Bring the Pain

"Pain comes in all forms. The small twinge, a bit of soreness, the random pain, the normal pains that we live with everyday. Then there's the kind of pain you can't ignore. A level of pain so great that it blocks out everything else; makes the rest of your world fade away until all we can think about is how much we hurt. How we manage our pain is up to us. Pain. We anaesthetize, ride it out, embrace it, ignore it... and for some of us, the best way to manage pain is to just push through it. Pain, you just have to ride it out, hope it goes away on its own, hope the wound that caused it heals. There are no solutions, no easy answers. You just breathe deep and wait for it to subside. Most of the time pain can be managed, but sometimes the pain gets you when you least expect it, hits way below the belt and doesn't let up. Pain, you just have to fight through, because the truth is you can't outrun it, and life always makes more."

- Meredith Grey

Bring the Pain is the fifth episode of the second season and the 14th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary
Cristina tells a pornographic story, Burke asks Cristina if they're in a relationship, Meredith decides she is out of Derek's life, Derek and Meredith search for a shaman, Alex gets a fear of scalpels, George performs open heart surgery in an elevator, and Izzie has a patient who has had a heart attack on the same day for the past seven years.

Full Summary
Alex and Izzie are on the porch and it is pouring rain and thunder. She opens the front door and methodically says, "I had a good time", and adds sarcastically, "Really. Thank you. It was the perfect evening. Best date ever." Alex says her name. She continues, "You know I especially liked the part where you treated me like crap the entire night. That was fun." Alex says, "I had a good time." She says, "Really?" He honestly says yes.

They move closer together about to kiss. Alex steps back and says he has to go. He leaves. Izzie exclaims, "Seriously? SERIOUSLY!?" She slams the front door. Izzie turns on the light in George's room and says, "Seriously??" George wakes up. She comes into George's room and tells him to make room for her on his bed. She gets on his bed and lies down. George complains that he was sleeping and Izzie tells him to shut up.

Meredith and Derek are on the porch. She is very upset that he has not signed the papers to divorce Addison. She opens the front door. Derek says her name. She shouts, "WHAT?"

He pauses and says, "Oh, I usually just say Meredith and then you yell at me. I haven't thought past that point. I actually didn't have anything planned." She hits him repeatedly with her purse. He says, "Ow! What is that?" Meredith exclaims, "Seriously? SERIOUSLY!"

Meredith bursts into George's room and shouts, "Seriously!!" Next moment all three of them are in bed together with George sandwiched between them, George says, "This is a very small bed." Meredith sits up and says that Derek is a brain surgeon. Izzie says, "I look fantastic. I shaved my legs!" Meredith says, "He's a brain surgeon! How can he be so brainless?" Izzie says, "Hello? Seriously?" Meredith echoes, "Seriously!" George taps both of their shoulders and says, "Shhh". The storm makes the power go out.

Bailey is standing in the doorway as the interns get ready. Cristina, soaking wet, stands next to her and inadvertently wets Bailey with her hair. Bailey notes that she is dripping. Cristina wants to make it clear that she's back and ready to work. Addison comes to the door and asks if anyone has seen Dr. Shepherd. Bailey says that his name is on the O.R. board so he should be around the hospital somewhere. Cristina says, "I'm 100% on top of my game." Bailey tells her to pace herself then says, "Rounds, people." Izzie walks by Alex and he says, "What? You're not talking to me anymore?" Izzie asks him what happened last night, what's going on with him. Alex says he's fine and asks Izzie what her problem is. Because of his attitude, Izzie tells him she's not talking to him anymore.

The interns walk into the room and Cristina presents Henry Lamott to everyone. He's there for a spinal implant with Derek. Henry fiddles with the remote and turns the television on. She says that Henry is allergic to all pain medication. There are girls laughing naughtily in the background. Cristina asks, "Is that..?" Henry's wife, Marie, answers, "Porn." Alex is excited and asks what he's watching. Bailey tells him to stand in the hall so he goes out of the room. Bailey says, "I'm sure you're really nice people and what you do in the privacy of your own home -- look, we can't have porn in here. This is a hospital." Henry says that it is for the pain, that endorphins are released and helps manage the pain, his doctor suggested it. George looks at the screen in awe. Bailey tells him to join Alex in the hall. He leaves the room while staring at the TV. Izzie asks what it is. Marie says, "Nasty Naughty Nurse's [looks at the tv], um, 4." Cristina, Izzie, and Meredith stare afixed to the screen and all tilt their heads to the right at the same time. Cristina says, "That does not look comfortable." Meredith says, "Trust me. It's not." Cristina and Izzie both look at her with mouths agape. Bailey tells them to go into the hall. Izzie covers her mouth to cover her laughter and they go out.

