Fear (of the Unknown)

"He doesn't know that. He's an idiot. For all he knows, it could be the worst day of his life. You know how people say, 'Who knows? I could get hit by a bus tomorrow.' That seems pretty farfetched. Until you have a friend who got hit by a bus. The point is you never know what kind of day is coming. Whenever we think we know the future, even for a second, it changes. Sometimes the future changes quickly and completely. And we're left only with the choice of what to do next. We can choose to be afraid of it, to stand there, trembling, not moving, assuming the worst that can happen. Or we step forward, into the unknown, and assume it will be brilliant."

- Cristina Yang

 is the 24th and final episode of the tenth season and the 220th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary
The doctors of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital bid an emotional farewell to the beloved Cristina Yang. A possible act of terrorism rocks Seattle and causes chaos at the hospital. Meanwhile, Meredith makes a life-changing decision and one doctor receives shocking news.

Full Summary
In the trailer, Cristina is watching the weather forecast. It's gonna be a great day according to the weatherman. While Cristina's voice over says the weatherman doesn't know that, it could be the worst day of his life, Cristina herself is getting dressed again. Owen wakes up and she explains she's watching because she flies to Zurich today. He says she's said that for two weeks, but she claims only having done that because Link McNeil kept on getting close to getting a heart. She really wanted to see that through, but she can't put off Zurich anymore. There's a staff meeting on Monday and if she's not there, she'll make a terrible first impression and she'll lose control before she even starts. He asks if this is goodbye then. She asks if last night wasn't enough, but he says not. He starts kissing her, but she stops him as he made her late already. He says Meredith made them late, since they were out drinking until 2 in the morning. Because that was their big goodbye, Cristina says, but he and she will have their big goodbye at the hospital, where she'll be to check on her last conduit kid. Cristina wants to check her phone, but it is dead. It reminds her she needs to go to the mall to buy a European charger. She walks out of the trailer.

Derek comes home after visiting DC and when she asks him how it went there, he tells her they now have a place to live in DC. The deal closes in a month, but he needs her to sign the paperwork first. Hearing it's Thursday, he says he can sleep in because Amelia has all his surgeries covered. Meredith says she'll take a look at the papers tonight, but he asks her if he needs to show her the house's brochure again to remind her that she loves it.

At the hospital, Alex shows Jo a brochure of a very expensive car. It's either that or a boat, which everybody at the practice has. Arizona comes over and asks if he's looking to buy a road penis. That or a boat, Jo says. Arizona agrees with Jo that Alex isn't a boat guy. Alex is in the hospital to do his first anoplasty, which makes Alex Dr. Junior Butthole, Arizona says. Alex doesn't care about his nickname, because he'll have his car.

Richard sits down with Jackson and asks about who will fill the three empty seats on the board. Jackson informs him there's actually only one empty seat. Meredith and Derek will keep their seats and communicate from DC during meetings. Yang told him she wouldn't have time, he guesses she wants a clean break, so it's only her seat that's left open. Bailey appears in the doorway to tell them that former bubble boy Braden Morris is healthy as a horse. Richard quickly leaves for "a consult" as Jackson gets ready to deliver disappointing news to Bailey. The Foundation cut their budget, so they are unable to continue funding her genome lab. He clarifies they're shutting it down, because it's not producing the results the other projects are producing. Jackson lists the risks she took by delivering the gene therapy to Braden. Bailey doesn't understand that while two years ago, she was still whiping his butt, he's now doing this to her. She won't stand for it.

Shane meets Stephanie outside the OR and asks her about Leah. She replies Leah is still sitting on the couch, depressed, not talking about it. Stephanie says she just finished clipping an aneurysm with Shepherdess. "Shepherdess? Really?" Amelia asks. They apologize, but she actually like it. Stephanie smilingly says it previously was Shepherd's Little Sister, but Amelia advises her not to ever say that again if she likes working on neuro.

Dr. Margaret Pierce, the new head of cardio, is complaining to Owen about Cristina's behaviour towards her. Owen tells her that after a final check-up with a conduit baby, Cristina will be leaving for good. Margaret, or Maggie, has to go to a patient in pre-op, but she doesn't know her way around the hospital yet, so Owen points her towards pre-op. She assures him she's getting it.

