hospital with George, Callie and Meredith. Callie tells George that since her shift ends before his that maybe she could have a key to the house. George doesn't like the idea and tells her that he likes that they leave together. Izzie stops walking and the three turn around and wait for her. She tells them that she'll see them inside. Meredith tells her that everything is gonna be fine. Bailey is on her side and the chief will put on his angry face but assures her that he is also on her side. George tells her that everybody wants her back inside the hospital. She tells them to go ahead and that she was gonna practice her speech first.

The chief is telling Bailey that he didn't ask her to convince Izzie to come in. She says that she was the one who convinced her. He tells her that there is a series of disciplinary measures that Izzie has to go through. Bailey tells him that he should explain them to her. He says that he hasn't agreed to those. Bailey defends Izzie that she didn't commit a crime and that she was her intern. If the chief would want to blame somebody, it should be Bailey. She tells him that he should talk to Izzie when she comes in and that he should remember all the surgeons who had lapses in judgment that led to someone dying. She finishes of by saying the chief should remember all the mistakes that he made when he was young and stupid. Chief stands up and reminds Bailey he's the boss. She tells him she meant no disrespect. He asks her if this is important to her personally. She replies that it is and very personally. He tells her that being the boss isn't as gratifying as it used to be. She agrees and tells her to get out of the room.

Cristina and Meredith are walking down the hallway and Cristina is complaining that she was on her knees cleaning the coffee mess and Burke is just lying on the couch playing with himself and not in a good way. Meredith tells her that Burke is recovering from surgery and reminds her of studies on recoveries and depression in cervical patients which Cristina has read. Cristina replies that he is not a patient and that he is Preston Burke. She thinks that he is milking it and has her fetching his food and other stuff. Elevator door opens with Derek bringing coffee for Meredith. He greets her and she tells her that she had a dream about him last night. He asks if he was bringing her coffee and she tells him that he was not bringing her coffee but coffee's good. Derek tells her that he was told that dating starts with a casual invitation over a cup of coffee. He then invites her to dinner. He turns to Cristina and asks her if that was casual to which she just mumbled her yes. He leaves and tells her he'll pick her up at 8. Meredith smiles and the elevator opens again and out comes Finn. He tells her she was worth the detour since he wasn't really in the neighborhood. She tells him that she had a dream about him last night. He asks if it was a good dream and she tells him it was. Finn asks what he was doing. Cristina butts in and also asks what he was doing. Meredith couldn't answer and instead asks what he's bringing. He tells her he's brought her coffee cake to soften her so when he asks her to dinner she'll say yes. Cristina sort of reminds Meredith that she's not free tonight because she has already agreed to go out with Derek. She tells him she's not free. Finn then asks if she's free for lunch. She asks him if he's volunteering to eat hospital food. He tells her he loves hospital food. Date is set for 1 'o clock. Cristina confronts Meredith about her dream and asks her if it was a threesome. Meredith just smiled. Cristina then tells her that just when she thought she was boring, she rises. Meredith's happy that she's dating and that it comes with snacks.

Alex sees Izzie still in front of the hospital. She tells him she's going in to see the chief. Alex is happy about it. He's in a hurry though because he's late. Izzie still doesn't move from her spot. Alex is now inside the hospital and tells Cristina and Meredith that it's good Izzie's back. He grabs a bite of Meredith's coffee cake. Meredith tells him she's dating. Bailey greets them and they all turn to her with Alex wiping his mouth and Cristina still chewing. She tells them of their assignments. Meredith's in charge of the discharge forms, Cristina is with Derek, Alex with Addison and George was requested by Callie in Orthopedics. Cristina asks if Bailey was smiling. George tells Meredith that Dr. Torres has requested him. Meredith tells him to tell Callie that he's not ready to move in together. She suggests that George tries dating and says dating is fun.

