Something to Talk About

"Communication. It's the first thing we really learn in life. Funny thing is, once we grow up, learn our words and really start talking the harder it becomes to know what to say. Or how to ask for what we really need. At the end of the day, there are some things you just can't help but talk about. Some things we just don't want to hear, and some things we say because we can't be silent any longer. Some things are more than what you say, they're what you do. Some things you say because there's no other choice. Some things you keep to yourself. And not too often, but every now and then, some things simply speak for themselves."

- Meredith Grey

 is the seventh episode of the second season and the 16th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary
The hospital staff invade the privacy of a man with male hysterical pregnancy and Meredith is the only person who sympathises with him, while Alex reveals his own privacy to a patient with a sheltered life

Full Summary
Meredith is laying in bed staring off into nothing. Then we see her on the road driving to work. A female intern talks about Meredith saying, "She didn't even know he was married. I mean his wife just shows up and he dumps her. I heard she flipped out." Another female intern thinks Meredith got what she deserved for dating an attending. The first intern says, "Dating McDreamy. Have you seen his hair? No guy is that perfect." A male intern chimes in. He thinks the situation is sad, Meredith has to work with Derek and Addison both at the hospital and everyone knows. A few lockers away Meredith overhears their conversation.

Derek and Addison are meeting with a marriage counselor, Dr. Saltzman. They are seated in two chairs next to each other facing the doctor. He poses the question, "What do you need to make this marriage work?" Derek jumps in saying he needs Addison to move to Seattle. Addison starts to interrupt him when Dr. Saltzman asks what she needs. Addison says she needs for Derek to stop talking to Meredith. Derek does not think that can happen because they work together. Addison says if he wants her to "pick up her entire practice and move" then she wants him to give up his "girlfriend". He says that he did give her up and he took back Addison "here in Seattle". Addison, addressing Dr. Saltzman, says "See, it's all about what he wants." Derek says he won't move back to Manhattan because he's a different person now. Addison replies, "I know. You're a flannel-wearing, wood-chopping fisherman. I get it." Derek says he won't talk to Addison if she's going to behave that way. A bell goes off and Dr. Saltzman says they are out of time and that they're making good progress. Derek looks up at him in disbelief.

George, Izzie, and Cristina are standing together. George feels they need to do something about Meredith because everyone is treating her like a zoo exhibit, like the rare panda everyone stares at. Izzie tells him not to say it to her face, she thinks the panda died alone. They laugh. George says to Crisitna, "What about you? If people knew about you and..", referring to Burke. Cristina tells him to take it back. George says he won't, that they should do something to cheer Meredith up. Izzie and Cristina smile and say that it's under control. George asks what they have going on. They both say nothing. Bailey comes from behind them and asks where Alex is. Izzie says, "Probably off somewhere not kissing somebody." They start walking and Cristina, Meredith, and Izzie fall a little behind Bailey and George. Cristina says they want to show Meredith something after rounds. Meredith does not seem to be registering anything that Cristina said, Izzie says, "Mer. Meredith, Can you hear us?" Cristina says Meredith's not deaf. They pause a moment in front of the elevators. They ask if she has gone mental. Meredith says she has not. Cristina tells her not to get assigned to a surgery.

A few feet in front of her, Addison and Derek step out of the elevator still arguing. A group of doctors pass and one of them says, "Dude, that's the intern.." Apparently, they are talking about Meredith too. Cristina tells them to mind their own business as they get into the elevator. Cristina presents Mrs. (Kim) Griswald to Bailey, Burke and the other interns. She has a history of heart disease and has had multiple surgeries, currently she is there for a beating heart quadruple C.A.B.G. surgery. In the background, Mr. Griswald is unpacking her suitcase. Alex comes into the room. Izzie tells him that he is late. Burke asks Cristina why they keep the heart beating. Cristina looks at Izzie then says, "I don't know. I have no idea." Burke looks at Bailey and Bailey looks very upset and says, "What?" She looks to Izzie who says, "I don't know either." Meredith starts to answer when Izzie hits her foot. Burke asks if anyone knows. Alex starts to answer. Burke asks George because Alex arrived late. George says they would only immobilize the part of the heart they need to work on and leave the rest of the heart alone because it is so weak. He looks at the three girls with a very puzzled expression. Burke hands Mrs. Griswald's chart to George and welcomes him to the case. Alex walks out of the room. George thanks Burke.