Bailey assigns George and Alex to the pit. Izzie is assigned to a cardiac patient. She tells Cristina to keep an eye on the Lamott's. Everyone goes off to do their assignments. Bailey asks Meredith if she made arrangements for her mother who will be discharged later that day. Meredith says the nursing home is coming at eight. Then Bailey assigns her to work with Derek. Meredith looks at her and Bailey says, "Hey, life is short, times are hard, the road is long, with many a winding turn. He asked for you, take it up with him."

George and Alex come in. An E.R. Resident hands George a clipboard for the patient. The patient, Pete Willoughby, has a G.S.W. (gun shot wound) to the chest. He is in significant pain and losing a lot of blood. Pete says, "Damn, this hurts. They never tell you in movies how much it hurts to get shot." George and Alex both try to claim him as a patient. George says, "You always get the surgery. Today I'm getting the surgery." The E.R. Resident tells them to cut it out, he is a Seattle police officer and a group of officers are watching them through the blinds of the window. George gives them a thumbs up. George tells someone to page Dr. Burke.

Richard is with Ellis and tells her she will be able to go home. Ellis says she still has patients to see. Richard tells her she does not have anymore patients and he'll check on her later. She says, "You should know I'm thinking of leaving Thatcher. I should never have married him. I'll leave him, you leave Adele. Then when our residency is over we can both get jobs at the same hospital." Richard sits on the bed and holds her hand. He says, "Ellis, that was a long time ago, remember? We had this discussion twenty one years ago." Ellis tells him to think about it and that they should break away now or else they might end up at opposite ends of the country. He looks down and does not say anything.

Derek and Meredith run into each other. She tells him that his wife is looking for him. He tells her this situation is hard for him too. She adds that she isn't going to be the woman to break up his marriage or beg him to stay with her, the decision to end his marriage is up to him, and that she is out of their relationship. She asks about their patient and they walk in that direction.

Izzie is with a couple. She is examining Verna Bradley. Her husband, Lou, tells Verna that she should not have walked the dog in the rain. Verna thinks that she just passed out. Izzie does not think so, she thinks Verna had a heart attack. Lou is very worried and strokes her forehead. Verna tells him not to worry because she has had these "little chest pains" before and insists it's nothing. He kisses her forehead. Verna laughs and says, "Lou, not in front of the doctor."

Derek is examining a young woman as Meredith looks on. The patient, Anna Chue, felt some back pain that she thought would go away. It didn't and now she feels numbness in her legs. Derek says they'll give her morphine to help with the pain. He starts to talk about the larger problem at hand when Anna's parents come into the room. Her father is upset that Anna did not call them, he asks what is going on. Derek says that Anna's MRI shows a myxopapillary ependymoma - a tumor in her spinal canal. He says they can operate on it and Anna has a 95% of full recovery if they operate as soon as possible. She could be permanently paralyzed if they wait even another day. Anna looks at her dad, says, "Father?" Mr. Chue says there is to be no surgery. Derek and Meredith try to convince him otherwise. He does not let up and adds they will take Anna home. Derek tells her that since she is over 18 she does not need her father's consent. Anna looks at her father then says that she is Hmong, her father is the elder and she will obey him and go home. Derek and Mr. Chue exchange looks with each other.

Derek tells Meredith to find out what "Hmong" means and to call social services. Meredith asks if she should still process Anna's discharge. Derek says yes then starts to talk about a similar case he had in New York. Meredith stops him and asks if he needs anything else that is work related. Derek steps back a moment then says, "Look I was married for 11 years. Addison is my family. That is 11 Thanksgiving’s, 11 birthdays, and 11 Christmas’s, and in one day I am supposed to sign a piece of paper and end my family? A person doesn’t do that, not without a little hesitation. I’m entitled to a little uncertainty here. Just a moment to understand the magnitude of what it means to cut somebody out of my life. I am entitled to at least one moment of painful doubt and a little understanding from you would be nice." Derek walks up the stairs ahead leaving Meredith on the landing.

