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Picture the life you dreamed of living. The person you pictured being with. Picture the job you dreamed you'd have. Are you living the life you envisioned for yourself? Are you who you wanted to be when you grew up? Open your eyes. Take a good look around you. How's the view? Do you like what you see? Think back again to when you were little. Are you living the life you pictured for yourself? Or are you still dreaming of something even bigger?

When I Grow Up is the eighteenth episode of the eleventh season and the 238th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary[]

A school field trip to the hospital takes a dramatic turn when the kids witness two injured cops enter the emergency room. Meanwhile, Stephanie sets her eyes on one of the chaperones, Callie operates on the leg of the police captain, and Amelia must face her feelings for Owen.

Full Summary[]

Maggie and Meredith are on the catwalk talking about how Derek's back. Meredith makes a face and then explains to Maggie that she's happy. She said she realized she has everything she ever wanted. Maggie wants to punch her face. Meredith says she would beat herself up, but she's too tired. Maggie cuts her off and asks if she's too tired because of all the sex she's having. Meredith says she's blessed and Maggie walks away.

Owen watches Amelia sleep.

Richard introduces himself to the class visiting the hospital. He says he likes to think of himself as a teacher first and foremost. They gather around him to take a group picture.

Derek explains that he has a few loose ends to tie up in DC, so he'll be flying back and forth for a while and then he'll be back for good. Owen says he needs to get approval. Derek asks why, as he's already on the board. Owen clarifies that he needs to get approval from Amelia. Derek says he'll ask Amelia.

Amelia is talking to the kids about her job. They're fascinated by her working on brains. Derek steps up beside her. Richard introduces him and Derek says he's Amelia's brother and he works for her. One of the kids, AJ, is amazed that Derek's sister is his boss. Richard thanks them and moves the kids on. Amelia asks Derek how hard it was for him to say that she's his boss. He says it was easy and it's not going to be like it was before. He won't be stealing her patients or trying to take her job. Amelia is doubtful, saying he doesn't do second place. He asks her to give him a chance. She says she doesn't have anything for him that day. She's clipping an aneurysm and that's it. She says she'll let him know and walks away. He says she won't make it fun, will she? She says it's a lot of fun for her.

Stephanie is going through profiles on a dating app quickly. Jo says she's going too fast. Stephanie says once you've been on it for a while, you can spot problems really quickly. A man is 32 and wearing a letterman jacket, so he's out. She shows Jo a few more problematic things. Jo says Stephanie's pickiness is keeping her from going on dates. She also says that Stephanie needs to expand her horizons. Stephanie jokes that her horizons haven't been expanded in a very long time. "Gross! I mean, yes, but gross!" Jo says and walks away. Stephanie laughs at her own joke.

Jackson tells the kids he's a plastic surgeon and introduces Ben and tells the kids they're the "Plastics Posse." The kids aren't impressed. Richard tells the kids they're going to the ER. Jackson tries to high-five them as they leave, but they ignore him. Jackson asks Ben to cover for him as he has a teleconference that day. Ben says he's not on Jackson's service, but Jackson says he's always on his service in spirit. Jackson wants to hear Ben say Plastics Posse just once, but he refuses.

Nick stops Stephanie and says he lost his kids. He's with the class that's touring the hospital. She says they went to the ER and takes him there after saying he's a terrible chaperone.

April tells the kids about trauma. The kids notice when a cop car pulls up outside. Dan Pruitt brings in Brett Gibson, who was shot in the neck during a robbery. Julie Hamilton, another one of the kids, watches in amazement before she is led away with the other kids.

The kids are in the hall and watch as doctors rush by. Susan Hamilton suggests that they just take the kids out, but Marcy can't get a hold of the bus driver and he's not due back until 3. Richard tells Stephanie to take the kids to see the babies and keep them away from the scary stuff.

