Testing 1-2-3

"A surgeon's education never ends. Every patient, every symptom, every operation...is a test. A chance for us to demonstrate how much we know. And how much more we have to learn."

- Meredith Grey

 is the twenty-fourth episode of the third season and the 60th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary
The interns take the biggest test of their careers, their first-year medical exams, as the residents attend to three injured mountain climbers. Meanwhile Callie's suspicions of George and Izzie grow, and Cristina struggles to write her wedding vows.

Full Summary
Meredith is in her room getting dressed. Meredith looks at herself in the mirror. The interns, minus George, are at the kitchen table, studying Callie's legendary flash cards, and preparing for their first year intern exams. Izzie is exhausted but Cristina pushes them to continue studying. Meredith walks through the room, and answers Cristina's latest question. The answer is the same illness that killed Susan and destroyed Meredith's chance of a renewed paternal relationship. Meredith walks out. The others worry about her, but Cristina tells them she'll be fine. "She just needs to be left alone." Meanwhile, Izzie is preoccupied with thoughts of George and Callie. George and Callie prepare for their day. Callie quizzes George on his upcoming exam, while he finishes up in the bathroom. As they talk, Callie finds a piece of mail and bubbles over with excitement for George: he's been accepted into prestigious Mercy West - a teaching hospital. Yep - it looks like George is leaving Seattle Grace for an internship at another hospital. Another hospital that does not include one Isobel Stevens. Callie is thrilled for him but George looks less than excited. Meredith stands in the elevator surrounded by strangers but looking totally alone. She has a difficult day ahead of her: rounds at the hospital, her step-mom's funeral, and then first year exams. Things just can't get tougher.

Oh wait, they can. Derek steps into the elevator, but it is Meredith who speaks first. She doesn't offer more than a simple greeting, so it is Derek who brings up the obvious. "Look, I know this is an impossible day for you, so I just wanna say one thing: I brought a black suit just in case." Meredith thanks him, but as usual pushes him away when she needs him most of all. She tells him the funeral is something she needs to do alone. Derek's beeper goes off and the two part without resolving the underlying issue between them: Meredith's inability to communicate her feelings and let people in. Burke catches up to Cristina in the hallway. He tries to talk to her about the wedding, but she is distracted by her flashcards - clearly the girl has never heard of resting before a big test. Cristina gives him five seconds. Burke tells her that the minister needs to see a copy of her vows before the wedding. He also gives her the news that he has no best man for their wedding - which just happens to be tomorrow. "Oh no baby, I'm so sorry. Ok, times up!" She starts to move away, intent on studying but Burke won't be put off. "Test day!" she empha, before hurrying off. Frustrated, Burke turns away as his own beeper goes off. He smiles. Addison joins the group of attending physicians that have gathered in the hall. Burke, Callie, Derek, and Sloane are all standing in a circle as Addison walks up. They learn that the Chief has paged all of them. Sloane suggests that the Chief has called them all to tell them who his successor will be but Bailey shoots him down: Search and Rescue has found the climbers on Mt. Ranier and they are all on their way to Seattle Grace. Severe dehydration, traumatic head and chest injuries... it's gonna be a busy day at SGH - and unluckily for the attendings they don't have any interns to delegate work too - it's testing day for the first years. The chief puts Bailey and Torres are on trauma and says, "The ambulances are five minutes way. It's time to do what we do best people, lets roll!" Alex is in the NICU, holding a newborn while Ava - the amnesiac patient with the rebuilt face - quizzes him for his impending test. Alex compliments the baby, remarking that she has both looks and smarts. "She's got my dad's nose though. Girls gotta have a big personality to pull off that nose." Alex looks at Ava in amazement - her memory is returning! Ava is reluctant to believe it, but Alex tells her that sometimes a person's memory comes back in bits and pieces. "Dude, your memory's coming back!" But it looks like Alex doesn't know how to feel about it - does this mean he could lose Ava? Webber, Burke, and Shepherd stand outside the E.R. in the rain, waiting for the arrivals.