Burke is walking the halls and runs into Addison. He mentions that she's still at SGH. She says she couldn't leave him, Burke. Then she asks if she has seen Derek. He tells her he'll let Derek know she's looking for him. He continues to walk. Cristina comes and thanks Burke for being there for her. He says, "No thanks needed. So, where are we?" Cristina says, "The northeast corner of a hospital." Burke just looks at her. Cristina understands and says she's still getting back on her feet and that it's her first day back. Burke says he is not going to wait forever. He walks ahead and goes into an elevator. As he gets in, Bailey comes out. He asks her if she wants to scrub in on the G.S.W. case that Alex and George are currently taking care of. Bailey declines and says she wants to get out at a decent hour that night. Burke asks if she has a date. Bailey says, "Yes. Yes I do. A handsome man is whisking me away to a love nest for the weekend."

Alex and George are pushing Pete as he is lying on a gurney. Pete tells them he got shot and it is only his first month on the job. He froze as the shooter pulled a gun on him, he doesn't think he's going to live it down. George tries to reassure him that he will as he pushes the elevator button.

Izzie catches up to Bailey and says she doesn't think Verna had a heart attack. She shows Bailey the test results. Bailey says that Verna had 'something' and to run a different set of tests. She reminds Izzie to be thorough. Bailey walks ahead and Izzie says under her breath, "I am thorough."

Alex, George, and Pete are in the elevator. Alex asks George what is wrong with Izzie. George tells him that Izzie shaved her legs for him and he didn't even kiss her good night. Pete says Alex didn't follow through. Alex insists he always follows through. George snickers and says that he didn't last night. He adds, "Women have expectations and you didn't meet them. I live with these women and everytime you guys don't meet their expectations I have to hear about it. I didn't get any sleep last night." There is a loud noise and a jolt. They are immersed in darkness. They look around as the emergency lights come on. Alex says, "Dude, we're not moving." George sarcastically says, "Really? You think?"

Meredith, Cristina, and Izzie are leaning over the railing when the power goes out then turns back on again. Cristina is hunched over and exhales sharply. Meredith says, "You know how long a surgical scar takes to heal. You must be in pain. You should take something." Cristina says, "Drugs are for babies." Meredith rolls her eyes and Izzie says, "I hate Alex." Cristina says, "And the non sequitur award goes to [trails off]." Izzie apologies but she hates Alex. Meredith tells them she broke up with Derek. Cristina says that Burke wants a relationship. Izzie says, "Boys are stupid", and walks down the hall. Meredith walks away along the railing and Crisitna says, "Yep."

Alex is trying to pry the elevator doors open as George reads off the directions on the elevator panel. They should not become alarmed, to press the alarm button to call for assistance. George says, "If they don't want us to be alarmed, why do they call the button alarm?" He pushes the button several times. Alex is struggling with the door and says the button hasn't worked so why would it work now, he says they lost power and that they're just stuck. Pete moans and George says his blood pressure is falling. George whispers to Alex that the need to get Pete to an O.R. (operating room) immediately. Pete tells them not to whisper. Alex tries to use the phone in the elevator. Pete says the situation is bad. George tries to assure him that they'll be able to get out.

Cristina comes in to check on him. Henry requests another room because his lights and television went out.

Cristina tells him about the power outage. Henry has a look of anguish on his face. Cristina says he's not a critical patient so he should be fine. Henry says, "What am I gonna do without my porn?" Cristina pauses then says, "Read a book, talk to your wife." He says his wife had to leave to pick up their kids early because of the storm. Cristina says, "Well, I'm sure you can find some normal way of amusing yourself." She turns to leave when Henry says, through almost gritted teeth, "I need my porn!" Outside of the room Cristina says, "Yeah."

The lights are not on as Richard and Addison are walking. She tells Richard to breathe because one of the backup generators stopped working. He is very upset that there is no way to transport people from the E.R. to the O.R., that when there is a solution for that then he can breathe.