Dan explains that three armed suspects came into the bank and held the place up. He and Brett went in first, but they started shooting as soon as they saw cops. The doctors are assessing Peter Gibson. He has two gunshot wounds to the upper left chest and three in his abdomen. He asks about Brett. Dan tells Pete that two of the guys were armed. Brett took one down and nabbed the other one. He says Brett saved his life. Pete has blood in his chest cavity, so they needed to insert chest tubes on both sides to relieve the pressure before they could take him into surgery. Callie clears his C-spine and gets out of their way.

Callie sees Dan and notices that he's bleeding. He says he's fine, but she tells him he was shot in the leg and takes him to treat it. Dan tells Pete he's right outside and goes with her.

A nurse tells Owen that the officers' mom is there. He goes to speak with her. Richard and Maggie put in Pete's chest tubes.

Owen tells Sharon Gibson about Pete's injuries. He says he'll update her as soon as he can and goes to leave, but she stops and asks which son he's talking about. Brett and Pete are both her sons.

April and Meredith are assessing Brett, who was shot in the neck and abdomen. The bullet in his neck damaged his trachea. April put in a crike to maintain his breathing. Owen comes in and informs them that Brett and Pete are brothers and Pete's injuries are severe, so he asks them not to let their mother lose two sons in the same day.

Callie has to ask the cops to move aside to she can get to Dan to treat him. She asks Dan to ask the guys to move. He says they won't listen even if he tries. Dan asks about Brett, but Callie tells him it's too early to say, but he's in good hands. She says the bullet went through his leg. With his injuries, she's surprised that he carried Brett in. She tells him he can tell his guys they can be wherever they need to be. Dan introduces himself and Callie does the same.

Just then, paramedics bring in another patient, one of the suspects. Dan tries to get up, but Callie tells him to stay off his leg. The suspect has multiple gunshot wounds to his abdomen. Bailey and Ben take him to trauma 3 and intubate him. Dan tells Callie that he's one of the suspects. He was in the car while the others were in the bank. Dan would like to know how he turns out.

Arizona and Alex are talking to the kids about the babies. She points out one she operated on before he was even born. Now he's two hours old and cute as a button. A healthy pop tart, a baby who has popped from his mother's womb. AJ asks Arizona what a womb is. She stumbles over her answer and Alex tells her she's tanking. She says she's usually really good with kids. Before she has to answer, Julie asks if the policeman they saw is going to die. She says he was shot in the throat and that's why he was gurgling blood: he couldn't breathe.

Owen asks Pete how he's doing and he says he's thinking about going for a run. His mother says he's always the wise guy. He reminds her of a previous trip to the ER and says nothing changes. He needs to learn to duck. He shares another memory with his mom of a pot luck they had with the guys. He says when they get out of there, they need to do that again, but with more people. Pete arrests and they take his mom out of the room so they can work on him.

Derek grabs a trauma gown. Amelia asks what he's doing. He says he's there to help. She didn't page him. He says he'll do whatever she tells him. She send him to clip the aneurysm for her. She believes the pause means he doesn't want to do it, but he willingly goes.

Maggie does cardiac massage on Pete and restores his heart beat, but he was down for 14 minutes. Amelia checks his pupils, but they're fixed. He's most likely brain dead. She'll do a formal exam in six hours, but they need to prepare his mother.

Owen is explaining the situation with Pete to Mrs. Gibson. He apologizes for her loss and she asks about Brett. Brett's still in surgery, but stable. She questions who would do this to her sons.

Bailey and Ben are working on the suspect. He has a possible liver injury and wounds on his back. One of the bullets is lodged near his spine, so she wants Amelia to meet them in the OR. Callie comes in and says there's a cop asking about him. She's shocked at how young the suspect is. Bailey says Callie can tell Dan that the suspect is still alive for now.

Alex shows the kids a scan of a nail impaling someone's head. They're amazed by it. Alex asks if the kids have questions. AJ gets called on and says he got a marble stuck up his nose once. Alex says that's not a question. Nick asks Stephanie if it's okay to show the kids the scans. She says they got the nail out, so it's okay. Alex then shows the kids a coffee can in a man's abdomen. Nick says that's definitely not appropriate. She says they got the can out, too. He says they'll ask how it got in there. Marcy comes in and says the bus is there, so they need to leave. She sees the scan and asks what it is. AJ tells her it's a coffee can. She calls the kids out.