The three men talk briefly about Burke's impending nuptials. Burke asks Derek to step in as Best Man - Derek is at once flattered and annoyed. If Burke is asking him, then that must mean everyone else turned him down. Regardless, he accepts with a pleased smile. The men decide to have a mini-bachelor party at Joe's after work. Just then, the ambulance arrives and all wedding talk is postponed. They rush the frost-bitten patient into the E.R. - fortunately, he has no internal injuries but the frost-bite has severely damaged his hands and probably other areas of his body. Sloane and Webber examine one of the patient's brought in from Mt. Ranier. The patient is lucid, but very damaged by frost-bite. The interns watch from the window, unable to tear themselves away. The EMTS wheel another patient in, this one with several broken ribs which is impairing his ability to breathe. Cristina is fascinated and leads Meredith over to gawk at what she calls a "flail chest". Cristina suggests that Meredith ask to take the test later, in light of the funeral but Meredith stands firm. "I don't need to take the test later," she says strongly. Cristina looks impressed. Derek, Callie and Addison work on another rescued patient who is screaming that he can't feel his legs. Izzie and George find themselves standing next to each other by the window. George tells her that he got accepted into Mercy West – she looks less than happy by the prospect. Bailey sees them standing around and comes stomping down the hall, yelling. The five interns with the lowest test scores will be cut from the program so why in the name of all that is holy are they standing around doing nothing? The group backs up and scatters, anything to get away from Bailey's wrath. Alex catches up to Derek and asks him to take another look at Ava's brain to see if there is any changes that may have positively affected her memory. Joe the Bartender and his lover Walter approach Addison requesting a consult for their birth mom – they are petitioning to adopt a baby. Addison is happy to oblige until she discovers that their mother is only in town for one day – which just happens to be now. Lovely. Izzie catches up to George in the hallway and tells him that transferring to Mercy West is a bad idea. Who is going to hold the group of interns together if he isn't there? "You're the glue. You're George." George tells her that seeing her every day is impossible for him. "I can't keep kissing you in elevators." Alex drops in to see Ava. She tells him to get lost – he needs to go take his test. Alex wants to know why Ava is acting so strange all of the sudden; as if she doesn't want to remember her past. He doesn't get it: for weeks she mourned the loss of her memory and now that it's starting to return she seems almost disengaged, as if it's nothing new.

Comprehension dawns on Alex's face: Ava's memory has returned. So why hasn't she said anything? Cristina and Meredith walk down the hallway studying the flash cards. Meredith is annoyed – she doesn't have time for flash cards. Thatcher steps off the elevator. Meredith starts to greet him but before she can finish her statement, her father lights into her. "No, I came here to tell you, you're not wanted. I don't want you at any funeral, Meredith. She trusted you. She came to you for help, and you killed her. You did. You killed my wife. You took her from me. So I don't want to see you, I don't want to hear from you, and I do not want you anywhere near her funeral. You understand me? Do you understand me? She meant everything to me, all I had. She was all I had. She was all I had." Thatcher walks away with Meredith's sister, his other wanted daughter, leaving Meredith standing alone. Her friends surround her, in a solid show of support, but Meredith stands alone, un-fallen tears clouding her eyes. The Chief looks at her sympathetically as Meredith watched her father walk out of her life for the second time. Alex listens as Ava admits that her memory has completely returned. She married her college sweetheart the year after they graduated. She wanted to move to New York, but her husband wanted to live on the side of the mountain and take over his father's woodworking shop. Their dreams were completely different – and so one day Ava just left. She came to Seattle to see the sights, maybe ride the ferry. The rest is history. Alex is flabbergasted. He wants to know how long her memory has been back. Why didn't she tell him? Why hasn't she called her husband? What is her husband's name? For that matter, what is her real name? Ava looks at him a moment. "I'm not telling you that." Meredith sits on the bleachers surrounded by her best friends: George, Izzie, and most of all, Cristina. They all try to support her as best they can, offering her #2 pencils, bottled water, Power-bars. Anything they can do to help her get through the exam. Cristina gives her a short pep talk. She knows this material cold; there is no reason she won't get a high score. "Not as high as mine," she says in typical Cristina fashion, "but everything is going to be fine." These people, these friends, this moment: this is her family. Thatcher, be damned. Alex walks in and ruins the moment, clueless to Meredith's angst. Just then the Chief joins them, sending them all upstairs, except Meredith. He wants to talk to her first. The Chief tries to offer some words of comfort, but Meredith is too upset to listen.

"Stop acting like my surrogate father. Just cause you slept with my mother; that does not make you my father." Actually, sometimes it kinda does. She leaves the Chief, who is wearing a contemplative expression. Could it be? Derek and Burke are examining the frost-bitten patients. It looks like the patient who can't feel his legs might not be paralyzed, after all. Derek asks the men if they can tell him what happened on the mountain. One of the men tries to take responsibility for the accident. "Sixty ways to get up Mount Ranier and I had to pick Liberty Ridge?" The other men reassure him that it wasn't his fault – it was the storm, not the route that caused their debacle. The men reveal that they left another man behind – he was dead. If they had stayed on that side of the mountain they'd be dead too. Burke and Derek share a long look. The five interns enter the exam room. George ignores the open seat next to Izzie and deliberately sits away from her. Cristina advises Meredith to pick 'b' if she doesn't know the answer. The examiner tells them to put away all study materials. And the testing begins. Joe and Walter stand to the side as Addison examines their potential birth mother. Joe is feeling queasy about being there, but Walter assures him he'll be fine. Addison discovers that the woman isn't having just one baby… she's having twins. Joe starts to hyperventilate and nearly passes out. The test is halfway over.