Owen walks into the ER, where April asks to talk to him in private. He's busy and seemingly a little irritated and tells her to just tell her what she has to say. She reveals she's pregnant. She knows it'll make his life hell and starts assuring him she'll work till the baby falls out of her, but he is thrilled and happy for her. As he congratulates her, he notices a news report on the television. As April keeps on talking about the pregnancy, Owen asks a nurse to turn the television up. April notices his attention is drawn to the report. It's about an explosion at Seattle's Mall of the Woods. They're getting reports of massive fatalities and scores of people injured. April and Owen simulatenously start giving orders to prepare the hospital and the ER for the flood of incoming patients. As everyone in the ER starts moving around, the news anchor says everyone is wondering if it's an act of terrorism.

Owen is giving a press conference. He's asked if the injuries are chemical, but he's not saying that. Some patients are presenting with blisters and rashes, but the cause is yet unknown. He says they're taking proper decontamination procautins as he points to the emergency showers behind him. He assures the reporter they are fully equiped to deal with the injured. He asks that if people are coming to the hospital to look for loved ones, which reminds him of Cristina supposedly having gone to the mall, they need to come to the main entrance instead of the emergency entrance.

As Owen walks by the emergency showers, where patients are screaming in pain, Ray Pelletier from Homeland Security addresses him. They need to talk to certain patients. Owen asks Ray to follow him. They walk into a busy ER. April informs him they've taken in over 30 injured, more are on the way, and the triage areas are laid out. They also started rotating ORs, one surgeon in each, with steady turnover. Owen asks her talk to the guys from Homeland Security and help them find what they want. He points at her belly and reminds her to get a mask on, to protect herself and the baby from possible chemicals.

He gets on an elevator, where he finds the time and the quiet to call Cristina, but he's immediately directed to hear voice mail. He gets off the elevator and Meredith informs him that ORs 1 and 3 are general, but she's gonna need more than two ORs. Neuro is in OR 4 and cardio in 5. Pierce is in the cardio OR, Jo informs him. He tells Meredith and Jo that Kepner needs help triaging downstairs. He asks Alex, who's wheeling a patient to an OR, if he's seen Cristina this morning. Alex hasn't, thought she was with him in the morning. Owen says she went to the mall. "You gotta be kidding me," Alex says, but Owen doesn't want them to worry until they have something to worry about. He asks Alex to let him know if he sees Cristina, and Alex tells him not to tell Meredith.

April is treating a patient in the ER. The patient is worried about the blisters. April confesses they don't know what it is yet, but they're running tests to figure it out. The patient's husband comes over and informs her that he can't find Leo, their son. The woman starts panicking so April gives her some sedation, then asks the man for a description of their boy. He describes their son, who wears braces, and April assures him they'll find him if he's here.

Jackson, Stephanie, and Callie are wheeling a patient to the OR for surgery on her arm. The woman is pregnant, so Callie informs her they'll deliver the baby through C-section if it gets in any distress. Leanne tells them it's not her baby; she's a surrogate mother for a super nice couple, who trust her. She doesn't want to disappoint them, but Jackson says they're gonna take care of her now.

Amelia is staffing the neuro OR and finishes up a patient. She orders the nurses to have it cleared for the next patient while she goes scrubbing again. Derek appears in the scrub room, asking if she wants to switch out. No, she is taking over his service. He informs her about her next patient and she knows how to handle it.

Richard finds Catherine wheeling a patient through the hallway and asks what she's doing here. She came over here to visit her son because apparently she's gonna be a grandmother, but now she's helping out. Owen appears and tells him they need to open up another OR, so he needs Richard to staff OR 6 so they can start throwing patients at him.

In an exam room, Meredith watches a security video from the mall on her tablet while the Homeland Security guys are interrogating her patient, Mike. They want to know what was in his friend's backpack. Mike doesn't reply and Meredith says his eardrums are ruptured, so he may not be able to hear them. Ray wants to take Mike, but Meredith wants to keep him in the hospital to watch him. Ray reminds her she said he wasn't badly injured. She says that she said that so far, his work has been negative, but you never know about internal blast injuries. Ray concludes Mike was close to the blast then. Meredith didn't imply that as suddenly Mike falls off the exam table. Meredith does a quick exam and says they need to get him to an OR now. Ray objects, because if Mike dies before he can be questioned, they have nothing left. Meredith points out that if Mike dies before he can get operated on, Ray will have a dead civilian on his hands due to having obstructed care. She tells him to move, but he objects. "It's doctor. You're the boss out there, I'm the boss in here. Get out of my way," she says. Ray decides to let him buy.