The other interns walk out of the room, Izzie and Cristina look especially happy. They pass Mr. (Alan) Griswald who is next to the closet holding a silk button down magenta shirt. Kim asks what that is. He says they are pajamas. Alex is complaining to Bailey saying that Burke is punishing him for the elevator surgery he was unable to do. Bailey corrects him and says he's being punished for being late for rounds. She asks if he wants to tell her why he was late. He stays silent.

In the background, Izzie, Cristina, and Meredith are whispering together. Bailey tells Alex that Derek needs help on a nerve case, she assigns him. Alex walks away. Bailey turns her attention onto the girls. She tells them to not embarrass her in front of the attendings or she'll make sure their hearts stop beating. They apologize and walk away. Bailey looks at them suspiciously. Izzie says they found a case. Meredith says, "You stole a case." Cristina says they borrowed it from psych and it is totally unprecedented. Meredith says they stole it. Cristina say, "Okay, found, stole, hijacked, whatever." They walk out of the stairwell and approach a door. Cristina continues, "Meredith, behind this door is the coolest medical marvel I've seen. Now, you can either walk away guilt-free, or walk through this door, risk your place in the program, which could possibly lead to spending the rest of your life serving fries in bad clothing. So you in?" Meredith looks at them with raised eye brows. Izzie has a big grin on her face. Meredith nods and says, "Hell yeah." Izzie knocks and they push open the door. They walk in. Izzie addresses the patient as Mr. Herman. He insists they call him Shane. He is hidden behind the curtain separating beds. He prepares to put on his bath robe, his back is to the door. Meredith says he's just a guy. Cristina tells her to wait for it. Shane says he has to urinate very often but is happy to be off the psych floor. Meredith asks what is special. Cristina, again, tells her to wait for it. Shane gets up bracing his back then turns to walk to the bathroom. He says he's not nuts, just pregnant. Shane has a very large belly. He does appear to be pregnant. Meredith looks confused and Cristina and Izzie look at Meredith like 'I told you so'.

Izzie, Meredith, and Cristina help Shane back into bed. He says that he is fine, that last month he started to have a very large belly and that doctors told him he was gaining weight along with his pregnant wife. Meredith congratulates him. The intern who admitted him into the hospital may have placed him into psych prematurely because she barely performed a physical. Izzie examines his stomach with a stethoscope and Cristina starts to gently tap her fingers. It's clearly not liquid and something is inside. Shane says he's been feeling it growing bigger and bigger growing in his "womb". Shane says he knows he sounds crazy but he can prove it. Nurse Debbie walks past the closed door and sees that it is occupied. She walks in and asks why they are there because no one is supposed to be in that room. She asks who the patient belongs to. Cristina and Izzie both point at one another. Cristina says it does not matter anyway because they're constantly shuffling hospital rooms then adds, "If we need a bed pan changed, we'll let you know." She draws the curtain around the bed. Debbie says, "Okay, Doctor, you do that." She closes the door and leaves. Meredith asks where Shane's chart is. Cristina and Izzie look at each other and both make excuses why neither of them got it. Meredith knocks on the window. Dr. Raj Prahbu is seated at the desk. He looks at Meredith puzzled at her being there. He slides open the window. She asks how he is doing, that he looks good. He remains silent. Meredith urges him, "Come on. We're friends." He asks if she knows his name then covers his name tag. In the doorway, to Raj's back Cristina and Izzie try to get Shane's chart. Meredith looks at them and Raj turns around. They hide just in time. Raj looks more suspicious. Meredith does not know his name but says he does not need to be a surgeon for them to speak to each other. He coldly says, "Really? Because I thought you only talk to attendings." He slides the window back closed. Cristina and Izzie are able to retrieve the chart.

A quiet, college-bound teen, Nicole Verma, is seated in a wheelchair. Derek, Alex, and Nicole's parents are also in the room. Derek asks whether Nicole is having problems with spasticity, a disorder where certain muscles are continuously contracted. Nicole isn't sure and asks her mom. Her mother says that spasms make Nicole's legs dance. They bring up her college plans and she is going to a community college on their block. Her father mentions she could have had her pick of out of state schools. Mrs. Verma jumps back in and says Nicole is not ready for that. Alex smiles and says, "Why? Not because she's in a wheelchair." He winks at Nicole. She looks away with a smirk and slightly blushes. Derek suggests they could perform a cystoplasty to enlarge Nicole's bladder and could improve her quality of life. Mr. Verma thinks they should consider it. Mrs. Verma is very reluctant to go forward with the procedure because it is invasive, risky, and has a 20% chance of not working. Derek addresses Nicole and tells her to think about it. There are health benefits, she could live her life more normally, she could potentially have a sex life. She looks at Alex, he smiles. Mrs. Verma says they are there for the pain procedure and that is all. Alex and Derek are walking. Alex notes how Mrs. Verma controls everything about Nicole's life. Derek wants Alex to take Nicole with Alex everywhere he goes to get her away from her parents, she thinks Alex is cute. Derek wants him to convince her to make her own decisions. Alex asks how he would do that. Derek tells him he's creative and will think of something. He hands Alex Nicole's chart.

