Henry Burton

Henry Burton was Teddy Altman's husband. He was a frequent patient at the hospital because he suffered from von Hippel-Lindau, a condition which made tumors grow in his body, to which he ultimately succumbed. He was then diagnosed with diabetes after undergoing a procedure, and having to remove a large portion of the Pancreas.

Meeting Teddy
He first came to the hospital as a patient without insurance and in need of surgery. ("Adrift and at Peace") When Dr. Altman heard, she married him so that he would be on her insurance. ("Disarm")

During the surgery there were complications and Teddy, as the next of kin, had to make a decision that made Henry a lifelong diabetic. Though the newly-weds both maintain that theirs is a simple marriage of convenience, and Teddy continues to date men other than Henry, there are hints that they have deeper feelings for each other. While high on painkillers, Henry confesses his feelings for Teddy, but she tells him she doesn't feel the same way. Later they become friends, however, when Teddy starts coming to his house after her dates go badly.

Teddy's on and off boyfriend Andrew Perkins returns and asks her to go with him to Germany and work at a hospital there. Teddy tells Henry that she decided to go to Germany with Dr. Perkins, which prompts Burton to ask for a divorce from Teddy. She agrees and implies Burton does not need her any longer because he has his old job back and his own insurance. In the season finale, Teddy decides against her earlier decision to go to Germany along with Dr. Perkins and decides to stay back with Henry. She kisses Henry and tells him that she thinks she is falling in love with him. ("Unaccompanied Minor").

Softball Game
When Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital went up against Seattle Presbyterian Hospital in a softball game, Teddy begged Owen to let her pitch, trying to get Henry, a former pro baseball player, to back her up. Owen, hearing that he was a pro ball player, hired Henry temporarily as an administrative assistant so that he could play on their team. He helped Owen decide where to put the players.

However, during the game, Henry noticed that all the doctors are pretty terrible at softball. After the game, he thanked them for bringing him on to play, even if he didn't actually help them much. ("Put Me In, Coach")

Shadowing Teddy
Henry came to the hospital to watch Teddy operate. He observed several surgeries and had a good time. At the end of the day, he confessed to Teddy that he wanted to go to medical school. She was not receptive to that idea. However, when she went home to make up with him, she found him coughing up blood. ("Heart-Shaped Box")

Death
Teddy took Henry to the ER. He had a CT, which revealed a tumor near his heart, causing bleeding in his lungs and trachea. Richard was planning to operate by opening his chest, but Teddy wanted it done with a bronchoscope. She wanted Cristina to do it. Cristina wasn't informed of the patient's identity (she was told he was a "35-year-old male") until after the surgery. ("Dark Was the Night")

Cristina explained to Teddy how initially she planned to remove the tumor using a broncoscope and a laser, but as there was too much bleeding she had to open him up. When she opened him up, she saw that his tumor had eroded the pulmonary artery and there was too much damage. Dr. Webber and herself used extraordinary measures, but his heart could not tolerate the excessive bleeding. He did not survive the surgery. ("This Magic Moment")

Teddy Altman
Henry met Teddy in an elevator at the hospital and asked her how he looked, as he was going to propose to his girlfriend. She told him his girlfriend would be a fool to say no. She did say no, which Henry told Teddy about when they ran into each other again. She took interest in his case and learned he wanted to marry his girlfriend in order to get insurance, as his own maxed out. Teddy then suggested she marry him, as she had a great insurance.

They got married and Teddy became his emergency contact person, as he had no one else. Teddy initially didn't want it to be more than just paperwork and the insurance thing, but she grew to like him and they became good friends.

Unseen Girlfriend
When he first appeared, Henry had a cater waiter girlfriend. He asked her to marry him for her insurance, but she declined. Henry understood her, because his primary reason to ask her was her insurance, although he stated that he genuinely liked her.

Familial
Henry lost both of his parents around 2005 and 2006. He has one sister who lives in Prague, but they don't appear to have that close of a relationship, as he described his sister as "being a long story".

Friendships
Because of his condition, which always made him the new guy who was always sick, it was difficult for Henry to make any friends at all. He had one best friend, but his wife made it pretty clear how annoying Henry was because of his illness, so Henry stopped seeing his best friend.

Notes and Trivia

 * He said that he was 42 years old  ("Start Me Up"), but when Cristina had to operate on him, she was told he was a "35-year old male". ("Suddenly")
 * He was pronounced dead at 8:52 PM. ("Dark Was the Night")
 * Richard tried to save him for twenty minutes before Cristina called it. ("Dark Was the Night")

Appearances
Henry Burton Henry Burton