Alex is at the station when Addison asks him if he's ready. Her phone rings as he approaches her. She tells Alex to find something to do in the pit. Alex tells her that it's a personal problem but instead of answering, he tells him to go. Alex jumps for joy as soon as he can't be seen by Addison. Alex is given a patient by a staff. He checks it out and introduces himself. The little girl, Megan, tells him that it's not as bad as it looks. The mother says that she fell on the playground and that there was a lot of blood so they brought her in. The father explains that she just plays rough. They hand in her medical file and Alex learns that she was adopted. Alex then proceeds to interviewing Megan after telling her parents to go to the nurse station for some documents. As he checks on her, he notices a wound on her left forearm held together by staples. She reasons that she fell from her bike. He suspects abuse from the parents which Megan strongly denies. She tells him that she didn't want to go to the doctor so she stapled herself. She wants Alex to fix her leg so they could go home. He tells her she couldn't go with her parents then she tells him that she couldn't be hurt and even asks him to punch her in the stomach. He tells her that she will need some shots since the staples are pretty deep. She says she doesn't need one and pulls them one by one much to Alex's amazement. She asks him to come closer and says she has superpowers.

Derek and Cristina are in a patient's room discussing his case. The wife tells their baby that the doctors will be chopping his brain because he is a big dummy. He replies that he's having 5 seizures a day and that she won't leave the baby alone with him. She thinks he is a danger to the baby and he knows he is that's why he his having the surgery to stop the seizures and for him to be able to take care of the baby. She finally agrees.

Alex finds Bailey and tells her of Megan's situation. She tells him to call Social Service and to run a cold pressure test on her to test her response to pain.

George meets Callie asks if she requested him. She tells him that he was weird in the morning. He tells her that he was not and that mornings are weird times for a lot of people. She accepts his explanation and introduces him to her patient. George notices that he has had 3 previous surgeries the past year and that now, he's having an ankle replacement. Callie tells him that they've waited for a year for a match. She then left George to do the work-ups.

Alex comes back to Megan bringing a basin of iced-cold water. She asks were her parents are and Alex says they're talking to some woman. She tells him she's not a moron and that they're talking to a social worker. He tells her that her bruises and cuts are not normal. She explains that she gets in fights because she's stronger than other kids and that she defends smaller kids. She again tells him to punch her in the stomach but Alex replies that they should just stick to the water. He even challenges her to a race to which she obliged. After several seconds, Alex starts to be uncomfortable while Megan just goes on talking.

Addison walks in at Joe's bar and meets up with Mark. She wonders how he could have missed his flight. Mark tells her that the plane is grounded due to bad weather. He then asks her to stay but she refuses because she still has work. He doesn't listen and orders a coffee for her.

Back in the hospital, Alex has been really uncomfortable while Megan looks very much okay. Finally, Alex gives up, yelling in pain. She tells him that she didn't feel a thing and that nobody ever believes her. She also tells him that a kid had to punch her 25 times in the stomach and once with a baseball bat.

Cristina is doing some pre-op work-ups for her patient. The husband says that it is almost done but the wife says it isn't. Cristina agrees with her since he still has to go through how many weeks of recovery. She tells her that recoveries can be hell. While talking, the husband feels a seizure coming but the ladies won't listen. Cristina is just in time to catch the baby when he started seizing again. Derek checks on the husband while Cristina explains what happened. The husband is concerned if the baby's okay. Derek tells them that the surgery will help so the wife agrees since they really don't have much of a choice.

Meredith and Cristina go out and talk to Izzie who still hasn't talked to the chief. After a few small talks, Mer comes back in to get ready for her lunch date with Finn. Cristina follows.

Addison is still with Mark and tells him that they both enjoyed each other before and again and that it is a healthy release. Mark starts to caress her and she starts to stutter. She asks him to stop doing it because she can't think. Mark asks her to come back to him and she tells him to go home. They are about to kiss when Addison got back to her senses and slaps Mark. They then say their goodbyes.

Chief Webber approaches Bailey and tells her that Izzie didn't show up at his office. Bailey is surprised. Alex talks to her and suggests that a CT Scan of the abdomen be done on Megan. Bailey tells him that it's okay if she thinks she is a superhero and the she used to believe in Santa Claus until she was 11. Alex asks her if Santa ever hit her in the gut with a baseball bat.