Burke is examining Mrs. Griswald with a stethoscope. George and Mr. Griswald are behind him. Mr. Griswald keeps moving about. Burke tells Mrs. Griswald that the surgery is going to be very extensive despite being a veteran to open heart surgery. She says that her room was bigger last time and got more sun. As Mr. Griswald puts another pillow behind her back, she complains that her water is too warm and needs more ice. Burke says she's going to have a nuclear scan then will be operated on later that afternoon. She tells her husband to open the blinds. Burke and George move towards the door. Burke tells him to get the scan done as well as pick up her labs. George thanks Burke for choosing him. Burke replies, "You're my guy, O'Malley". Mrs. Griswald asks for a tissue then changes her mind and asks for hand sanitizer. Mr. Griswald obliges and searches through her bag. Under his breath, George asks, "Why would you be with someone that makes you that unhappy?" as they walk out of the room. Burke turns to face him. George says, "Well, like, you're happy with Cristina and she's happy. Well, happier, you know, Cristina-happy, which is not normal people's happy." Burke looks at him sternly. George changes the subject back to the scans he needs to do. Burke walks away and George says, "I'm an idiot."

Cristina, Meredith, and Izzie walk out of the elevator excitedly reading over Shane's chart. Derek approaches them and asks if he can have a word with Meredith. Izzie quickly puts the chart away. Izzie and Cristina answer for her and both reply no. They grab Meredith's arms and pull her away. Derek turns to look at them and says okay. Meredith looks back at Derek. Alex pushes Nicole around. She asks him what he did to get stuck with her, she knows he's not doing it for kicks. He tells her that he was late for rounds. Alex sees the women interns and calls Izzie's name then adds, "Hey dollface!" Izzie turns around while handing Cristina Shane's chart. Cristina and Meredith keep walking. Izzie stops to talk to Alex. He says he needs a favor because she's better with people. Izzie says no, turns and walks to where Meredith and Cristina are waiting. She turns back and says, "No, no. You're like a broken record. God, you're only nice or friendly or anything when it's convenient for you. [Nicole looks up at Alex] So no to your favor. No to you. No." She turns again to walk away. Alex asks what's up with her. Izzie says, "I put on a dress, I did my hair, I had my one night off in two weeks and I used it on you. And what do I get? Nothing. No respect, no apology. You couldn't even have bothered to kiss me good night. You know what? You're a coward, and you're just as shallow as you seem so I am done trying to be your friend or whatever. I'm over it." She turns around and walks away. Nicole says to Alex, "She's really mad at you."

Shane is in the bathroom because they need a urine sample. Meredith is just outside the bathroom door. Seated on the bed is Tina, Shane's wife. Cristina is next to Tina looking over Shane's chart. Izzie comes in the room. Shane comes out of the bathroom with his urine sample. Meredith asks him what precipitated his psychotic episode that got him admitted into the hospital. He says he's not crazy and he can prove it. He looks through a bag. Raj comes into the room and exclaims that Shane is his patient. Cristina approaches him then says he is their patient now and if he wants to fight for him, she'll win. Bailey walks into the room as Shane sticks a pregnancy test in his urine. Bailey asks what is going on. Cristina goes to Shane and lifts his shirt up. She tells Bailey to look at his abdomen. Raj says it is a male hysterical pregnancy, thus a psych case. Shane glares at Raj and says he's not hysterical. Izzie looks at the pregnancy test. Cristina and Raj continue to argue back and forth. Izzie holds up the positive pregnancy test. Cristina hands Bailey his chart. Bailey says he's a surgical patient now. Addison is examining Shane as a photographer takes his picture over and over again. Meredith does not look too happy about his photo being taken.

