Can't Fight This Feeling

"Let's say you're standing in an OR staring at an aneurysm that's embedded deep into a patient's frontal lobe. There are three things you'll need to remove it. You'll need confidence. You'll need an 11 blade. And some really good instincts. There are some feelings that refuse to go away. They're little distractions, whispering in your ear. Some things just get under your skin. Try as you might. You can't ignore your instincts. It's like they say. Always follow your intuition."

- Meredith Grey

Can't Fight This Feeling is the nineteenth episode of the ninth season and the 191st overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary
A gas tanker explodes on a Seattle highway, causing multiple injuries — including paramedic Matthew; Meredith and Jo help a frantic mother whose child is suffering from a mysterious illness; and Owen bonds with a young boy whose parents are in critical condition. Meanwhile true colors are revealed when Alex is forced to work with Jo's boyfriend on an ailing patient.

Main Cast

 * Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey
 * Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang
 * Justin Chambers as Dr. Alex Karev
 * Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey
 * James Pickens, Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber
 * Sara Ramírez as Dr. Callie Torres
 * Kevin McKidd as Dr. Owen Hunt
 * Jessica Capshaw as Dr. Arizona Robbins
 * Sarah Drew as Dr. April Kepner
 * Jesse Williams as Dr. Jackson Avery
 * Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Derek Shepherd

Guest Stars

 * Camilla Luddington as Dr. Jo Wilson
 * Gaius Charles as Dr. Shane Ross
 * Tina Majorino as Dr. Heather Brooks
 * Jerrika Hinton as Dr. Stephanie Edwards
 * Tessa Ferrer as Dr. Leah Murphy
 * Justin Bruening as Paramedic Matthew
 * Enid Graham as Rachel Dawson
 * Charles Michael Davis as Dr. Jason Myers
 * Michael Buie as Paul Dawson
 * Sarah Chalke as Casey Hedges

Co-Starring

 * Patrick Cavanaugh as Vince Cruse
 * Kate Rene Gleason as Elyse Cruse
 * Ken Michelman as Dr. Goyle
 * Kyle Red Silverstein as Ethan Dawson
 * Misha Gonz-Cirkl as Social Worker
 * Mark Chadwick as Cam Miller
 * Jay Walker as Bike Messenger
 * Nicole Cummins as Paramedic Nicole
 * Grace Rowe as Paramedic Grace
 * Arlene Santana as ER Nurse
 * Denice Sealy as Nurse #2
 * Kelly Sry as Tech
 * John Cappon as Paramedic #1
 * Kevin Clarke as Paramedic #2
 * Alex Salem as Paramedic #3
 * David Haley as Paramedic #5
 * Kaine, Hunter, and Raedin Reid as Parker Hedges

Parker Hedges
Casey Hedges came to the ER with her son, Parker Hedges. She approached Jo Wilson and said they were in the hospital the other night. Jo remember them and asked if Parker was still sick. Casey informed Jo that Parker's fever went down at first, but it spiked again later and she showed her the rush on his belly. Jo asked if Casey gave her son  the meds and lots of fluids. Casey said she did, but that his fever was still above 103, which it had been for over a week. Jo tried to assure her that it was a virus and that it was normal for the fever to last more than 5 days. Casey then pulled out a bunch of papers, saying she did some online research. Jo rapidly looked at them, but didn't seem convinced. Casey told her she knew her son and that she was sure it wasn't a virus. Jo then agreed to give them a chart.
 * Diagnosis: Kawasaki disease
 * Doctors:
 * Jo Wilson (intern)
 * Meredith Grey (general surgeon)
 * Treatment: Intravenous immunoglobuline

Meanwhile, Casey accosted Meredith. She gave her some of the illnesses she found on the Internet. Jo then came over and told them it was strep, giving them a prescription for omoxacillin. Casey was relieved it wasn't a virus.

However, some time later, Casey returned to the ER with her son. She told a nurse the fever was getting higher, which didn't make any sense. When Jo came to talk to her, Casey said it wasn't strep and that whatever Jo prescribed wasn't helping. Jo tried to calm her down, saying the meds would take 24 hours to work, but Casey said that he wouldn't have gotten worse if they did. Casey sai Jo was dismissing them, just like the doctors at Seattle Presbyterian Hospital and Urgent Care. Jo looked startled and asked her if she really had been to all those hospitals. Casey said she did, but that she wanted another doctor because Jo either didn't believe her or she didn't care about her Parker.

After that, Jo got a psychiatrist to talk to Casey. She started screaming at Jo about her thinking she was crazy. She desperately told them that her son didn't do anything anymore, when Meredith overheard her talking. She came over and told Casey she believed her. She told Jo to admit Parker.

In his room, Meredith said his ct was completely normal. Meredith then patiently overheard all of Casey's research, but none of them seemed to be the one. Meredith said she couldn't come up with anything else than a strep, but Casey replied he should've gotten better if it was. Meredith said she'd do some more tests.

The morning after, Meredith told Casey she couldn't find anything else than the strap, that he wasn't surgical and that his labs kept coming back clean. Casey insisted she had a feeling that something was seriously wrong with her son.

Right before discharging Parker, Meredith and Jo went through Parker's labs one last time. Suddenly, the labs were updated. The previous day's strep test was false, and thereby negative instead of positive. Meredith then realized Parker had Kawasaki disease. She checked her calendar to look if ten days had passed since the fever started. It turned out to be the tenth day. Meredith then runned over to Parker's room to check if he had red eyes.