Callie catches George and asks about the labs if they're good. George says they are and asks why he has 4 ortho surgeries in 1 year. She tells him that he is a serious athlete and that his body takes a beating. George however thinks that his body couldn't handle it. They argue for a moment until Callie tells him that she was gonna go home for lunch and asks if he wants to come. George joins Cristina and Alex at the cafeteria while complaining that Callie called his house home. Cristina cuts him off. He notices the money on the table and asks what's going on. Cristina explains that they are betting on whether Derek comes up and challenges Finn to a duel. George hands in his bet. Alex asks George about comics and superheroes and tells them of Megan. George gives this long explanation of superheroes and their lives. Derek then walks by Meredith and Finn and buys coffee. As Alex collects his money, Derek turns around and joins Meredith and Finn. Cristina wins. When Meredith notices Derek, she says sorry to Finn. Derek greets both of them and asks if they are having lunch. He then tell her of the OR that he's having and was inviting her to scrub in. Meredith couldn't let that chance pass by so she had to excuse herself from her lunch date. She tells Finn she'll call but Derek reminds her that she's busy tonight because she has a date.

Burke sees Izzie still standing in front of the hospital and asks if she's coming or going. Izzie says she doesn't know. Burke feels the same way. He stays with her.

Meredith tells Derek that what he did was brilliant and that she owes Finn another date. He says it's okay because Finn needs all the help he can get. He then shows Meredith to his patient and asks her to prep. She complains because she thought they were operating. He tells her that he can't just slide her into the OR and that she also has to work. Cristina sees Burke talking with the chief and is happy about it.

Megan is being prepared for CT Scan. She asks if it will cost her parents money and tells Alex again that it's not really a big deal. She tells the technician to punch her in the stomach. Alex tells her to stop asking people to punch her in the stomach and just lie down. Addison talks to Bailey and asks if she needed a consult. As she reads the file, Bailey tells her that she hasn't seen her since her martini-sipping nights at Joe's. Bailey tells her that they've talked about a lot of things none of which she remembers. Bailey gives her Megan's history as Alex joins them. A CT Scan finding amazes them.

Burke leaves the chief's office and bumps into George. He asks about the arm and tells him that he's missed in the hospital. Burke then walks away but tells George that Izzie is still standing outside the hospital.

Derek proceeds with his surgery and questions Mer about the procedure. He tells Cristina that he saw Burke earlier. Cristina tells him that he had a meeting with the chief. Derek answers that he's working his leave of absence. Cristina is shocked.

George goes outside and talks to Izzie. She explains that she hates the bride thing and the pictures in the magazines of the girl with the veil and the idea of bridesmaids, the colors and if the bustle will make her ass look bigger or smaller. She hates the whole thing and that she never wanted to be that girl because she's stupid and shallow and yet that girl is still running through her head. She assures George that she'll go in but she wants to make sure first that when she stands in front of the chief of surgery that she isn't thinking about her wedding dress.

George reminds Callie's patient of the risks of his surgery but he just shrugged it off. George still wants to go through the other consent forms but tells him that he can tell that to him in French when he will have his hip surgery in the fall. He asks if he still wants to meet the donor for his ankles.

Bailey talks to Megan's parents and explains that she's having internal bleeding due to some trauma. The father explains that they didn't do anything to Megan and Bailey tells them that Social Services has cleared them. She tells them that they need to operate on her. Addison adds that Megan probably has a chromosomal condition which makes her not feel pain. Alex comes in and tells them that they already have a room at the OR. The mother asks if surgery is the only option and Bailey tells them it is. Alex then realizes Megan is gone.

Cristina catches up with Burke and asks about his leave of absence. He says yes and that he was on his way home. He also made some notes so the chief can reassign his open cases. Cristina asks for how long and he tells her for how long as it takes. She doesn't agree and says that he's already 3 weeks into physical therapy. Burke tells her that the recovery for brachial plexus surgeries takes months or years not weeks and that the surgery is considered a success if the patient can flex his elbow because some patients don't and some don't even regain sensation or do not recover at all. She agrees but tells him that he's not one of those. Burke asks her who says so then leaves.

