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in: All Episodes, GA Episodes, GA S20 Episodes
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I Carry Your Heart

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“ Research suggests that up to 40% of our day is spent acting out existing habits rather than making new decisions. From sleep to personal hygiene to diet and exercise. Some of our habits serve us well. Others can be more complicating. If you want to change a habit, behavioral scientists suggests starting small. Make one minor adjustment over time, it creates a domino effect that helps us make bigger chances down the line. Make a radical change and you've set yourself up for failure. The principle of the domino effect is a double-edged sword. It can help us build healthy habits but it can lead to destructive tendencies as well. One small misstep becomes one bad habit. Of course, none of us is perfect and so much is out of our control. All you can do is make the best choices available to you and hope they don't come back to bite you. ”

I Carry Your Heart is the ninth episode of the twentieth season and the 429th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary[]

Just as Amelia comes to a realization, Teddy encourages her and Meredith to speed up their Alzheimer's research over fear of Catherine finding out. Mika finds herself caught in the middle of Link and Jo. Meanwhile, Lucas receives bad news.

Full Summary[]

Jo comes home to find Link making a celebratory dinner for her last day as a general surgeon. He already put the kids to bed so it's just them tonight. They start making out.

Owen shows Teddy the curriculum description of his bleeding intervention program. She says it looks good. He inquires about the budget but she entices him instead of answering.

Lucas and Simone make out in an on-call room.

Mika, Jules, and Benson are playing cards with Dorian. Taryn drops by and invites Mika to get something to eat together but Mika brushes her off with an excuse about labs. Benson calls time of death on their relationship but Mika insists that they're trying.

Amelia is shocked to find Catherine in her lab. Catherine claims she likes to pop in to see where her money is going. Amelia offers to answer questions she may have but Catherine has seen everything she needs to. Amelia calls Meredith and tells her they have a problem.

Richard greets Maggie Pierce as she gets off the elevator. She came by to deliver bad news to a patient she has been treating for a long time. They run into Winston. After some awkward small talk, Winston leaves to prep for a surgery.

Bailey and Lucas meet with Teddy. Sam Sutton's family has decided to settle with the hospital. The GME council is recommending that Lucas remediate his intern year because they are not confident he can properly move forward in his surgical training. Catherine will make the final decision. Lucas reiterates the circumstances of his going rogue. Teddy clarifies that it's Lucas's judgment that is in question. Lucas leaves the room.

Winston meets Simone and Monica in Mason Peterson's room. He interrupts the parents' bickering. Mason was admitted for new onset congestive heart failure secondary to idiopathic pulmonary hypertension. The surgeons announce that they found a heart and lungs for him. Monica will do the procurement. The parents hug their son.

Maggie selects Lucas to be on her service, ignoring Levi's statement that he is assigned to the pit. Maggie introduces Lucas to Brady. Lucas perfectly presents the case. Maggie is excited to finally meet Ian, whom Brady has told her a lot about. Brady knows Maggie is here to deliver bad news. She confirms that the chronic rejection is causing his heart to fail, meaning they have to put him back on the transplant list. Brady starts spiraling because he thinks his life is over, bringing up marriage. Maggie tells him not to lose hope.

Nick, Meredith, and her kids are having breakfast in Boston. Ellis and Bailey set off to look for a specific pair of Bailey's gloves while Nick and Meredith talk to Zola about ways to hold a scalpel. Nick shows Meredith a house that just got on the market. The doorbell rings. It's Amelia. She brought all the hard drives and papers.

Richard tells Bailey that Dorian passed all his swallow studies, meaning they can advance him to a soft food diet. Bailey notices his white blood cell count is slightly elevated. Richard is not worried. Dorian's progress is remarkable. Bailey wants more tests to rule out infection. Richard has heard about Lucas. Bailey ignores that and leaves.

Teddy is on the phone with Meredith and Amelia. She's not sure if Catherine is actually on to them or just sniffing around everyone's labs. Meredith requests that Teddy stall Catherine so they can rush to analyze everything they have so far. Even if they powered through, without a team, it would still take four days. Meredith asks which interns are on Teddy's service.

Winston runs into Maggie in the attendings' lounge. She tells him she put Brady back on the transplant list. He offers her coffee and asks if she's available to scrub in on the heart-lung transplant. She knows Mason and gladly accepts. Winston apologizes about not having signed the divorce papers yet. Maggie already told her lawyers to be patient. Winston comments that that is her bossy side he knows so well.

Teddy tells Jules and Benson that she needs them to work on an important, highly classified project. She needs them to enter gut microbiome sequences into the database. She leaves them to it. As they start working, Simone comes in asking if they have seen Lucas. She notices that are being secretive. Benson offers to trade with her for a place in the heart-lung transplant. She doesn't care that much about their secret.