At the foot of the bed, Bailey says she does not condone stealing patients but with that being said, she says, "Way to go." Shane says the first pregnancy test he took was supposed to be a joke. Addison tells him that he is in no way pregnant. Shane is relieved then asks why his pregnancy test was positive. Bailey says they'll find out. Addison passes by Meredith not happy to see her. He asks why his picture is being taken. Izzie and Cristina say it is for medical journals, monthly case reports, and annual banquet highlight reels. A pager goes off. Cristina and Izzie pose for a picture with Shane. The pager goes off again. Bailey asks whose it is. Cristina says it's hers. She does not want to go, she found Shane. Bailey tells her they don't ignore pages and gestures for her to go. Bailey measure Shane's belly. The photographer keeps snapping photos. Meredith asks if they'll be finished soon. She can sense Shane's discomfort. Bailey seems not to hear her. Cristina arrives and Nurse Debbie puts several charts in front of her. One patient needs a rectal exam, one has explosive diahhrea and other patients with unpleasant cases. She looks at the names of the patients then asks why she was paged, none of them are her patients. Debbie says they're her patients if she's Bailey's intern.

Derek is explaining to Nicole's parents what a cystoplasty entails. They would take a piece of her intestine to enlarge the bladder then they would make a path that leads to a tiny hole in her belly button, no one would even see it if she wore a bikini. Mrs. Verma says, "Why would she need a bikini? She doesn't know how to swim." Derek replies that she could go to the beach, lie in the sun, have fun with her friends. Mr. Verma says the current Nicole is so self-conscious, she may be able to have friends her own age if she has the procedure. Mrs. Verma asks when Nicole would be back. Derek makes the excuse that she'll be back when her labs are done. Derek tells them to think about her future, that she could be independent, go to college wherever she wanted, have a job, date, get married. Mrs. Verma says the labs are taking a long time. Mr. Verma says Nicole can be away from them for more than twenty minutes. Mrs. Verma says Nicole is the only child. Mr. Verma says Nicole is not a child anymore. Mrs. Verma says, "She'll always be my child."

George is pushing Mrs. Griswald in a wheelchair. Walking next to George is Mr. Griswald. She tells Mr. Griswald to watch his step because he is hitting her wheelchair. She also tells him to hold onto her bag but not to rummage through it. George hands her chart to another doctor, she is wheeled away. Mr. Griswald tells George that saying "please" and "thank you" were never her strong suit. George says he, Mr. Griswald, is a very patient man. The strap on Mrs. Griswald's bag breaks. George stops at a nurse's station to fix the bag. Mr. Griswald says he just tries to keep her calm. Previous doctors said she did not have good odds to survive her other surgeries, ten years later she's still there. He turns around then says, "Yeah, it's a miracle she's still alive. That's what everyone says." George asks him what he thinks. Mr. Griswald says, "It's right there in the vows, 'in sickness and in health', right?" George hands him the fixed bag. Mr. Griswald thanks him then walks away.

Meredith, Cristina, and Izzie are seated at a table. George comes and sits with them. He angrily pokes his fork into his salad and says, "You had a pregnant guy and you didn't tell me?" Izzie says they could get him floorspace in the O.R. for fifty bucks. Meredith, in disbelief, asks if they're selling tickets without even knowing what is wrong with Shane. They are indeed and ask if Meredith wants some of the cash. She says she doesn't. George says he didn't need a pregnant guy because he was Burke's go-to guy. But now that is ruined because Burke did not know George knew about Cristina and their relationship. Cristina tells him to shut up. Alex approaches them with Nicole holding a tray of food. They all look at Alex. Nicole greets them and says she's Alex's charity case. Cristina says, "I like her already." George asks Alex if he's volunteering. Alex tells him not to ask. Izzie says, "Why? It's not like we can read your mind. It's not like we have any idea what's going on in your tiny, tiny, tiny little brain." Cristina gets a page and exclaims, "I am hungry!" She angrily gets up and leaves. Nicole says that this is cool, a real life lunch time, with trays and friends. Izzie says they're not Alex's friends. George asks if she has a cafeteria at her school. She says she's home schooled by her parents. Alex says, "That explains a lot." Nicole asks them if they're the cool kids. Meredith asks what would give her that impression. Nicole looks around then says, "It seems like everyone's talking about you." People at tables are talking about and looking at Meredith.

Meredith and Izzie stand behind the C.T. tech. The C.T. tech brings up how she and her colleagues were betting who would get to scan Shane and now she's buying beers for everyone later that evening. They also have a bet on what is inside Shane. Meredith, annoyed, says, "You're taking bets?" Izzie and Meredith look at the monitors closer. Meredith wonders if what they see is teeth. Izzie says how angry Cristina is going to be for missing it.