George brings his patient to the morgue to meet his guy. They see a dead man who he thought was his guy. George explains that he was supposed to have liposuction done but died on the table due to some complications. He then pulls a cadaver from the freezer and shows an old man who he says is the ankle donor. He tells him that that guy is old and how could they make someone like him be his donor. George checks on the data and tells him that the dead guy is 2 years younger than he is. While looking at the OR schedule, Callie noticed that her ankle allograft has been erased. The nurse tells her that it was cancelled because the patient went home. George then comes in but before Callie can confront her, Bailey tells him that they need to find Supergirl because she's bleeding and that he should look in corners.

Meredith asks Derek if he cut enough fibers and he tells her that they will have to see if the seizures will be under control. She asks him if she could scrub in should he bring him back in or only when she has a date with somebody else. He tells her that a meal at the cafeteria is not a date. Addison overhears and changes course. Derek tells her to keep an eye on his patient and that he'll see her at the lobby by 8. Alex sees Meredith, tells her of lost Megan and asks for her help in finding her. George and Alex go crazy looking all over the place for Megan with George talking about superhero stuff. Alex doesn't listen while George continues talking about Batman and Robin. After a while, Alex couldn't take it anymore and tells him that if he doesn't stop, he's gonna punch him in the face.

Callie then sees George and confronts him about her canceled surgery. She tells George that she wanted him to be in a cool surgery but he talked her patient out of it. George said he was only expressing an opinion and not everything has to go warp speed as it is always with Callie. Finally George blurts out that he's not ready for them to move in together. Callie's speechless for a while but tells him that he should have told her that the four times she asked. George tries to explain but she cuts him off and tells him she'll be out in an hour.

Meredith is looking for Megan and while searching one of the doors, she stumbles upon Addison who is hiding in one of the stock rooms, crying. Addison asks her to pick a floor and stay on it and she'll do the same. She tells her that she needs a moment or two without her because her face shows up in her head and her panties in her husband's pocket. Meredith agrees.

Alex finally finds her hiding under a stretcher in one of the hallways. Megan tells him that they can't cut her because it's too expensive and that they'll send her back. He tells her that it is stupid to send her back because they got their own superhero. She says she thought he believed she didn't have superpowers. Alex said she doesn't but if they take away Green Lantern's ring, he's still a hero.

Derek checks on his patient. After doing some physical exams, he says he's fine. The problem came up when he started to ask him of objects. He could see them but couldn't name them. Derek explains that it's tough and asks him to try again. He fails to name it again. The wife asks him her name and he couldn't answer. He couldn't likewise remember his son's name. The wife is frustrated. The wife tells Derek that he named their son after his father. He asks him how he could have forgotten that. Derek explains how the brain works and how it was affected by the surgery. He tells her that it's a learning process but he'll get there. He needs patience and her support.

What Derek said got Cristina thinking. Megan's finally in surgery. Bailey tells Alex that pain is there for a reason. Alex watches Megan and her family as they wait for her to wake up after the surgery.

Alex tells Bailey that Megan's stable. Bailey however has been watching Izzie. She tells Alex that Izzie's been out there all day. Izzie is still standing in front of the hospital.

Derek brings home Meredith after their dinner. Meredith asks if he's coming in. He asks back if he can. She tells him he can come in for a drink or coffee. Finn greets them both much to Derek's dismay. He says he didn't know they were already there and that he came by to drop the strawberry ice cream he brought for Meredith. She says she loves strawberry ice cream. Finn says he was supposed to leave it by the door. Derek asked if he didn't think it would melt. Finn answers he'll take his chances. Meredith asks what is happening. Derek replies that Finn is crashing their date. Finn asks him where he got the idea from. Derek tells him that he didn't ruin his date and that it was purely professional. Finn asks if he can't operate without her and Derek tells him he operates better with her. Mer has had enough. She tells them she wants moonlight, flowers, candy and people trying to fill her up. She complains that nobody is looking at her and that as an intern, it takes much effort to do what she's doing, waxing and plucking and yet Derek and Finn are looking at each other and that is not her fantasy. They try to explain but she cuts them. She rants that there will be no talking until one of them figures out how to put on a date and that she wants heat and romance and she wants to feel like a freaking lady. She then goes inside and shuts the door. Meredith opens the door, grabs the strawberry ice cream from Finn and slams the door again.