Burke, Bailey, and some maintenance men are outside the elevators. They are able to pull open the outside doors but the elevator itself is stuck between floors. Richard and Addison come. Richard asks how bad it is. Burke says, "Two interns and a G.S.W. to the chest." Richard puts his hand to his forehead and Addison says, "Good air in, bad air out." She inhales and exhales as Richard looks at her. The maintenance men are only able to open inner elevator doors a couple of inches. Bailey peaks into the gap and asks, "What did you two do?" Inside the elevator, Alex and George both say, "Nothing!" Burke peaks in and asks how the patient is. George says Pete is not looking so good. Pete seems to have labored breathing and perspiration on his face.

Meredith is with Anna as the lights flicker off then on again. Anna asks what is wrong with the lights. Meredth tells her about the backup generator not working properly. She also explains the morphine drip to her. Anna says she does not need it because she is going home. Meredith tells her she'll have to sign a form stating that she's leaving against medical advice. Anna closes her eyes and says, "Fine." Meredith mentions the social worker that is willing to come talk to her. Anna says, "Spare me the white girl cultural divide, Love. I grew up down the street from here. I play in a band. I went to U-dub. I get it but my father doesn't. He says 'no', it's no." Meredith brings up not being able to walk again. Anna says, "I'm talking about my family. Have you even heard of the Hmong people? Our religion has got rules that are way old and way set in stone and way spiritual and you don't mess with them. You don't anger the ancestors. Even if you pierce your tongue and play in a band." Meredith asks her what the rules are. Anna exhales.

Bailey is giving instructions to a nurse. The nurse leaves and Derek comes because he was paged. Bailey asks about the porn as pain management. Derek looks amused and says, "You met Henry? Yeah, there are a lot of different theories on how to treat pain." He says that it was not even his idea and to take it up with the treating physician. Bailey tells him that Addison is looking for him as she walks away. Derek says, "I know." Meredith comes to Derek and asks him to talk to Anna's father, she would do it herself but having testicles is important apparently. He asks what happened to social services. She says it won't help because Anna's father thinks Anna is missing something - one of her souls. They need a Shaman, not a social worker. Derek says, "A Shaman?"

Izzie is tending to Verna and tells her and her husband that her test results were good, there was no blockage in her arteries and she did not have a heart attack. She asks if she can go home. Izzie tells her not yet because she wants to find out what is causing the chest pains.

Pete appears to be panicking. Alex and George try to calm him down. He wants to go home. Burke asks them questions of his status through the gap. It is difficult to get a blood pressure reading. They also have minimal supplies. Pete starts to wheez and George says, "He's gonna die." Burke tells them to intubate him while he gets an instrument tray. Burke wants Alex and George to open his chest in the elevator. Pete is struggling to breathe. Bailey asks Burke if he's sure it's for the best. Burke says, "No", and rushes off. George and Alex look at one another. George is pumping the purple air bag. He wonders aloud when Burke will be back. Alex tells him to shut up.

Derek goes outside to see Mr. Chue, who is smoking a cigar. Derek asks him about the healing ritual he wants to perform on Anna. Mr. Chue says, "When sickness comes it means one of our souls is missing. Anna needs to have her souls intact before she has surgery. She needs a Shaman." Derek says he could have told him that in the first place. Mr. Chue thinks Derek would have thought him a fool. Derek says he respects his traditions even though he doesn't understand them, that they need to get a Shaman to the hospital. Mr. Chue thinks Derek is arrogant for thinking he can get one so quickly. Derek says he has access to a helicopter. Mr. Chue hands Derek a cigar. Derek thanks him then smells it. Mr. Chue says, "Finding her soul won't be easy." Derek says, "It never is", and walks back towards the hospital entrance.

Bailey and Chief are walking. He is panicked about the elevator situation. Bailey tries to keep him calm and everyone is doing all they can. There are also fire fighters standing by. Bailey continues to talk about what they're doing to help the rest of the patients. Richard asks why the backup generators weren't replaced last year. Bailey is reluctant to answer. He says, "Tell me whose butt to kick." Bailey says, "That would be your butt, chief. You didn't authorize the replacement generators saving money for the new MRI machine." She awkwardly leaves.

George is still pumping the purple air bag. Burke comes and hands them various things to open Pete's chest. He knows it isn't very sterile but it is the best they can do for now. They start to prep for surgery. Alex hesitates to take the scalpel from Burke, so he takes over pumping while George exposes the G.S.W. and starts to clean the blood. Alex has a nervous look on his face.