Nurse Tyler runs into Cristina in the hallway. He gives her a chart. He says if he got a case like that, he was to page Cristina and only Cristina. Cristina asks if it was Bailey. From within the room, you can hear a patient vomiting. Cristina says, "Oh no." Nurse Tyler hands her a pink bowl and tells her, "All I can say is, you must have made one serious faux pas." Cristina hates vomit. Nurse Tyler offers her a surgical mask and says, "You're going to need this." He walks away with a smile. Cristina turns her head to see Bailey, they look at one another. Bailey keeps walking. The patient vomits again. Cristina closes her eyes and shakes her head. Burke is going over a chart when Cristina comes to him and whispers, "Bailey knows". Burke asks what she knows. Cristina says it again emphasizing "knows". Burke brings up how George knows so why might Bailey. Cristina says, "So you didn't tell her? This is bad." Burke thinks they should manage the situation before it gets too out of control. He thinks they should tell the chief about their relationship. Cristina does not like the idea. Burke thinks if they come clean no one has anything to say. Richard comes up behind them to look at the surgery board. Cristina pretends she was consulting with Burke, thanks him and walks away. Burke tells chief the board is looking good then walks away.

George is taking Mrs. Griswald's blood pressure while she instructs Mr. Griswald to tell the doctors to make sure to remove her breating tube right after surgery. She asks George whether he is trying to cut off her circulation. Mr. Griswald tells her that George is just trying to do his job. Mrs. Griswald asks him again what he said. He repeats himself that George is doing his job. Mrs. Griswald doesn't care whether George is doing his job because her arm is being squeezed off and wants her husband to do something about it. Mr. Griswald exhales sharply and says, "Shut up, Kim." George swallows silently as Alan tells her to shut up again. He goes off on a tirade about how his wife constantly complains to him and about him all day, every day. George makes a feeble attempt at trying to get Mr. Griswald to stop talking. Kim's blood pressure monitor beeps increasingly faster. Alan continues on how a few minutes of silence and quiet is not too much to ask for. He goes into a full out yell saying, "Can't you for once in your life just shut up!" George tries to calm him down. Kim holds her heart with a grief-stricken face. She seems to have a difficult time breathing. Alan puts both of his hands behind his head. George readies the oxygen mask. George and a few others are with Kim when Burke comes into the room. One of the others says Kim had a Levine's sign, she was clutching her chest with her fist, which usually means she had pains in her chest. Burke says she is having a heart attack. Burke gives them instructions on what to do, he wants it done quickly so they can bring Kim into surgery. Burke leaves. Alan is upset at himself saying that he did this to her, he caused it.

Shane is lying in bed. His wife is sitting with him holding his hand. A nurse and an intern are there taking pictures with their cell phone. Bailey, Izzie, and Richard look at the C.T. scans, they notice the deformed mandible. Meredith is by Shane's side. His labs showed elevated HCG levels, which explain the false positive pregnancy test. Richard feels around Shane's belly with his hands. Meredith asks if Shane's doing okay since he's looking "a little green". She tells him that Shane might need some air. Richard tells Shane to breathe. Shane faces Meredith and tells her that all the medical speak goes over his head. Izzie tells him he has a teritoma, which is very rare in adults. Meredith says that's why he's so popular, even more doctors are in his room now. She continues saying that he has a mass of cells that he has probably had all of his life but now it's growing. Shane says he understands that because he has been listening. Tina says people are not really talking to them. Meredith finishes her thought and says, "Just about you. I know what that's like." Cristina comes in breathing heard, as if she rushed to get there. She asks what she missed. Izzie looks at her then says, "Ew. Is that rectal jelly on your scrubs?" Cristina gets another page, she groans then leaves. Meredith approaches Bailey and tells her Shane and Tina are in a bit of a panic because of all the people and attention. Shane and Tina have worried looks on their faces.

Derek walks to Addison who has lunch for them. She invited him for lunch with a view. She found it in her Seattle Guide Book but does not think it's up there with "brown bagging" at the top of the Empire State Building. She does like the fact that they have "cute little view finders" She walks to one then looks through it. Derek looks down, shakes his head and says Addison always finds something to complain about. Addison asks him if there's anything he likes about her anymore, she needs to know now. He says he likes that she likes to find view finders in every city she lives in. Addison says she doesn't live in Seattle yet. She asks if he's going to stop talking to Meredith. He says he will. She asks, "When? Today? Tomorrow? Next week?" He thinks he might not be ready yet. She asks if he's ever going to be ready. He asks, "What if i say 'no'"? She says she won't move to Seattle. He says that they are at an impass.