Everyone seems to be doing fine… all except Meredith. Still grasping her pencil, she stares vacantly ahead of her. She hasn't answered even one question. George notices this in alarm but there is nothing he can do but return to his own test. Meredith continues to stare ahead. The test is over. Meredith walks out of the oom without a word. George calls after her, but she doesn't answer. George turns to his friends in worry. He tells the others that Meredith didn't answer a single question on the test. Cristina tells him to let her go. The attending physician's plus Bailey are all examining some X-Rays that are hung on the wall. Burke, Sloane and Shepherd fight over where Callie will scrub in: each one wants them on their surgery. Bailey reminds them that Callie is not the only orthopaedic surgeon in the hospital. In the end, they let a game of rock-paper scissors decide which surgeon will get the esteemed Dr. Torres on their surgery. Burke wins. Sloane stares at Bailey as the other surgeons leave. "I just wanted to know how it feels to not have to spend the next 24 hours wondering Richard picked you to be Chief Resident? How does it feel to be the Chosen One?" Derek sees Meredith wandering through the halls and asks her how her tests went. She walks by without answering. Cristina rushes up behind and tells Derek she'll handle it. Derek looks sad – he still isn't able to reach his girlfriend. Moments later, Meredith sits alone and silent in a waiting room chair. Her friends watch her from the balcony, worried that Meredith flunked her exam. Izzie wants Cristina to do something – after all she is Meredith's 'person': her best friend. But Cristina is at a loss. "Meredith and I don't fail things. It's not in my book." All of the four interns are paged and they have to go, leaving Meredith alone and unwatched in the waiting room. The four interns report to Bailey. Cristina is scrubbing in with Burke, Alex with Addison, and Izzie with Sloane. George is unassigned. Bailey wants to know why George would even think of leaving Seattle Grace for Mercy West – SGH is the best teaching hospital in the country. This decision is career suicide. "I don't know what your personal problems are and I don't care. I do care about your career so let me make myself clear: this is a mistake." Izzie stands a few feet away, watching. The two stand inches from each other, before George moves wordlessly away. And witnessing the whole intense moment is… Callie, of course. Meredith is still sitting alone in the waiting room. George joins her. The two friends talk aimlessly about trains for a minute – the metaphor being that Meredith has stepped off it: Off the train, off her career, off everything. But George hasn't and she reminds him of that. He still can have it all. Chief Webber's estranged wife Adele, is the emergency room looking furtive and out-of-place. Addison spots her and immediately greets her, offering to page her husband. Adele tells her not too – the two are separated and her personal life is none of his business. Addison looks doubtful, especially when Adele admits she's been in a fender-bender, but reluctantly agrees to keep her mouth shut. That becomes less easy when Adele reveals a tiny detail: she's pregnant. Addison and Adele are in an exam room. Addison gives Adele the happy news that the baby looks fine, but she is spotting and wants to keep her overnight for observation. Fearful of seeing her husband, Adele protests. But Addison insists – at her age, a baby is a miracle. But it is also risky and she needs to take whatever precautions she can to make sure she has a healthy pregnancy and child. Addison hesitantly asks her who the baby's father is but Adele demurs – it is unclear who fathered the child. However, she does insist that Dr. Webber not find that his wife is in this hospital. Unfortunately for Adele, Dr. Webber takes that moment to walk around the corner of the very hall his wife is on. Addison catches him just in time to prevent him from entering the room, pretending that the patient inside is Joe and Walter's birth mother. Addison breathes a sigh of relief. Alex sits in a chair near Meredith. She asks him if he plans to give her an inspirational speech also. No, he says simply. Izzie catches up to George, asking him for his assistance in helping Meredith. He tries to put her off, reminding her than in a week he'll be at Mercy West. She asks him if transferring to another hospital means that his friendship with her, with all of his friends, is over. Before he can answer, they are interrupted by the voices of the patients coming from behind a curtain. It is the men that were rescued from the storm on Mt. Ranier. The men are berating themselves for leaving their friend behind. "You don't climb all the way up their together, just to leave a man behind." The words hit home to George and he moves away before he has to face Izzie again. Addison is moaning to Callie about how many pregnant women she keeps meeting. Callie reminds her, somewhat ironically, that she does happen to be an obstetrician. Addison is complaining, and rather loudly, that it's completely unfair that she is unable to have children, especially considering her chosen field. Maybe if she were a man, and gay, she'd have more luck. Callie empathizes with her, but her eyes are focused downward. Addison senses something and asks her if she's pregnant too. Callie denies it, but admits she's been thinking about it – with George moving to Mercy West next year, it seems like a good time to put the drama behind them and focus on their family. What she isn't saying is that a baby would cement their marriage and keep Isobel Stevens firmly out of it. "Are we gonna be friends still if I get pregnant?" Callie wants to know.