After she found out he had, she told Jo to page peds and cardio and to start IVIG. She told Casey Parker had Kawasaki disease and it was the last day they would be able to prevent permanent heart damage.

In the evening, Meredith showed Casey her son's echo. She informed her that the IVIG would fix the fluid around his heart. She added that Parker would need another echo in six months and after showing Casey's note on Kawasaki disease, she smilingly told Casey that she had fought for her son and saved his life. Meredith later walked by their room, where Parker showed his mother a drawing he made for her.

Paul Dawson

 * Diagnosis: aortic transection

Matthew Taylor
When her patient was brought from the ER to the OR, April noticed Matthew laying in an ER bed. She walked over to him, looking worried, and asked him what happened. His colleague Nicole answered instead and told April Matthew broke protocol and ran in the crash to shield the kid from the blast with his own body. April started to check out his wounds, but Matthew told her to go her patient, as she was more important than him. When Jackson said he'd watch him, April told him not to go into shock or bleed out before she went to the ER.
 * Diagnosis: Burns
 * Doctor: Jackson Avery (plastic surgeon)
 * Treatment: Burn ointment

April walked by Matthew's room some time later, but Jackson was busy with smearing burn ointment on the burns on Matthew's ass. April felt a bit uncomfortable and left.

The next day, April talked to Matthew about her patient, who died during surgery. April started talking about God tearing apart her patient and her husband, who were meant to be together, when Matthew assured her he wasn't going anywhere.

Cam Miller
After the car crashes due to the gas tanker accident, Cam Miller was brought to the ER. The paramedic told Bailey and Webber that Cam was disorientated and that they did a primary decontamination on the scene.
 * Diagnosis:
 * Minor injuries (at first)
 * Major burns (later)
 * Snapped elbow (later)
 * Doctors:
 * ​Miranda Bailey (general surgeon)
 * Richard Webber (general surgeon)
 * Jackson Avery (plastic surgeon)
 * Callie Torres (orthopedic surgeon)
 * Treatment:
 * Initial exam
 * Burn ointment (presumably)
 * Orthopedic surgery

Richard Webber and Miranda Bailey did the initial exam, but Cam had only minor injuries. He asked for his sweatshirt to go outside for a smoke, but Bailey told him he couldn't. He started ranting because he thought Bailey was giving him a speech about the dangers of smoking, but Richard informed him he was covered in gasoline.

However, he didn't pay attention to the warning and snuck out to smoke a cigarette. He caught fire and turned into a human fireball. He was brought in a second time and transferred to the burn unit with Jackson as his plastic surgeon.

After he caught fire, he also snapped his elbow, which was surgically fixed by Callie Torres.

Notes and Trivia

 * This episode's title originated from the song Can't Fight This Feeling, originally sung by REO Speedwagon.
 * This episode scored 9.02 million viewers.
 * At least one week has passed since Idle Hands, as Derek mentioned he hadn't seen Bailey outside of her genome lab for a week. Bailey got the money for her genome mapping project in the previous episode.
 * This episode takes place on a Thursday and a Friday. Meredith asked on which day Parker's fever started, and Jo replied it started on Wednesday. Meredith then said they were already on the tenth day since the fever started, making it Friday.
 * This episode's Kawasaki Disease plot line is based on Sarah Chalke's own experience with her son and the disease. She and her fiance Jaimie Afifi went through an ordeal quite similar to the one in the episode when her son Charlie was diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease when he was 2. Of the experience she stated: “It was definitely a bit scary to tackle … I didn’t know what that experience was going to be like, to hold a baby who was made up to look like Charlie did at that time. It was probably the most challenging thing I’ve done, but it ended up being a really good experience. The thing that means so much to me … is raising awareness about [KD], so that it doesn’t go untreated [for other families].”

Quotes

 * Owen: I talked to Russell and he agrees with your course of hypothermia, although he may only be agreeing because he's afraid of you, like you said. You're his boss now.
 * Cristina: Then what's going on?
 * Owen: This guy has a little boy, Cristina, who's scared to death that both of his parents...
 * Cristina: Oh my God! A little boy? Why didn't you say that? I would've rethought everything! I would have actually tried to save the man!
 * Owen: Okay, Cristina...
 * Cristina: Do you think I would make a decision that is not in the best interest of my patient?
 * Owen: I just want this kid to see his dad again.
 * Cristina: I do too.
 * Owen: I know. I know. It's been a hell of a day.


 * Matthew: I'm sorry you have to stand there for so long, dealing with my ass.
 * Jackson: No, it's fine. I'm a plastic surgeon, it's not that big a deal...
 * Matthew: Actually, can we not talk while you do that?
 * Jackson: Sure. I feel for you dude. But I have seen way worse.
 * (April walks in)
 * April: Oh, okay. I'm gonna come back later.
 * Matthew: April!
 * April: It's cool. I'm... uh... I'm just gonna... Imma leave now. Yep, now.
 * (April walks out)
 * Jackson: Like that. That was worse.


 * Elyse Cruse: I don't care about me, please, just do whatever you can to save my baby. Just save my little girl.
 * April: How about I save you both?
 * Elyse Cruse: Yeah, that would be great.


 * (Callie walks into the ER)
 * Arizona: Oh, there you are!
 * Bailey: Oh no, me first!
 * (Callie walks over to Bailey)
 * Callie: Okay, okay. What do we got?
 * (Bailey starts explaining her patient's situation)
 * Arizona: My patient's in a lot of pain!
 * Bailey: Everybody's patient's in a lot of pain!