In the emergency showers, Nicole is performing CPR on a kid, asking for help. Alex comes over and he says he needs a chest tray and a chest tube. He takes over from Nicole. He orders someone else to spray everywhere on the kid and he sees blood flowing out of a wound in the kid's chest. He yells he needs a chest tray now. Suddenly Cristina appears with a chest tray. He's relieved to see her and she says she didn't have time to go to the mall. Cristina says Alex needs to open up the kid. "Oh my God. I was gonna go the mall," Cristina realizes as Alex starts cutting in the kid's chest.

On the news, they show the security footage that Meredith previously watched. The news anchor asks the reporter at Grey Sloan Memorial if more attacks could be on their way. The reporter says that people are wondering if it could be a terrorist strategy to send patients to the hospital and then target the hospital. April yells to turn that television off, as the report is causing panic. She walks past the emergency entrance, where Leah is trying to convince the security guard that she worked at the hospital like two weeks ago. April says she's okay and tells her to treat whatever patient she can, despite not having priviliges. She also tells her to come find her if she finds a boy that fits Leo's description.

Bailey has finished up on one patient and her next patient is Mike. Meredith updates her on his case and asks her to page her when she's finished, because Mike is a possible suspect.

In the OR, Callie finds she'll have to do a transradial amputation below the elbow at least. She questions why they would hit a shopping mall. Stephanie and Jackson says they attack places with regular people to scare them, because it's the scariest thing they can think off. Callie asks if the rash has appeared on any doctor yet. It hasn't, which Jackson says is good, becuase it means it might not be airborne. Stephanie says they may be targetting the hospital now as Leanne's water breaks. They order to page OB and Arizona for a preemie on the way.

Meredith sees Cristina in the hallway and says she thought she had a big meeting in Zurich. Cristina claims she can't leave now that they're blowing up Seattle. Meredith tells her she and Derek are moving to DC, she's signing the papers on the house tonight. She says it's gonna be good, and Cristina lays her arm around Meredith's shoulder. She says she's happy for her, and then people do things like that. However, she does not really seem happy so Meredith asks if she really is. Cristina doesn't reply and walks away for a thoracotomy.

Shane is examining a patient with a severe eye injury. Leah comes over and immediately diagnoses the patient with orbital compartment syndrome. Shane asks Leah if she's okay, but while she's getting gloved, she tells the patient there's blood behind his eye, which is pushing his eye forward, but she's going to release the blood. She does so easily and pushes the eye back to its rightful place. The patient's sight returns and he thanks her. Alex shouts he needs Ross in the OR, so Shane leaves. Leah sees Alex's patient and notices it fits Leo's description. She shouts if the kid has braces.

Arizona finds Cristina and says that UNOS called her. A donor heart has become available for Link McNeil. Arizona thought they would send it to Seattle Pres, but Cristina wants her to have it delivered here. Owen sees them talk, but by the time he's forced his way through the crowd, they both have disappeared. He then sees on a television that a reporter is inside the hospital. The reporter says that the rashes could be caused by radiation from a so called dirty bomb. Owen swears and walks away, only to appear next to the reporter moments later. Owen says that he is lying to the audience because they don't know what caused the rashes yet. He tells the reporter to stop wondering out loud and only report what he knows, in order not to scare people. He then forces the camera man to turn the camera off. The news anchor concludes tensions are running high as one would expect in such a situation.

Arizona has arrived in the OR, but the OB is a no show. Since the baby has to come out now, she and Jackson will have to deliver it themselves.

In the OR, Alex and Cristina are operating together with Shane. She asks Alex how he'll deal with the boredom, as making buttholes will be his whole career. He says it allows him to thrive on his boat, but Cristina says he'll never reach in and fix a kid's hemothorax ever again. She also names some creative fixes he came up with in the past. He questions how she knows about them, and she tells him she was paying attention to him proving her wrong. She thought he was an imbecile when he got here, but he got competent a while after and eventually, she had to accept that he was good. Good hands, he thinks fast, acts faster. He'll never be as good as her, she says, but he's very, very good. While they perform a leak test on the kid, she tells him he may be an imbecile after all for putting all his talent in a drawer. On the bright side, that would mean she is still right. Dr. Pierce comes into the OR and asks her if she scheduled a pediatric heart transplant to come here today. She questions why she would do that, but Cristina tells her not to worry about it. Pierce says it is her department, so she will decide where the heart will be sent out to. Cristina interrupts her and says she's a little busy, so she asks Pierce to just tell her where she can do the transplant. Pierce decides not to object anymore and appoints her OR 3. Cristina then asks Margaret to see if Link McNeil is in the hospital and to prep him for her. Alex laughs when he sees how Cristina handles her boss and says he's gonna miss her. Cristina explains she needs to operate on Link to make her feel finished. She allows Shane to close, as she taught him how to without leaving a scar.