Jo consults Link on a tailgut cyst found in one of her OB patients. She thinks they can monitor it closely as the patient is asymptomatic but Link opts to remove it since it carries the risk of malignant transformation. Jo says the risk of transformation is very low. He shows Mika the scan. Jo says operating could endanger the pregnancy and bladder function so she prefers to watch and wait.

Lucas meets Ian outside Brady's room. Ian was already thinking about proposing before Brady brought up marriage. He already had his grandfather's ring on him but he didn't know if it would fit, so he put it on Brady's finger after he fell asleep. Ian acknowledges it was a bad idea. They head into the room. The heart failure caused his fingers to swell so Ian can't get it off. As Brady continues to be asleep, Lucas manages to get the ring off with some vaseline. Ian is still deciding when to pop the question. Moments later, Brady starts crashing. Lucas initiates a code blue.

Lucas repeatedly defibrillates. Maggie rushes into the room as Lucas gets a rhythm. Brady's ejection fraction has dropped to 15%. Maggie decides to put Brady on ECMO. She instructs Lucas to inform UNOS of Brady's decline.

Jules and Benson are working on the upload in an on-call room. Jules wrote a code that'll do the work for them. She taught herself to write code in high school so she could write a code to rig online sweepstakes. She won a jacuzzi once. He challenges her to write code to optimize his dating apps.

Simone finally finds Lucas. He tells her they're making him repeat his intern year. Simone is prepared to stand up for him but he just tells her to let it go.

Mika asks Jo for Ms. Patel's MRN so she can schedule her procedure. Mika informs her that Link talked to Carina about it and the patient choose to get the procedure. Jo is frustrated that she was not consulted.

Winston meets Monica in the scrub room. Maggie had to leave to put a patient on ECMO. Simone wonders why UNOS won't accept Mason's heart as a donor. Winston says it's adapted to Mason's pulmonary hypertension, so not only would the patient need to be a match, there would need to be similar physiological conditioning. Winston gets an idea and sends Simone out to check on something.

Amelia and Meredith are in the latter's office. Amelia asks if Nick has moved in yet. Meredith says no. Meredith says they won't present their findings to Catherine but publish an abstract, like they originally planned. Meredith won't risk Catherine pulling the plug on them. They need independent funding. Amelia is scared of rubbing Catherine the wrong way. The Foundation funds her other research and is the major stakeholder of Grey Sloan. Also, she feels like their research would make all of Derek's work in the field obsolete. Meredith thinks he would understand that. Amelia knows it's irrational but doing this means burying her brother deeper. Meredith understands but she has come too far to throw in the towel now. Amelia gets emotional and leaves.

Maggie tells Ian that the ECMO will buy them some time. Simone comes up and tells Maggie that Winston is preserving the cardiac graft from his heart-lung transplant. The heart is a match. The infectious diseases screening was negative and the valvular function is good for transplant. Ian overheard part of their conversation. Maggie explains that there might be an option but a lot of stars would need to align for it to be possible. Maggie needs to check with UNOS first.

Teddy wants to talk to Owen as a former Chief. She comes clean about her using the discretionary budget to fund Meredith's research. Teddy believes in the project and she did not think that Catherine would notice. Owen confesses that he went to Catherine looking for funding for his project. Owen thinks she should go to Catherine to come clean, which is better than getting caught.

Winston has completed the aortic anastomosis. They start to take Mason off of bypass. Maggie enters the OR to inspect the heart. Winston says it would be a miracle of this worked. He wishes more people were organ donors. He starts cardiac massage on Mason's new heart to no avail. He uses the internal paddles while Maggie tells him the SVC on Mason's native heart is too narrow to be a fit. Lucas suggests they stent it, which Maggie says won't be enough. After two more shocks, Mason's new heart finally starts beating. Winston leaves Levi and Monica to close and joins Maggie. Winston suggests they reconstruct the SVC with a bovine patch. He is confident that they can handle this.

Jules inquires what Benson is looking for on the apps. He says no one is actually looking for a relationship on dating apps. She shows him an promising profile but he shows no interest. He thinks she is jealous. He recalls her telling him she loved him. She admits to having a little crush on him but she deems him to be a cold, she'll get over him and it'll be like it never happened. He leans in and starts kissing her.