Cristina is walking up the stairs. From the first floor, Burke sees her and says they did not finish their conversation. Cristina says they did, they decided not to tell "you know who" about their relationship. Burke says that she is the one who decided because she's afraid of what it would do to her career and reputation. He thinks it will be more dangerous if Richard hears about them "through the grape vine". Cristina walks down the stairs and says Chief won't hear about them at all. Burke thinks it's only a matter of time and that Cristina might be hesitating for another reason, that she does not want to admit to their relationship at all. She sighs, looks around then says, "We are a couple." He swallows and says fine. Cristina says his name. George comes, sees them talking, tries to walk further away. Burke says it's fine again then walks away with George following. George turns around and looks at Cristina. She starts to walk up the stairs.

Alex is pushing Nicole in her wheelchair. He asks her why she's reluctant to get the procedure done. She says she's fine the way she is. They stop at one of the beds. She asks if he's going to talk her into it. He pulls out books and other material. He says that he's going to study. She reads off the side of the book then asks if he was late because he was studying. He says no. She asks if Izzie is Alex's girlfriend. He says no. She asks if he wants Izzie to be his girlfriend. He tells her he got stuck with her for being late but he needs to study, he calls her "kid". Nicole says she's not a kid and that she is 18. She says she could go back to her room if she wanted. He tells her to go then. Nicole wheels herself around and says, "Izzie's right. You're an ass." Alex says he's not, thinks about it for a second then says, "Okay, I am an ass. But I'm a cute ass. Right?" Nicole has a smirk on her face. She wheels herself back in Alex's direction then asks why he didn't kiss Izzie. He says, "I thought you were leaving." She says, "If I had a chance to kiss someone I liked, I wouldn't hesitate." Alex replies, "If I had the chance to lose the urine bag around my ankle, I wouldn't hesitate either. Then again I don't let my mommy do all my talking for me." He smiles at her then goes back to writing notes. They have the following exchange: Nicole: I don't like you. Alex: Yes, you do. Nicole: Jerk. Alex: Motor mouth. Nicole: Babysitter. Alex: Two-wheeler. Nicole (laughing): Now that's just politically incorrect.

Burke is operating on Mrs. Griswald. George is at his side observing. Above in the gallery, Izzie, Meredith, and Cristina are watching Burke perform surgery. The doctors on the other side of the room are talking about Meredith. Derek walks into the room. The whispering intensifies. Derek looks at Meredith. The three girls look at him, scathing looks from Izzie and Cristina. Cristina looks at the monitor, she is in awe of the exposed partially beating heart. Burke shouts, "Code red!" Suddenly, Mrs. Griswald's chest catches on fire. He tells them to begin fire protocol. The fire alarm starts buzzing in the background. Water is poured onto her chest. They turn off the oxygen. George starts manual respiration. The unnecessary people in the O.R. evacuate. Burke tries to stop the bleeding as quickly as he can. Cristina, Izzie, and Meredith are seated on the stairs. Meredith says, "She was on fire", referring to Mrs. Griswald. Izzie says she's never seen anything like it and wonders what happened. Cristina says, "It was a freak accident". Meredith repeats herself, "She was on fire". Cristina tells her she said that already. George approaches and Izzie asks if he is okay. He says, "She was on fire." Burke comes. Cristina stands up and says, "That was intense. Are you okay?" He says he's fine then tells George to come with him. Cristina gets another page and says, "I'm so over this." Bailey is leaning on the desk. Cristina comes up next to her and clears her throat. Bailey asks about a heart catching on fire. Cristina says, "I am the best intern you've got and you are wasting me on puke and boils. And I get it. I even deserve it. Please, you can't keep me away from this surgery. I earned this surgery. I stole this surgery." Bailey asks what she's talking about. Cristina says, "You. Punishing me." Bailey looks at her confused. Cristina says, "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you? Well, then, who has been paging me all day? The nurses have been on me non-stop." From the desk, Nurse Debbie says, "A little bit of respect and you could have saved yourself from a very long day, Dr. Yang." Bailey says, "Pissing off the nurses. Stupid." Bailey starts to walk away and Cristina enthusiastically asks if she can still scrub in. Addison and Chief are looking down into the O.R. Addison tells him that Derek wants her to move to Seattle, to pick up everything and move. Richard tells her not to stay for her marriage but to stay for herself. He thinks if she stays she'll become front page news and will make Seattle Grace one of the best neonatal hospitals west of Manhattan. Addison smiles then asks if he's serious. Richard says, "I'm ready to put my money where my mouth is."

