Kai Bartley is a neuroscientist who worked for David Hamilton at The Grey Center.
History[]
Work at the Grey Center[]
Kai is a neuroscientist doing stem cell research. Amelia and Meredith were both familiar with their work. They met Meredith and Amelia when they came to Minnesota to hear David Hamilton's pitch for them to work together to cure Parkinson's Disease. ("Some Kind of Tomorrow")
Kai continued to work with Amelia after Amelia returned to Seattle, using video calls to share research. Kai then asked if Amelia could return to Minnesota soon to help them work out some kinks. Amelia said she would. Kai then helped Amelia get some relief from the heat by having her imagine being somewhere very cold. ("Hotter Than Hell")
Their research continued when Amelia and Meredith returned to Minnesota, along with newly-recruited Tom Koracick. In order to get approval for the next step, they first had to prove to the FDA that the cells would survive, so they began running trials to figure out a way to keep the cells from dying with the help of some gel brains provided by Tom. ("Bottle Up and Explode!")
On Thanksgiving, they sent Amelia a video, taken the night before, of a mechanized injector that allowed them to inject the cells without them clumping. ("Everyday Is a Holiday (With You)")
When David fell, he put pressure on the team to work more quickly to meet the FDA's requirements to get compassionate release so he could get treated soon. Kai, Gavin, and Amelia ran trial after trial all day, trying various things to improve cell viability. When several trials failed, Kai took a fifteen minute break and got some chips. They and Amelia talked about the project while walking around. Amelia asked if Kai had ever worked on something for years that ultimately didn't go anywhere. They said no, but they had done months. Afterward, they rented a house in Hawaii for the summer, learned to surf and grow their own pineapple, then came back and started again. Finally, Amelia had the idea to cool the needle they were using to inject the cells to keep them cool. They tried various temperatures and one gave them 92% cell viability, enough to satisfy the FDA and allow for compassionate use. ("Today Was a Fairytale")
The FDA gave them a small window to do the surgery. Knowing that doing it in Minnesota would draw too much attention, Kai and David flew to Seattle to do the surgery at Grey Sloan instead. However, Kai determined that David had a low-grade fever, forcing them to cancel his surgery. The fever turned out to be due to a perforated bowel, so he had surgery on that instead. ("It Came Upon a Midnight Clear")
David's surgery went well, but both Meredith and Kai admonished him for not admitting to the pain sooner, as it jeopardized all their work. ("No Time to Die")
When Hamilton was sufficiently healed from his abdominal surgery, they prepared to do the experimental treatment. On the day of, Kai said all the cells were within the temperature range. Once everything was ready, Hamilton was taken to the OR. Hamilton had wanted the surgery to be private, but Meredith told him it was a teaching hospital, so she wanted to open the surgery up to all hospital staff to watch, which many of them did. As they did the final preparations, Kai awkwardly explained what they'd done to the residents. Then they proceeded with the surgery. There was a brief hiccup when Amelia was paged for another surgery, but Tom went in her place, allowing her to continue. The rest of the surgery went forward without incident. After it was over, Kai wondered how Amelia could have even considered leaving the OR until they realized that Amelia loves so deeply and fiercely. ("Legacy")
With the surgery a success, Kai and Amelia worked together to complete their report. They decided they needed to make Hamilton's bowel obstruction seem less like his own fault, so they carefully worded that section of the report. Once they were finished, Kai invited Amelia to a show, where they performed with their band. At the end of the night, Amelia went home with Kai and they had sex. The next morning, Kai told Amelia she could stay, but Amelia said she had to leave because she's a mom and she missed her son whenever she was in Minnesota. ("The Makings of You")
Talk with Meredith[]
When David surprised Meredith with a job offer after she presented his case to the staff at the Mayo Clinic, Kai encouraged her to consider it, saying that David was really a kind, supportive guy. Kai knew him before they changed their name and pronouns and he never once mixed up and said they were brave and that he was proud of them. ("Put the Squeeze On Me")
Testing Richard[]
Kai and David came to Seattle on Richard's request to test his skills to see if he needed to retire. Before the testing started, Kai talked to Amelia, who said that Richard needed to pass the test. The testing began and took several hours. The testing was interrupted when Richard got a call from Levi Schmitt and left to help him treat his mother, causing Kai to question his judgment, as he hadn't said a word to them before leaving. While Richard spoke to Jamarah Blake and MaryAnn Suchan about the residency program, they taped Levi Schmitt speaking about his own experience with the team. Richard then returned to the testing room and completed his tests. Kai told him he'd passed. ("Put It to the Test")
Meredith's Party[]
Kai attended the party at Meredith's house for everyone to get to know Nick. At the party, they ended up playing hide and seek with Meredith's children. Later in the party, they talked to Amelia outside and said they never want children and meeting Scout at the party made him real in a way he hadn't been before. They said they didn't want to lead Amelia on, as they'd been led on before. ("Stronger Than Hate")
Article[]
Not long after the party, the article Kai, Amelia, and Meredith wrote about David's case was published. ("You Are the Blood")
Surprising Amelia and Evaluating Zola[]
Kai came to Seattle to surprise Amelia. Because Amelia was working, Kai decided to get some work done in a lab. While they were there, they learned that Zola Grey Shepherd had mastered several difficult puzzles. They told Meredith Zola was extremely gifted. ("Let's Talk About Sex")
Planned Visit[]
Kai and Amelia FaceTimed about Kai's upcoming visit. Amelia made Kai promise not to judge too hard as she was still setting her new place up. ("Love Don't Cost a Thing")
New Job[]
Kai came to Seattle to visit Amelia, who was having a hard time because Maggie was moving away shortly after Meredith had moved. Kai and Amelia spent the day in bed and Kai reassured Amelia that she would be okay without them. At the end of the day, Amelia asked Kai not to go back to Minnesota. They said they weren't, because they'd been offered a job in London and had accepted it. ("Shadow of Your Love")
Kai came to work with Amelia because Amelia had offered them use of her lab equipment. While they were working, Amelia came to Kai and asked them to help with a patient who needed an alternative solution for spinal fusion as she was allergic to the metal in the screws they'd placed to hold her neck together. Kai used a 3D printer to make a scaffolding her body could use to stabilize her spine. She would lose some mobility in her neck, but would regain the mobility in her body. In an attempt to get Kai to stay, Amelia had Teddy offer Kai a lab facility at Grey Sloan, but Kai said their relationship worked because it was long distance, which meant Amelia could spend half her time with Scout and the other half with Kai. They also expressed disappointment that Amelia immediately made their departure about her, and never once congratulated them. ("Mama Who Bore Me")
Relationships[]
Romantic[]
Amelia Shepherd[]
Kai and Amelia began flirting with each other shortly after their first meeting. ("Some Kind of Tomorrow")
Finally, one night, they each attempted to be the last person out of the lab. Kai said they were typically the last one to leave, but agreed to leave first so Amelia could win some points with Hamilton. Before they left, Kai asked about Amelia's family, whom Tom had mentioned. Amelia told Kai about her son and his dad, but then said she was single. Kai said they were also single. ("Bottle Up and Explode!")