Derek is scrubbing in for surgery when Owen comes in. He was expecting Amelia and is surprised to see Derek instead. Derek explains what he's doing. He says he hasn't operated in months and it feels good to be back. Derek says they should hang out more and asks if Owen fishes. Owen says he never has, so Derek says he should and they will.

Amelia says the bullet nicked the bone, but there's no cord damage. She says she'd leave the bullet in, but it's Bailey's call. Bailey says the kid's liver is shot. She has to remove it. He needs a transplant quickly. Amelia says someone else doesn't get a liver so that the shooter can get one. Bailey says they don't know the story. Amelia still isn't happy. Bailey says he's a patient. They don't need the backstory. Amelia says they lost a cop today and this kid chose to help his friends rob a bank at gun point. She leaves. Bailey tells Ben to pack the kid and then leave him with a scrub nurse so he can find his family while she goes to talk to UNOS.

Callie tells Dan that Brett is still in surgery. It's looking good for him. Then she shows him his scans. He doesn't need surgery, but he does need a splint. That means he'll need to be off of it for at least six weeks, maybe eight. Dan says after today, he might want to ride a desk for a while. 14 years on the force and the first time he had to fire his weapon on duty. First time they were fired at. Callie says she's sorry his good run is over. He then asks about the kid. She says he's still in the OR and he says he just needs something good to come out of the day.

Meredith is done with her part of Brett's surgery and April is almost done with hers. Brett becomes unstable. They check his pupils and he has no reaction.

Amelia apologize to Mrs. Gibson. Brett is also brain dead. He had a stroke during the surgery. Mrs. Gibson says his hand is warm and she can feel his breath. She woke up that morning the mother of two perfect children and she doesn't understand how this happened. Meredith apologizes again. Mrs. Gibson starts to cry.

Bailey comes back to check on the patient. UNOS didn't have anything and neither did any of the surrounding hospitals. She asked about his family. Ben says his foster parents haven't seen him since the day he came to stay with them. He's all alone. Bailey tells Ben to stay with him and keep him alive. Bailey leaves because she can't go to sleep knowing she didn't try everything.

Meredith says the day started off so well and now she has to go ask her patient's mom about donating his organs. If she's happy, does that mean someone else has to be unhappy. Mrs. Gibson lost two sons today. Callie hears her say that and Maggie tells her that Brett had a stroke on the table. Callie says they need to tell Dan. Meredith says she'll tell him as soon as she's done asking his mother about his organs. Callie says Dan also keeps asking about the kid. She thinks he wants to hear that the kid is dead. Alex tells them that he showed the kids the picture of the coffee can up some guy's butt. Callie says that's riveting and Maggie tells him to read the room. He says he was just trying to cheer them up. Bailey comes up and asks Meredith if her patient is an organ donor. She says he's about to go ask his mom. Bailey says she has a boy open in the OR who needs a liver. Meredith puts together that she's talking about the shooter. Bailey just wants Meredith to ask because he won't survive without that liver. Bailey asks her to take away the good guys and bad guys. They're just patients and this can help one of them live.

Stephanie walks the class out. Nick thanks her. Susan comes up and asks where Julie is. She can't find her. She's not on the bus. They go look for her.

Meredith is talking to Mrs. Gibson about organ donation. She says her sons were always helping people. That's why they wanted to be policemen. Well, Brett did. Pete just followed what Brett did, but he eventually found his way. She says they'd want to help people. Meredith says there's paperwork. Bailey interests about directed donation. She explains the situation and Mrs. Gibson puts together that the patient is the shooter and she refuses.

Meredith is mad at Bailey because now dozens of transplant patients have been screwed out of a chance.

Susan is talking to Michelle Curtis about her missing daughter. She's not the kind of kid who wanders off. Nick shows the officer a picture of what Julie's wearing. They also have her paged and start looking floor by floor.

Stephanie and Jo are looking for Julie as Stephanie tells Jo about Nick. She says he's great with the kids, but he might be a little too young for her. She also wonders if she can really date a teacher. Jo says she's looking for reasons to say no.