"Absolutely not," comes the reply, but the harsh words are softened by Addison's sweet smile. George approaches Webber in the hall. Webber asks him if it's about Mercy West. "No sir. I'm here about Meredith." Webber looks back at George, an understanding light glinting in his eyes. Cristina is assisting Burke on a surgery. They are working on one of the men harmed in the storm on the mountain. Cristina is amazed that anyone would waste their time freezing on the side of a glacier. But Burke understands it: a situation like that can prove to any man what they are capable of. Something in his tone captures Callie's attention and she asks him if he has ever done it. He hasn't but it turns out Callie has. "It's painful and hellish and you think your lungs are shredding, but man when you get to the top there is nothing like it. It makes the whole climb worth it." Her words strike a chord in Burke and he shoots an affectionate look at his fiancée: despite their rocky start, despite all the problems, the fights, the pitfalls, they have finally reached the top – and it's all worth it. Having finished with Burke's patient, Callie moves on to Sloane who is being assisted by Izzie. Sloane determines that amputation is the only option for this man: not one, but both hands have to go. Izzie argues but Sloane is firm – the infection is just too deep. Meanwhile, Derek and George operate on the third man. Derek asks George a medical question related to the surgery and George answers it perfectly.

Derek is impressed and asks about Meredith's show on the exam. George is surprised to learn that Meredith didn't tell Derek that she didn't take the exam. Derek looks up, at once surprised and hurt. Alex comes into Ava's room, infuriated that she is keeping her identity a secret. Ava tells him that it's her life, but he reminds her that it's not just hers anymore – it's her daughter's life too. He tells her he's done lying for her – he won't do it anymore. Ava challenges him, asking what he plans to say. He doesn't know her real name; he doesn't know anything about her. It's his word against her. "You're right," he tells her angrily.

"I have absolutely no idea who you are." He slams the door behind him, leaving Ava staring sadly after him. Izzie joins George in the scrub room. He tells her that he figured out a way to help Meredith and he won't leave Seattle Grace without knowing she's still in the program. Izzie tells him calmly that he's not leaving. He doesn't have too… because their rendezvous meant nothing. "Listen. We made a mistake. We had sex. But that's all it was. I think we both wanted it to mean something because you didn't want to have to feel like that guy that cheats on his wife, and I didn't want to feel like that girl that put you in that position in the first place. But the truth is, it didn't mean anything. I know you think I have feelings for you, but I don't. So you can stay. You're not leaving the program." Izzie's words are a pack of lies, and they both know it. She walks away calmly, not breaking down until she is safely hidden. And then the tears come. Callie and Sloane walk down the hallways discussing the three surgeries she scrubbed in on. Sloane congratulates her, telling her that maybe Bailey's not a shoo-in for Chief Resident after all. Bailey looks a little put-out by his words, as well as shocked that Callie is in the running. She tries to cover, but it's clear she's surprised by this unexpected… and worrisome competition. Callie is definitely a strong and worthy opponent – maybe Bailey shouldn't be quite so cocky, after all. Izzie brings Meredith to Chief Webber, who is waiting for her. Meredith starts to talk but Webber interrupts. He's giving her a second chance at the intern's exam. He's even provided her pencils, water, and a sandwich if she gets hungry. Again, Meredith reminds him that he's not her father. Webber hesitates a moment, takes a breath, and speaks. "I know that," are his simple but possibly untrue words. Tears shine in Meredith's eyes and after a moment, they embrace. Sometime later, Derek walks down the hall. He looks through the window and sees Meredith sitting at the table, completing her exam. A proctor sits to the side, silently observing. Derek looks in the lobby and sees her friends, all four of them, sitting on the steps, waiting for her. Derek nods to himself, as if confirming something. Meredith still has not turned to him – has not shared her pain or her problems. And yet, these four know: Cristina, Isobel, George and Alex. But not Derek. Never Derek. The 'bachelor party' is under way. Derek, Sloane and Burke sit at a table as Addison approaches. She's a bit unimpressed with his not-so-elaborate bachelor party. She also notices she's the only woman present. She warns them that she will not be stripping. Derek and Sloane teasingly tell her that's ok; they've already seen the goods. Addison heads to the bar to buy Burke a celebratory drink. Sloane joins her. Things are awkward for a moment but Addison tries to ease the tension, asking if they can't just be friends. "With benefits?" he asks, hopefully. She tells him not to push his luck, the two laugh, and Marc heads back to the table to join their friends. Joe tells Addison that it didn't work out with the birth mother. She wasn't impressed with them, probably because of Joe's poor showing during the ultra-sound. Addison tells him not to worry about it – she is sure that he and Walter will make great parents. It's night and Chief Webber is heading home for the night. He comes face to face with Adele in the hallway, but she pretends not to see him and escapes into the ladies room. He tries to talk to her through the door, telling her that she doesn't have to avoid him: he's moved on. He's dating… well, he intends to. At some point. Cristina is nursing a margarita, and as usual obsessing. With the exams behind her, she's free to worry about her impending nuptials… which happen to be tomorrow. And she still hasn't composed her vows. Cristina and Meredith agree that the whole "love you" and "cherish you" thing isn't real – it's stupid and fake and it passes. But Izzie is annoyed by their cavalier attitude. "No, it doesn't! You guys are just used to it, that's all. You already have it. You have that thing everybody else wants. You can take it for granted. But let me tell you, if you didn't, if you couldn't be with the person that you love, I guarantee that hearing him promise to love you, and honor you, and cherish you no matter what, it would be pretty much all you could think about." Everyone, including Callie, especially Callie, is aware of who Izzie is referring to:

George. The room is silent for a moment as the truth of Izzie's monologue sinks in. Meredith tries to cover for her friend, offering her an out. "You're talking about Denny, right?" Izzie agrees, but Callie knows the truth. Callie stares at Izzie, a furious expression smoldering in her dark eyes. Back at Joe's, Derek shoots a sexy smile at an attractive woman. She smiles back, clearly interested and follows him to his table. She offers to buy him a drink but he regretfully declines. As he watches her walk away, it's clear he really wanted to accept. George leans against a wall, staring morosely into space. Alex and Ava share a long look. She breaks the silence. "Rebecca Pope. That's my name." Chief Webber is still talking to Adele through the closed ladies room door. Tired of waiting for her, he tentatively comes inside to find: Adele, sprawled on the ground, and unconscious.

Richard rushes to his wife's side. Walter walks in, accompanied by the birth mother, who is having horrible heart burn. She takes two steps and collapses. Addison yells for an ambulance. Bailey is on her cell, talking to her husband. The ER doors fly open and medics rush in. It's the fourth climber – the one his friends left for dead. Turns out, he's not dead – but the axe sticking out of his head indicates that death may not be far off. "What the hell happened up on that mountain?" Bailey wonders. But there's no time to play guessing games now: they have to get him stabilized. The Chief leans over his wife's prone figure, shouting for help. He gingerly touches her and his fingers come away with red sticky fluid: it's blood and there's a large pool of it coming from between her legs. Webber screams again for help.

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
 * Sara Ramírez as Dr. Callie Torres
 * Eric Dane as Dr. Mark Sloan
 * Isaiah Washington as Dr. Preston Burke
 * Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Derek Shepherd

Guest Starring

 * Elizabeth Reaser as Jane Doe/Rebecca Pope/Ava
 * Jeff Perry as Thatcher Grey
 * Steven W. Bailey as Joe
 * Aasha Davis as Rina
 * Kevin Rankin as Jack Vaughan
 * Brian Tee as Andy
 * Jack Yang as Walter
 * Derek Phillips as Dale
 * Mandy Siegfried as Molly Thompson
 * Loretta Devine as Adele Webber

Co-Starring

 * Tim Chiou as Paramedic

Featuring

 * Nicole Cummins-Rubio as Paramedic Nicole
 * Michelle N. Carter as Proctor

Uncredited

 * Chyler Leigh as Dr. Lexie Grey

Quotes

 * Mark: The bachelor party was short handed. Which explains why I'm here.
 * Addison: I'm the only woman here. Am I supposed to the be the entertainment? Because I'm not stripping.
 * Derek: That's all right, we've all seen it before.
 * Mark: True.
 * Burke: I haven't.