Nick meets Meredith in her office. She tells him about the Catherine situation. It means they need to move faster. Meredith insists on publishing. Nick inquires what'll happen if she gets fired from the Foundation. She will continue the work elsewhere. Nick is not prepared to uproot his life again. He's basically living in a dorm room now. She told him months ago that she wanted to move in with him but it still hasn't happened. He wants an actual life with her. He wants to marry her and she can't even be bothered to consult him before she burns everything to the ground.

Mika is caught on the elevator with Link and Jo. She brings up his going over her head. He talked to Carina about his reservations while working on another case together. Jo hates that he did not consult her. Link says he wanted to talk to someone with more experience in the field than her. Mika runs off the elevator as soon as the doors open.

As Winston and Maggie work on the heart, Lucas wonders what happens to Brady if this doesn't work. He'll stay on ECMO while they wait for a match. Monica informs them that Levi did an excellent job placing the sternal wires. Lucas inquires about the stitch they'll use for the patch. Maggie uses a smaller stitch than what is the norm because she finds it gives her better control. That's why she usually doesn't have residents assist her when placing a patch so she doesn't teach them bad habits. Occasionally, there is an overachiever, like Winston, who insists on being in the OR with you to learn all your secrets. Winston and Maggie finish their work. They are confident it'll work. She has Brady prepped for the transplant. Maggie and Winston share a look.

Benson and Jules cuddle in bed after sex. He won a trip to the Bahamas once after he moved back home to care for his mother. There was a towny bar that had this promotion where you got an entry to win a trip for two with every drink that you bought. He convinced the bar owners to extend the deadline so his mom could go with him, but she died before they could take the trip. So he went with his girlfriend. He broke his arm and she got sun poisoning. Jules says he needs a redo. Benson starts getting dressed. She reiterates that this doesn't make them a thing. He goes to say the timing is not right. She cuts him off, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of breaking this off. She says they are good. He is just a cold.

Amelia drops by Meredith's office to pick up her stuff before heading back to the airport. Meredith says the interns just uploaded the last data set. The results reveal a definite correlation between gut microbiomes and Alzheimer's disease progression. This might mean people can be diagnosed before they become symptomatic, and the disease might be prevented altogether if they can alter the gut microbiome. Meredith admits she has thought about Derek but mostly about her mother. The disease robbed her of her entire identity. Amelia knows it is personal for Meredith. She just doesn't want the world to forget about Derek. Meredith says they can find another way if Amelia is not comfortable with publishing, but Amelia says both Ellis and Derek would want them to push through. That is how they can honor them. That means they have an abstract to write.

Monica and Winston inform Mason's parents that the procedure went well. They can see him once he's gotten settled in the CCU. Mason's father asks about the person who received Mason's heart. Ian overhears him and he thanks the parents. They all hug. Maggie notices that Lucas appears disheartened and follows him. She compliments his work today. She offers him a categorical position at the heart center in Chicago. He'd train at the University of Chicago and do research with her team. She thinks he would do well. He always imagined himself doing neuro. She imagines that is because of his family, but Cardio is pretty great, too. He should think about it.

Maggie is amazed that Winston remembers her teaching him the cardiac patch stitch. He remembers everything she taught him. She leans in to kiss him but he turns his head away. He understands. Celebrating after an amazing save in the OR is what they do, or rather, did. He thinks it's time for them to let go. He hands her the signed papers. She looks forward to their next miraculous surgery together. He tells her goodbye. She gets in her cab without looking back.

Lucas tells Simone about Maggie's offer. She agrees it sounds like a great opportunity. He is considering it.

Richard informs Bailey that all of Dorian's scans and repeat labs came back clean. He's made it. Richard brings up the ABSITE results coming in today. The interns have come really far in the last few months. They are finally where she needs them to be. She hopes no one else has to start over. Richard notes that she has come to care for them. He understands.

Mika finds Taryn in the ER. She can't do this anymore. She thinks Taryn is incredible. When they first met, Taryn's smile made her forget all her troubles in the world. But now Taryn is her boss and she can't put that aside. She thinks neither of them has feelings strong enough to prioritize their relationship over their career. She thinks Taryn would do the same if the roles were reversed.

Teddy comes clean to Catherine about funding Meredith's research. She apologizes for doing it. Catherine appreciates her honesty. It tells her that Teddy is a woman of great principle. Teddy is relieved that Catherine understands. Catherine didn't say that.

Monica sits down with Winston at Joe's. She orders them both a beer to celebrate saving two lives today. She notices his lack of enthusiasm. They toast.

Link comes home and apologizes to Jo for the way he handled things today. Jo apologizes, too. It's harder than she anticipated to go back to being a resident. She thinks they should keep work and home separate. If they ever have to work together, they should keep it strictly professional. He starts kissing her.