Callie is splinting Dan's leg as Meredith tells him about Brett. He asks about their mom and Meredith says she'll need all the support she can get. He thanks her and asks about the kid, Jared. Callie says they legally can't tell him. He says he's not looking to settle a score. He knows the kid. He and Brett got him into foster care and put him in juvie. He's a smart kid, but he's susceptible to bad choices. They were hoping he'd get his moment and straighten his life out. This would be it for Jared.

Meredith looks in on a mourning Mrs. Gibson, who is talking to Dan. Amelia comes up and talks to her about Derek. She says it's great for them, but she's not sure about whether or not Derek's really sure about just wanting to work. Meredith says she believes it. He's different. He knows what makes him happy now and he's choosing it. This is his moment. Bailey comes up and asks if Meredith just wants to yell at her some more. Meredith says she thinks she got her kid his liver. They look into the room, where Mrs. Gibson is hugging Dan.

Bailey retrieves the liver as Ben comes in and says Jared's ready. Bailey thanks Brett and says, "Here's your second chance, Jared." as she sends the liver for transplant.

Meredith is doing organ retrieval. The organs leaving the hospital are bagged and put into coolers and each one is given a police escort to its destination.

Derek enters the gallery to watch Meredith operate. He goes to leave, but he sees Julie. He sends Richard a text saying that he found her. She asks if she's in trouble. He says she's not supposed to be there. She says she saw that man in the ER and he was bleeding. He died, so they're taking his parts out. Derek explains that his body will help save other lives. She tells him that her grandpa had a heart transplant once. She asks if Meredith will give Brett's heart to someone else. Derek says she will. Julie says that she wants to do that, not organ donation, but being a surgeon. He tells Julie that Meredith's his wife and explains what she's doing. Julie asks how she learned all that. Derek says she went to school a lot, practiced, and she's just really great. Julie says she thinks that's what she wants to be. He says it feels good knowing what you want to do next. Susan comes in and hugs Julie.

Jared's stable after his transplant. Mrs. Gibson says he's alive because of her son. Bailey says that boy and the 37 others who were in the bank get to go home to their families tonight because of her sons. She says it's a pretty good day's work. But they also have a list of 100 people who get second chances because of her sons. They won't know who to thank, so Bailey thanks her. Mrs. Gibson says they were good boys.

Callie wheels Dan out of the hospital and helps him stand to walk on crutches. She tells him to use the crutches because it'll heel faster. He thanks her and she apologizes for his friends. He says if it were a normal day, he'd ask her out. He needs something to come out of today right. Callie says he'll need to have a follow-up visit in 10 days. He says he'll see her in 10 days.

Stephanie finds Nick and he says he's glad to get the chance to say goodbye, but he needs it to be quick, because he doesn't want to let Julie out of his sight again. Julie gets on the elevator with his mother and Nick goes to follow, but Stephanie stops him. She asks him if he'd like to hang out sometime. He asks if she'd really like to do that. She says yes. She asks him to get a drink sometime. He says he can't drink, so she changes it to coffee. He agrees and she asks about Friday night. He says that's the day of the junior prom. She asks if he chaperones high school events as well. He says no, he goes to them. She's shocked.

Jo laughs. Nick is only 17. It's his little sister's class. He's doing a teacher-helper thing because it'll look good on his college applications.

Jackson is working on Brett and Pete, making them look good for their mother. April thanks him for doing it. He says this is something Mark would have done. Mark treated him like a son, passed everything on. He got such a charge out of the "Plastics Posse." Jackson wants to pass that on, do for someone else what Mark did for him. April says that makes a lot of sense.