Cristina is leaning on the counter reading and writing in a chart when Izzie comes and asks for Verna's complete medical history. Izzie rushes off up the stairs as Meredith is quickly coming down. Cristina asks why they are in such a hurry. Izzie tells her that Burke is talking George and Alex through heart surgery in the elevator. She continues up. Meredith walks backwards through the hallway and says that Derek is setting up a Shaman healing ritual. From upstairs Izzie says, "Rock on!" Cristina looks very disappointed and bitterly says, "I have porn guy."

Henry is crying for help as Cristina walks into the room. Cristina asks what is wrong. He looks to be in a considerable amount of pain - his blood pressure is up and his pulse is racing. Cristina says, "Are you telling me the porn actually sedated you?" Henry says, "What'd you think I was some kind of pervert watching that stuff in front of you." Cristina says, "Well, yes." She looks at his chart and sees that he is allergic to a lot of drugs that could potentially help him right now. Henry asks what he is going to do. Cristina says, "Hold on." She scratches her head and thinks.

George is pumping the air bag when Alex says, "We're really gonna do this." They both look at Burke. Burke reaches his arm in and tries to hand Alex scissors and a scalpel. Alex is reluctant and looks frozen, he only looks at them. George tells him to "Come on". He shouts Alex's name. There are many onlookers in the hallway peaking inside including Bailey and Izzie. All Alex does is look down. George hands him the purple bag and tells him to ventilate. Alex starts pumping as George takes the scalpel from Burke. Burke looks at Alex with a peculiar expression. Burke starts to give George instructions. He makes an incision and says, "We're not in Kansas anymore."

Derek, Meredith, Anna, and Anna's parents are waiting for the Shaman to arrive. Derek says that he's late. Mr. Chue says his Shaman is never late.

George is continuing the operation. From outside, Izzie says, "Poor George. He doesn't have the steadiest hands." Bailey says, "He can hear you." Burke asks George how he is doing. Bailey tells Burke the fire department can get the elevator doors open. Burke tells them no - there is an open chest and a nervous intern operating. George says he did not cut the heart or the lungs. Burke gives him further instruction and George tells him everything he'll need. Burke looks pleased at George's assertiveness.

Cristina sits on the other bed in Henry's room. She says, "Don't tell anyone I did this for you. You tell anyone I did this for you, not only will I kill you, I will sell your body parts for cash! Okay, so, there were these women. Nurses. Three nurses. And they were naughty. They were really, really naughty. They were three naughty nurses. Saucy, even. They were saucy and bad and naughty. Three saucy bad naughty nurses. They were taking a shower together. Soaping each other up. And then this doctor walks in and he sees these three naughty bad nurses with these great big..."

Izzie tells Verna that she has been admitted to the hospital exactly the same date for the past seven years from what looks like heart attack. Lou is skeptical. Izzie says she has the medical records to prove it. Verna looks a little nervous. Izzie asks if there is significance to the date. She quickly says no, that there's nothing. Izzie asks what happened the first time. Verna says she can't remember. Lou remembers, he says that they were in their yard when the funeral home people took their neighbor, Ted, away. Izzie asks if she was close to Ted. Verna says she wasn't. Verna has grief on her face and Izzie looks at her suspecting something. Lou wonders what Ted has to do with Verna's heart.

George removes a clot and tells Burke about his progress. Burke gives further instruction. George is very excited, he is touching the aorta. George applies a clamp on the heart and thinks he can localize the bleeding. Burke tells him to plug the hole in his heart. Now the heart is filling more. Izzie, Bailey, and the others look impressed. George asks what he should do now. Burke says, "That's it." Burke rolls over on his back and sharply exhales then tells Bailey to get the fire fighters so they can open the doors. Burke rolls over again, looks inside and says, "O'Malley, you just flew solo." George thanks him.

The helicopter is shown flying then landing on the roof of the hospital. Meredith tells Anna they are going to shut off the pump that provides her with the morphine so she'll be in a lot of pain during the healing ritual. Anna says, "No pain no gain." They won't be able to find her soul if she is medicated. She tells Meredith to watch for when it happens, when they find her soul. Outside in the hallway, Mr. Chue welcomes the Shaman. They stand in the doorway and Anna tells them she's ready.