Derek walks out of the stairwell and sees Meredith at a nurse's station. He starts to walk to her. Bailey gets in his path and tells him to turn around and walk away from her intern, he doesn't have the right to do it anymore. Derek says he just wants to know if she's okay. Bailey says, "No, she's not. She's a human traffic accident and everybody's slowing down to look at the wreckage. She's doing the best she can with what she has left. Look, I know you can't see this because you're in it, but you can't help her now! You'll only make it worse. Walk away. Leave her to mend. Go on." He nods, turns and walks away.

Alex is still pushing Nicole around in her wheelchair. She says that she wants the operation but is unsure if she is ready for taking care of herself, being on her own, for sex, or for love. She says she's never had a boyfriend or even a kiss. She says, "I'm like the oldest living prospective college freshman not to go to first base. It's mortifying." Alex says, "There are way older losers than you. Trust me." She pulls the break on her wheelchair then asks Alex to kiss her even though she is his patient and it's against the rules. She would never tell anyone. Alex looks around then crouches down near her face. She closes her eyes and puckers her lips. Alex says, "For a kiss to be really good, you want it to mean something. You want it to be with someone you can't get out of your head, so that when your lips finally touch, you feel it everywhere. A kiss so hot and so deep, you never want to come up for air. You can't cheat your first kiss, Nicole. Trust me you don't want to, cause when you find that right person to first kiss, it's everything." Nicole smiles.

In the waiting area, Burke and George are explaining to Mr. Griswald what happened to Kim in the O.R. He is in disbelief that her heart caught on fire. Burke says there is going to be an investigation but his wife is going to be fine, the operation was completed and Kim will probably fully recover. Alan puts his hands to his face and rests his elbows on his wife's bag then starts to laugh hysterically. Burke and George are taken aback. Alan says, "That's it isn't it? Her heart caught on fire in the middle of her fifth open heart operation and she survived." He continues to laugh. He goes on, "She's like some, some mythical monster. She's never gonna die!" Burke says it's probably an emotional time for him and asks if he wants to wait. Mr. Griswald stands up and says he's not going to wait any longer. He hands George Kim's bag. George takes it reluctantly. Alan gets his jacket and says, "You tell her, tell her, hell, tell her, she'll survive without me." He starts to laugh again and walks to the elevators.

Doctors and nurses crowd Shane's room. Cristina is counting out money to watch the surgery. Meredith comes in and shouts, "What is going on in here? Everybody out! Out! Mr. Herman is a patient. A surgical patient. Who is sick and embarassed and tired of being stared at. (to Izzie and Cristina) You two, this isn't a zoo! (to all) Out! Out! Out! You know if all of you want to point and whisper and stare at me, knock yourselves out. 'Look at Meredith, isn't she sad and pathetic and heart broken. Maybe she's gone mental.' Maybe I have!" Everyone is filing out of the room. Cristina and Izzie look at her as if she has gone crazy. She continues, "But leave Mr. Herman alone! You should be ashamed of yourself." Meredith walks out of the room and closes the door. Derek comes to see the commotion. Angrily, Meredith says, "And what are you looking at?"

Burke and George are still in shock about Mr. Griswald leaving. George asks who is going to tell Kim about Alan going. Burke laughs, George starts to laugh too. Burke says, "I wanna thank you for helping me out in the surgery today, O'Malley. It was a high pressure situation and you were on top of it." George thanks Burke. Then George starts to apologize about bringing up his relationship with Cristina. His hand is on Burke's shoulder, Burke looks at it. Burke's good mood seems to disappear, he stand up and walks away. George puts his head down on the bag and sighs. A few paces away Burke says, "You're still my guy, O'Malley."