Monica and Winston are on their third beer. He says he signed divorce papers today. She laughs and says she also just got divorced. They exchange details about their wedding. They agree it's going to suck for a while.

Winston and Monica enter his apartment and proceed to have sex.

Meredith comes home and finds Nick waiting for her. He put the kids to bed. She got a bottle of his favorite wine. He proceeds to head out. He's going to sleep in his own bed tonight. Meredith admits she's bad at maintaining relationships. She always has been. Nick says that doesn't make him feel better. Meredith is not sure that she can marry him but she does love him. She can promise to love him forever, or as long as she can remember him. He says love is not the issue. She knows the issue is that she puts work before him. She admits to doing that but she assures him that's not forever. If he loves her, he'll support her as she moves forward. She asks him if he's in. She receives a call from Teddy. He tells her to take it and leaves. Meredith answers the call.

Teddy tells Meredith that Catherine just fired her.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Guest Stars[]

Co-Starring[]

Medical Notes[]

Dorian Cardenas[]

  • Diagnosis:
  • Treatment:

Dorian passed his swallow study and way able to move from full liquids to a soft-food diet. His white count was slightly elevated, so they ordered extra labs, cultures, and a chest x-ray. His repeat labs and scans were all normal.

Mason Peterson[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Idiopathic pulmonary hypertension
    • Congestive heart failure
  • Treatment:
    • Heart-lung transplant

Mason, 16, had idiopathic pulmonary hypertension which caused congestive heart failure. A heart-lung transplant became available for him. Simone questioned why, since his heart was only failing because of his lungs, it couldn't be given to someone else. Winston told her it was adapted to the pulmonary hypertension, so they needed someone who could handle it and found that in Brady Hauser. After his transplant, his parents were told he'd be okay.

Brady Hauser[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Myocardial infarction
    • Chronic cardiac graft vasculopathy
  • Treatment:
    • Steroids
    • Anti-thymocite globulin
    • Heart transplant

Brady 42, had had a heart transplant four years prior and was back in the hospital after a myocardial infarction. An intravascular ultrasound showed chronic cardiac graft vasculopathy, so they gave him steroids and anti-thymocyte globulin. Maggie told him that his body was rejecting his heart, causing it to fail, and they needed to put him on the transplant list. While waiting, Brady coded and had to be placed on ECMO. They found a heart for him from Mason Peterson, was getting a heart-lung transplant. His heart was only failing because of his lungs, so they said his heart might be suitable for transplant. Maggie evaluated the heart, but said the SVT was too narrow and it wouldn't fit. Lucas suggested a stent, but she said that wouldn't be enough. Winston suggested reconstructing it with a bovine pericardial patch. Maggie did so and then transplanted the heart into Brady.

Ms. Patel[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Pregnancy
    • Tailgut cyst
  • Treatment:
    • Surgical resection

Ms. Patel was 17 weeks pregnant with a cystic mass behind her uterus. Jo wanted to watch it closely, but got a consult from Link, who recommended removal because it had the potential to become malignant. Jo was insistent, so Link said they could monitor it, but they needed to be careful. However, he then went to Carina, who agreed that they needed to operate.

Music[]

Song Performer Scene
"6 feet under" Kenzie
  • Link cooks and talks to Jo.
  • They start kissing and undressing.
  • Owen shares his plans with Teddy.
  • She distracts him with sex.
  • Simone and Lucas kiss and undress.
  • The interns play cards with Dorian.
  • Mika tells the others she and Taryn are going to keep trying.
  • Amelia finds Catherine in the lab.
""
  • Meredith and Amelia talk about their research.
  • Monica and Winston update Mason's parents.
  • Ian overhears the conversation and thanks them.
  • Maggie offers Lucas a job.
"The Vase" Bre Kennedy
  • Winston gives Maggie the signed papers and they say goodbye.
  • Lucas tells Simone about the job offer.
  • Richard and Bailey talk about Dorian and the interns.
""
  • Monica and Winston talk at the bar.
"There Are Lines" Alex Lambert
  • Link and Jo make up and set rules.
  • Winston and Monica share medical stories.
  • They talk about their failed marriages.
  • Monica and Winston strip and kiss.
  • Meredith and Nick talk about their relationship.
  • Nick leaves when Meredith's phone rings.
  • Teddy tells Meredith that Catherine fired her.

Notes and Trivia[]

  • This episode's title originated from the song I Carry Your Heart, originally sung by Michael Hedges.
  • This episode scored 3.02 million viewers.[1]

Gallery[]

Episode Stills[]

Behind the Scenes[]

Quotes[]

See Also[]

A complete overview of this episode's crew can be found here.

References[]

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