Cristina is lying in the bed next to Henry's and as she stares at the ceiling she says, "'Oh yes, I'm so very, very naughty,' Bianca said as she, uh, dropped her stethoscope. 'Me too', said Crystal as she snapped on her surgical glove, and then there was Marta.." Bailey is at the doorway and looks at Cristina confused and appalled. Cristina shrugs and gestures at Henry. Bailey looks at the two of them with slightly beady eyes then walks away. Henry tells Cristina she left off with Marta. Cristina continues, "Oh yes, Marta. She was the naughtiest nurse of all because she knew how.." The power comes back on, as well as the porn. Cristina says, "Oh, thank God."

Anna is lying in bed with her eyes closed as family members stand around her. The Shaman is performing the ritual. He is burning a symbolic paper around her, everywhere. Meredith and Derek are in the hallway looking inside. He asks her, "How long do you think it takes to retrieve a lost soul?" She says she doesn't know. The Shaman continues with the ritual.

Izzie peaks into the elevator and says, "Way to go, George!" George is very excited and says, "I have my finger in a heart." Izzie says it's very cool. Izzie and Alex look at each other but don't say anything. Her smile disappears and she gets up off the ground to leave.

Ellis is lying in bed when Richard passes her window. He looks inside. She sees him and smiles. He smiles back.

Izzie is seated at Verna's bedside as she tells her she has stress cardiomyopathy. Izzie explains that it's Ted - that he could not have been just a neighbor. Verna tries to act clueless. Izzie says she gets a rush of adrenaline every year on the day he died, her blood pressure rises, and she gets chest pains. Verna says she and Ted loved each other, that he was her soul mate. Izzie says, "Your heart stops because you're grieving for Ted." Verna asks what she can do to treat it. Izzie says, "I wish I knew."

George and Alex have gotten out of the elevator. All of the police officers are shaking George's hand. Alex walks away from the group with a distraught look on his face. He looks back at George and then walks away.

The Shaman is still performing the ritual. Meredith and Derek are watching through the window.

Richard comes into the room and Ellis says, "I told Thatch I'm moving out." Richard explains, "You left Thatcher, Ellis, but I couldn't bring myself to leave Adele. Do you remember?" She looks off into the distance for a second and says, "I painted horses." Richard agrees because they were near a carousel in the park and it was raining. Ellis remembers getting an offer from a hospital in Boston. Richard says she took it to get away and that they would not bring up their affair again. Ellis says, "Carousels give me the creeps."

Henry is laying in bed and Cristina and Marie are speaking to each other from across the other bed. Cristina asks how Marie puts up with Henry's porn watching. She explains, "He's my Henry." Cristina probes further saying that the porn is degrading; her life is 24 hours a day of porn. Marie says she's grateful for it - it relieves Henry's pain and Henry takes away Marie's pain. They both look at Henry who is asleep.

The Shaman is continuing the soul retrieval ritual. Meredith and Derek are looking on from outside the room. A moment or two later, Anna glances over at them, raises her eyebrows, and nods her head at Meredith as if to say her soul is back. Meredith nods back. Meredith then looks at Derek who is still intently watching. Anna is lying on her side on a surgical table. Derek is the performing surgery with Meredith observing. He looks up at the gallery where Addison is watching with her arms folded across her chest and a smirk on her face. Meredith turns to look at what he sees then looks back down at Anna.

Derek is about to wash his hands when Meredith comes in. She walks to within a few inches of him. They say:


 * Meredith: I lied. I'm not out of this relationship. I'm in. I'm so in its humiliating because here I am begging--

Derek: Meredith. Meredith: Just shut up. You say 'Meredith' and I yell, remember? Derek: Yeah. Meredith: Okay, here it is. Your choice, it's simple. Her or me. And I'm sure she's really great. But Derek, I love you. In a really, really big - pretend to like your taste in music, let you eat the last piece of cheesecake, hold a radio over my head outside your window, unfortunate way that makes me hate you love you. So pick me. Choose me. Love me. I'll be at Joe's tonight. So if you do decide to sign the papers, meet me there.

Meredith turns and walks out of the room. Derek exhales sharply, puts his hands to his head and turns around in place.