After a major breakthrough in their research, they asked Amelia to go get dinner, but Amelia had to catch a flight back to Seattle. ("Today Was a Fairytale")
When Kai and David came to Seattle for David's surgery, Kai and Amelia kissed outside the hospital after Amelia used guided meditation to help Kai calm down. ("It Came Upon a Midnight Clear")
After Owen's surgery, Kai met Amelia at Joe's, where Amelia explained that her life was messy. ("No Time to Die")
Once Hamilton's surgery was successfully completed, Kai and Amelia worked together to finish their report. They finished and then Kai invited Amelia to their band's performance. After the performance, Amelia went home with Kai and they had sex. The next morning, Kai told Amelia she didn't have to leave, but Amelia insisted that she did because she was a mom who missed her son. ("The Makings of You")
At Meredith's party, Kai ended things between them after meeting Scout, because they never wanted children and didn't want to lead Amelia on any longer. ("Stronger Than Hate")
After the breakup, they texted that they missed Amelia. Later, they came to the hospital and told Amelia they couldn't sleep and the two of them kissed. ("You Are the Blood")
Kai surprised Amelia in Seattle and they had sex. ("Let's Talk About Sex")
They broke up when Kai was offered and accepted a job running a new lab in London. ("Mama Who Bore Me")
Familial[]
Their mother wanted them to go to medical school. ("Today Was a Fairytale")
They have a sister with children. Their grandmother constantly nags them about having children. ("The Makings of You")
Career[]
They are a neuroscientist working at The Grey Center within The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
Notes and Trivia[]
- They went to Johns Hopkins Medical School a few years behind Amelia Shepherd when the latter was a completing a surgical residency.
- They took a post-grad seminar with Tom Koracick.[1]
- They need very little sleep to function.[2]
- They used to swim.[3]
- They have a cat.[4]
- They believe in an afterlife.[5]
- They're in a band.[6]
- They have plants named Ringo, Janis, and Tina.[7]
- They hate public speaking, but view performing differently.[8]
- According to them, they miss three on the Stroop test on a good day.[9]
- As a child, they liked the y-shaped train track pieces.[10]
Gallery[]
Episodic[]
Episode Stills[]
Appearances[]
| Grey's Anatomy, Season 18 | |||||
| #01 | "Here Comes the Sun" | #08 | "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" | #15 | "Put It to the Test" |
| #02 | "Some Kind of Tomorrow" | #09 | "No Time to Die" | #16 | "Should I Stay or Should I Go" |
| #03 | "Hotter Than Hell" | #10 | "Living In a House Divided" | #17 | "I'll Cover You" |
| #04 | "With a Little Help From My Friends" | #11 | "Legacy" | #18 | "Stronger Than Hate" |
| #05 | "Bottle Up and Explode!" | #12 | "The Makings of You" | #19 | "Out for Blood" |
| #06 | "Everyday Is a Holiday (With You)" | #13 | "Put the Squeeze On Me" | #20 | "You Are the Blood" |
| #07 | "Today Was a Fairytale" | #14 | "Road Trippin'" | ||
| Grey's Anatomy, Season 19 | |||||
| #01 | "Everything Has Changed" | #08 | "All Star" | #15 | "Mama Who Bore Me" |
| #02 | "Wasn't Expecting That" | #09 | "Love Don't Cost a Thing" | #16 | "Gunpowder and Lead" |
| #03 | "Let's Talk About Sex" | #10 | "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" | #17 | "Come Fly With Me" |
| #04 | "Haunted" | #11 | "Training Day" | #18 | "Ready to Run" |
| #05 | "When I Get to the Border" | #12 | "Pick Yourself Up" | #19 | "Wedding Bell Blues" |
| #06 | "Thunderstruck" | #13 | "Cowgirls Don't Cry" | #20 | "Happily Ever After?" |
| #07 | "I'll Follow the Sun" | #14 | "Shadow of Your Love" | ||
References[]
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