Derek finds Amelia out on the porch. He says it's cold and she says it's quiet. She says ever since he's been back, they've been extra loud. He should have built thicker walls. He asks if she's okay. There was a robbery, two shooting, and she declared two men dead. He kept thinking about their dad and wants to know if she's okay. She says she's happy for Derek, being back and making it work, not running. They're runners. She ran from her engagement. He ran from Addison. After their dad, when something scares them, they sprint as fast as they can, but he turned around this time, so she's inspired. He asks if their mom told her he went to go see her. She didn't. Amelia asks how it went. He says she told him he was tired and miserable and to get it together. She told him to look at his life and if it wasn't working, to shut up and fix it. He's been missing out on his life. He was watching his kids grow up on a computer. He doesn't want to miss another second. He wants to coach soccer and go to ballet recitals. He doesn't need to change the world. Clipping aneurysms, stopping bleeds, that's the fun. That's changing the world with their hands. He wonders when that stopped being enough, saving someone's life. He says it's more than enough. Amelia says she's glad he's back. She tells him she's falling for Owen and she's afraid it might destroy her. He says it wouldn't be love it if didn't.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Guest Stars[]

Co-Starring[]

Medical Notes[]

Amelia's Patient[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Aneurysm
  • Treatment:
    • Aneurysm clipping

Amelia had a patient with an aneurysm she planned to clip. When she got called away for a trauma, she had Derek clip the aneurysm.

Brett Gibson[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Gunshot wounds
    • Stroke
    • Brain death
  • Treatment:
    • Cricothyrotomy
    • Surgery
    • Tracheal repair
    • Organ harvest

Brett was shot in the neck and abdomen during a robbery. They put in a crike to keep him breathing and took him into surgery. They repaired his injuries and were about to close when he had a stroke. He was pronounced brain dead. His organs were harvested for transplant. His liver went to Jared.

Peter Gibson[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Gunshot wounds
    • Traumatic arrest
    • Brain death
  • Treatment:
    • Subclavian line
    • Chest tubes
    • Organ harvest

Peter came in after being shot in a robbery. He had been shot twice in his upper left chest and there times in his abdomen. They started a subclavian line to get access. He had blood in his chest, so they put in bilateral chest tubes. His c-spine was cleared in the ER. He was going to be taken into surgery, but he had a traumatic cardiac arrest and was down for 14 minutes before they got his heart beating normally again. Amelia said his pupils were fixed, indicating brain death. She later confirmed this. His mother agreed to donate his organs.

Dan Pruitt[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Gunshot wound
  • Treatment:
    • Splinting

Dan was shot in the leg during a robbery. The bullet went through his leg. He had a chunk of muscle missing and his bone was visible. He was told he wouldn't need surgery, just a splint. He was told he'd need to stay off the leg for 6-8 weeks and come back for a followup visit in 10 days.

Jared[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Gunshot wounds
    • Liver injury
  • Treatment:
    • Intubation
    • Central line
    • Exploratory laparotomy
    • Liver transplant

Jared, 15, was shot multiple times in his abdomen. He was intubated and they put in a central line in the ER. He had blood in his abdomen due to a liver injury. One of the bullets had hit his spine, but didn't damage his cord. Amelia told Bailey it was her call over whether to remove it or leave it. His liver was too damaged to be saved, so they removed it and continued to work as they waited for a liver to come through. There weren't any livers available, but when the two cop brothers were pronounced brain dead, their mother agreed to do a directed donation and he got Brett's liver. He survived the surgery and was stable afterward.

Arizona's Patient[]

  • Diagnosis:
  • Treatment:
    • Fetal surgery

Arizona pointed out a patient of hers whom she had operated on before he was born. He was two hours old at that point.

Music[]

Song Performer Scene
"Kiss Kiss" ELEL
  • Meredith and Maggie talk about Derek being back.
  • Owen watches Amelia sleep.
  • Richard leads the field trip tour.
  • Derek tells Owen he's coming back.
  • Owen tells him to talk to Amelia.
"Was There Nothing?" Ásgeir
  • Bailey retrieves a liver for Jared.
  • Meredith works on organ retrieval
  • April does Jared's transplant.
  • The organs leaving the hospital get police escorts.
"Cap Gun" Left Hand Smoke
  • Jo and Stephanie drink at the bar and talk about Nick.
"Mercy! You Need Saving" Neulore
  • Jackson works on Brett and Pete's bodies.
  • Derek talks to Amelia about what happened that day.
  • Derek mentions that he visited their mom.
  • Derek tells Amelia why he came back.
  • Amelia admits that she's falling for Owen.