Meredith and Richard are standing at the door. A man from her care facility is here helping her into a wheelchair. Richard hands Ellis her bag. He pats her shoulder and tells her goodbye. He steps away. Meredith approaches and says she'll be in to visit tomorrow. Ellis takes hold of Meredith's hand and says, "He doesn't love her. He can't [quick glance at Richard] but he'll stay with her anyway. She's his wife." Meredith, confused, says, "Mom? Mommy." Ellis says Meredith's name and notes how she's grown up. Ellis strokes her cheek and adds, "It's a shame. It's awful being a grown up but the carousel never stops turning, you can't get off." Meredith stands up from her crouched position and Ellis is wheeled out. Richard has a very gloomy expression on his face. Meredith does a half shrug with a tear in her eye.

Joe pours Meredith a shot of tequila and she asks him if he thinks Derek will show up. Joe reassuringly says that he'll come. The door opens and the bell on the door rings. Meredith eagerly looks at the door to see it is George walking in. George looks extremely happy.

Derek is seated in the chairs of the waiting area. He appears to be in deep thought and contemplation. Bailey dressed in a formal green dress is about to exit the hospital when she sees Derek. She walks over to him and asks how the patient that got her soul back is doing. From outside, a man is seen knocking on the glass to get Bailey's attention. She smiles and waves at the man then tells Derek she has to go. Derek notices how she is dressed - that she looks like a girl. He asks if the man is her date. Bailey tells him the man is her husband. Derek is shocked and says, "You're married?" Bailey says she's been married for ten years and today is their anniversary. Derek asks, "How come I didn't know you're married?" Bailey says, "You never asked", then adds, "You haven't signed those divorce papers, have you?" Derek shakes his head no then asks her what he should do. They both smile. Derek asks why it is so hard. Bailey says that it is not hard, it is only painful. She says, "You know what to do already. If you didn't, you wouldn't be in so much pain." She walks away and Derek sighs. From outside, Bailey has a huge grin and she hugs her husband.

Burke is lying in a top bunk asleep.

Cristina comes in, turns on the light, and shuts the door loudly enough to wake him up. She says, "So here’s where we are: I work too much, I’m competitive, I’m always right, and I snore." Burke is confused. She says, "I'm trying here." Burke says, "Oh. Ohhh. So?" Somewhat annoyed, she says, "Okay. We’re a couple. Whatever. Don’t make a big deal about it." She turns, walks to the door, holds the doorknob, turns back around, jumps on the bottom bed to reach him, and kisses him. They both smile as Cristina turns off the light and walks out.

Derek is still seated in the waiting area. He has his hand to his forehead. Meredith, Izzie, George, and Cristina are at the bar counter. They all look to be having a good time with the exception of Meredith. The bell on the door rings and they all look in that direction. Two women walk in. Meredith sighs and says, "He's not coming. You don't think he's coming." Izzie tells her he might come. Cristina jumps in and says, "Yeah. You never know." George says, "He's definitely coming." Izzie elbows him, he says, "Ow. Do you want her doing tequila shots all night? I'll be the one cleaning up the vomit. Besides, I touched a heart today, [to Cristina] Porn-y." The bell rings again. They all look and a man and woman come in. Meredith asks Joe for another shot. He says Derek will come any minute.

Derek is still seated. Addison walks to him and says she looked for him the entire day. He stands up and says, "Well, you found me." She asks if he's going to sign the divorce papers or not.

In the bar, Izzie, George, and Cristina are laughing. Meredith takes another tequila shot then tries to shoot a peanut shell into a basket.

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
 * Isaiah Washington as Dr. Preston Burke
 * Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Derek Shepherd

Special Guest Star

 * Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd

Guest Starring

 * Mimi Kennedy as Verna Bradley
 * Francois Chau as Mr. Chue
 * Brent Briscoe as Henry Lamott
 * Michelle Krusiec as Anna Chue
 * Daniel Bess as Pete Willoughby
 * Steven W. Bailey as Joe
 * Kate Burton as Ellis Grey

Co-Starring

 * Sean Moran as Lou Bradley
 * Sally Ann Brooks as Marie Lamont
 * Bashir Salahuddin as Bailey's Husband

Featuring

 * Jeremy Rabb as ER Resident

Verna Bradley

 * Diagnosis:
 * Doctors:
 * Treatment:

Notes and Trivia

 * This episode's title originated from the song Bring the Pain, originally sung by Wu-Tang Clan.
 * This episode scored 18.00 million viewers.

Quotes

 * (Cristina, Meredith, and Izzie are tilting their heads, watching the porn playing for the patient)
 * Cristina: That does not look comfortable.
 * Meredith: Trust me, it's not.