Meredith and the Herman's are in the elevator. Shane is on a gurney ready for surgery. He says to Tina, "I always thought I'd hold your hand in the delivery room." Meredith says she'll let Tina know when the surgery is over. Shane is pushed out of the elevator, Tina stays inside. Shane asks Meredith if she can make sure when the remove the mass inside him that they don't pass it around in a jar or anything to that effect. He says, "I feel weird about having my insides on display like that." Meredith promises. Chief and Bailey are operating on Shane. The gallery above is more packed then usual and people are also taking pictures with their phones. They remove the mass. Bailey hands it to Meredith and asks if she really wants to dispose of it. Meredith says yes because she made a promise. She looks up at the gallery. Cristina walks up to Burke. She says, "I am worried about my career. I'm worried about my reputation and my--". Burke starts to walk past her. She leans on the rail and puts her hand to her forehead. Burke stops and walks back to face her. He leans on the rail. She continues, "I will not be Meredith Grey. I worked my ass to get here and people will not make allowances--" Burke interrupts saying, "This is not about making allowances and you know that." She says, "Everyone will know." Burke says that is the point. Cristina is adamant about not telling the chief. She tells Burke not to. Burke walks away.

Nicole wheels herself into the room where her parents and Derek are seated. Alex stands in the doorway. Nicole tells her parents that she is going to get the operation. Her mother is upset and says Nicole is obviously not considering everything. Her father defends Nicole. She says, "You two talk and talk but have you noticed how you never ask me anything? Part of it's my fault; I let you do it. But I'm not cheating anymore. I'm not sitting back and giving over control because I am ready to handle things for myself." Alex and Derek both look pleased.

Burke is seated in Chief's office, Richard is at his desk. Richard says he appreciates Burke's honesty. Burke says he can take whatever he threw at Derek and he does not need any special treatment. Chief says, "You're not married. You're not hiding. You came to me. You clearly value your relationship. What you two have together, I understand that, Preston, and it does matter." From outside the office, Cristina is standing there. Richard turns around to look at her. She walks away.

Addison and Derek are seated in chairs facing Dr. Saltzman. Addison tells the doctor that she is moving to Seattle. Derek says that Meredith is not going to be an issue anymore, that she is out of his life. Dr. Saltzman applauds them for their remarkable progress. Addison says marriage is about compromise. She holds her hand out for Derek to hold. He sees but doesn't hold her hand. He says marriage is about give and take. Addison folds her hands in her lap. Derek puts his hand out then takes it back and rests the same hand under his head.

Izzie, Cristina, and George are seated at the bar. Izzie is counting out money. They are talking about how Meredith yelled at them. Izzie says they probably deserved it because they sold $485 worth of tickets to the surgery. Cristina says, "Yeah." Izzie gets suspicious and asks if she sold more. Cristina pulls out more money from her back jeans pocket and says, "Oh yeah!" Meredith comes in and sits next to Izzie. She says hello to Joe. She looks at the others and says, "So you guys really don't have anything else to talk about?" They all say no. Meredith smiles. Alex comes in, searches around and walks towards the bar. Alex stands next to Izzie. She asks what he wants. He leans her over and kisses her long and passionately. He lifts her back up and says, "Good night." Alex leaves the bar. Izzie smiles, exhales, and tucks her hair behind her ears. They all look at her. Cristina says, "Wow." Izzie replies, "Seriously", then takes a drink of water. Joe gives George a high five. George holds his hand up for Izzie to hit. She pushes it away and they all 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
 * Isaiah Washington as Dr. Preston Burke
 * Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Derek Shepherd

Guest Stars

 * Michelle Ongkingco as Nicole Verma
 * Elaine Kagan as Mrs. Griswold
 * Francis Guinan as Mr. Verma
 * Reni Santoni as Mr. Griswold
 * Patti Yasutake as Mrs. Verma
 * Joe Sikora as Shane Herman
 * Tyrees Allen as Dr. Saltzman
 * Steven W. Bailey as Joe

Co-Starring

 * Moe Irvin as Nurse Tyler
 * Alison Ward as Tina Herman
 * Cathy Lind Hayes as Debbie
 * Kerry Carney as Intern #1
 * Maile Flanagan as Tech
 * Peyton Hinson as Intern #2
 * Keeshan Giles as Intern #3

Featuring

 * Larry Weissman as Psych Patient #1
 * Gianin Loffler as Psych Patient #2

Uncredited

 * Anjul Nigam as Dr. Raj Sen

Notes and Trivia

 * Kate Walsh joins the main cast as of this episode.
 * This episode's title originated from the song Something to Talk About, originally sung by Bonnie Raitt.
 * This episode scored 18.13 million viewers.

Quotes

 * Bailey: And you three - brush up on how not to embarrass me in front of the attendings or I'll see to it that your hearts stop beating. You clear?