Notes and Trivia[]

Grey's_Anatomy_11x18_Promo_"When_I_Grow_Up"_(HD)

Grey's Anatomy 11x18 Promo "When I Grow Up" (HD)

  • This episode's title originated from the song When I Grow Up, originally sung by The Pussycat Dolls.
  • This episode scored 6.64 million viewers.[1]
  • Filming for this episode was scheduled from February 18 to February 27, 2015.[source?]
  • While Jackson's making Brett and Pete's bodies look better for their mother, he mentions that that is something Mark would have done. Mark was shown doing it on Jake Burton in Yesterday.

Gallery[]

Episode Stills[]

Quotes[]

Kids: Whoa, awesome!
Alex: What did I tell you? Pretty cool, right? Questions?
AJ: I got a marble stuck in my nose once.
Alex: That's not a question.

Meredith: You know those very happy, cheerful people who have everything and when the fact that they have everything comes up, they act very humble and they say, "I'm just so blessed." Those people... you want to punch those people in the face.
Maggie: Yes. I do know those people.
Meredith: Yeah, I'm one of those people now.
Maggie: Okay.
Meredith: This morning, I was standing on my porch of my perfect house looking in the window at my amazing, perfect children and my amazing, gorgeous husband, on the way to my amazing job. And I thought to myself, "I have everything I've ever wanted. I am just so blessed."
Maggie: I really wanna pummel your face in right now.
Meredith: Right, I would beat myself up. Except I'm too tired from...
Maggie: Were you about to say that you're exhausted from all the great sex you're having?
Meredith: I am just so blessed.
Maggie: I'm gonna walk away from you now.

AJ: What is a womb?
Arizona: Oh boy.

Stephanie: Well, I'm free Friday night.
Nick: I-I can't. Friday's the junior prom.
Stephanie: You chaperone high-school events, too?
Nick: No, I-I go to them.

Jo: 17 years old?!
Stephanie: Could you maybe not scream it like that?
Jo: Oh, my God. I can't... I can't breathe. Oh! I know I told you to expand your horizons, but oh, my...

Derek: Amy, I've been missing out on everything in my life. I mean, I'm watching my kids grow up on a computer. I don't want to miss my family. I don't want to miss another second. I want to coach soccer, go to ballet recitals. I don't need to change the world. Clipping aneurysms, stopping bleeds... that's the fun. That's changing the world with our hands. When did that stop being enough? Saving someone's life? That's more than enough.
Amelia: I'm glad you're back.
Derek: Me too.
Amelia: I think I'm falling in love with Owen Hunt. And I'm really afraid that it's gonna destroy me.
Derek: It wouldn't be love if it didn't.

Amelia: You don't do second place.
Derek: I do now.

Amelia: Ever since you've been back, you guys have been reconnecting. Vigorously. You should have built thicker walls.
Derek: You okay?
Amelia: What do you mean?
Derek: I didn't want to ask you, and I'm not supposed to big-brother you. And you don't need me to. There was a robbery, two shootings, and you declared two men dead. I kept thinking about Dad. I wanted to know if you're okay.
Amelia: I'm happy for you. That you're back. That you're making it work. That you're not running.
Derek: What do you mean, "running"?
Amelia: Hey, I am not judging. We are runners. I ran from my engagement. You ran from Addison. I think, after Dad, if something scares us, we sprint fast as we can. But you turned around this time. That's something. I'm inspired.

Alex: I showed a bunch of school kids that X-ray of a coffee can stuck up some guy's butt.
Callie: Riveting.

Jackson: This is totally something Sloan would've done.
April: Really?
Jackson: Yeah. You know, he really did treat me like a son. Passed everything on. He got such a charge out it, the plastics posse. It got a little goofy sometimes, honestly, but... I want to do that. You know, pass it on to someone, the way he did for me. Whatever. I don't know if I'm making any sense.
April: It makes a lot of sense.

See Also[]

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


References[]

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