Addison tells the hotel receptionist that if someone calls, she isn't in her room. Callie checks in at the hotel. Chief checks back at the hotel and asks if there are any messages for him. Mark checks in at the hotel. He requests for a room on the twenty-second floor. The chief notices him and asks what he's doing in Seattle. Mark tells him he doesn't know but answers back that he has a thing for ferry boats.

Cristina enters her and Burke's apartment with a bag full of dressed chicken. She places them on the counter. Burke asks if she'll be cooking for him but she tells him she's not. She says he can take a leave of absence all he wants but he's not gonna sit on his ass all day. He's gonna work hard and regain every bit of strength and dexterity he's had. Burke gets curious and asks how. Cristina reaches for a knife and slices the chicken in two. He hands Burke a kit and tells him to put the chicken back together.

Izzie is still in front of the hospital staring at it. Alex puts on his jacket and her. Izzie tells him she'll do it. Alex hesitates but she tells him she can do it. He asks if it hurts and she says yes, and it hurts everywhere. He tells her that maybe it hurts for a reason. He then tells her that they should go and they both walk away from the hospital.

Meredith starts to eat her strawberry ice cream.

Meredith notices Izzie by the door. Izzie tells her that she didn't go in today. She tells her that maybe tomorrow. Izzie smiles and sits with her on the bed. Meredith offers her ice cream. George walks by the door and checks on the window. Meredith calls him and he tells them that Callie moved out and it was a relief. Izzie offers him the ice cream. George lays by the foot of the bed and takes a taste of the ice cream. He hands it back to Izzie who tells him that he had spit on the spoon. George denies and they all share a laugh.

Main Cast

 * Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey
 * Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang
 * Katherine Heigl as Dr. Izzie Stevens
 * Justin Chambers as Dr. Alex Karev
 * T.R. Knight as Dr. George O'Malley
 * Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey
 * James Pickens Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber
 * Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd
 * Sara Ramírez as Dr. Callie Torres
 * Eric Dane as Dr. Mark Sloan
 * Isaiah Washington as Dr. Preston Burke
 * Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Derek Shepherd

Special Guest Star

 * Chris O'Donnell as Dr. Finn Dandridge

Guest Starring

 * Abigail Breslin as Megan Clover
 * Jack Conley as Jasper Hovey
 * Gabriel Casseus as Taylor Tressel
 * Lanei Chapman as Lianne Tressel
 * Stephanie Erb as Mrs. Gantry

Co-Starring

 * Kevin Will as Len Gantry
 * Linda Eve Miller as E.R. Nurse
 * Daniel Tatar as Hotel Clerk
 * Julie Granata as Hotel Clerk

Megan Clover

 * Diagnosis:
 * Doctors:
 * Treatment:

Notes and Trivia

 * This episode's title originated from the song Sometimes a Fantasy, originally sung by Billy Joel.
 * This episode scored 22.80 million viewers.
 * Eric Dane joins the cast as a regular, Dr. Mark Sloan, from this episode onwards.

Quotes

 * Meredith: Enough! This is NOT dating. I want moonlight, and flowers, and candy and people trying to feel me up. Nobody is trying to feel me up. Nobody is even looking at me. I'm an intern, do the two of you have any idea how much effort it takes to do all this? I am waxed and plucked and I have a clean top on. And the two of you are looking at each other.
 * Derek: Meredith...
 * Meredith: No, my fantasy is not two men looking at each other.
 * Finn: We didn't...
 * Meredith: No talking until one of you figures out how to put on a date. I want heat! I want romance! Damn it, I want to feel like a freaking lady!