Arizona guides Jackson on how to help her deliver the baby. He gets to cut the cord. His facial expression shows that delivering the baby moved him.

Meredith wheels Mike to recovery, only to bump into Ray and his colleague. They start bickering, with Meredith pointing out Mike needs to be healthy to answer questions. Ray's phone starts ringing, and after the call, he tells her that Mike is no longer a suspect. Meredith asks if he doesn't think he owes Mike an apology. He says she has a very tough job keeping people alive, but he does too. He then walks off.

Owen informs April that the cause of the rashes turns out to be the puddles of chemicals from a dry cleaner in the mall. April concludes it wasn't a chemical attack then, just a bomb. Ben comes over and says Owen might want to see the news report. The news anchor confirms what Owen just told April and that fears of terrorist treat are unfounded. They are all relieved. Owen tells April this does not the change the way they'll be treating the patients. Leah comes over and tells April she found a kid. April leaves to go tell his parents. Sabine and Link come over to Owen, who's surprised they were told to come here today for the transplant. Sabine says Dr. Yang told them to come right over, and Owen is relieved to hear that they have spoken to her. Owen wants to take Sabine and Link to Cristina, but Ben needs him to join him in the OR to operate on an abdominal trauma. Owen instructs Leah to find Cristina with Sabine and Link before he gets on an elevator. He thanks Leah for having come in.

April tells Glen, Leo's father, that the kid they found has had his left lung removed, but dr. Yang says he'll recover just fine. They enter the room in the ICU, but Glen says it's not their son.

Catherine enters a supply closet, looking for a four-by-four. She asks April, who's crying in silence in the closet, where they keep them. When she notices April is crying, she asks what's wrong. She's crying over the shopping mall. Catherine says it wasn't terrorists, but April says it's the first thing they thought. They live in a world where that's the first thought that crosses their minds. She doesn't think she can raise a child in a world where they could die going to buy new shoes. Catherine tells her a story from 1960, when she was out in a restaurant with her father for waffles. Suddenly, an ignorant young man told them to leave and dumped her father's food in his lap, throwing hot coffee on him. She was scared and wanted to leave, but her father refused to leave before she had finished her eggs. April asks what happened then. They went on to somebody else. Her father wasn't afraid, so they didn't have any power over him. "April, there's always gonna be stupid people. There's always gonna be accidents. But that's not what defeats you. It's the fear," Catherine says. This is the way the world changes: good people raising their children right. Catherine makes her smile and then drags her back to work.

Cristina is scrubbing in as Meredith comes in. She asks when her flight is. Cristina says she can't leave because they bombed Seattle, but Meredith tells her it was a gas main explosion. No different than a train derailment or a ferry boat crash, so she can go. Cristina continues scrubbing and tells Meredith that when she heard about the mall, she thought about the time she and Callie went there and bought all the furniture for the firehouse. She then tells her that her flight is in 2 hours, but she first has to do the heart transplant. Meredith says the new head of cardio can do that and she takes Cristina's hands in hers to make them non-sterile again. Meredith says she has been stalling for two weeks and Cristina says that is because she needs to finish something her. Nothing feels finished. Owen and her, they split over something that hasn't even happened and they never even really split up. And she and Meredith are not finished either. George is dead and Izzie is gone and it's supposed to be her, Meredith, and Alex and now nothing is finished. "I am not finished," Cristina says while Meredith's eyes tear up. Meredith says she feels like that because this is not the end for her. There's is no finish line, she just has to go. Cristina knows and she keeps trying to, but she doesn't know how to just do it. Meredith has to help her. Nurse Ruth comes in and informs her that the donor heart was delayed in traffic for an unknown time. Meredith whipes Cristina's tears and says they'll just go.

They walk out of the scrub room. They pass Derek, who's working on a computer. Cristina says goodbye. He smiles at her and they hug tightly. Meredith and Cristina then continue their way.

Leah is looking at her patient. Shane asks if more patients have come in, but not for a while, she replies. Shane says it's not fair and that Webber was wrong. However, she doesn't think so. All of them hung on his word all year, he's the best teacher she ever had. Maybe if it had been someone else saying this, she would've believed him, but Webber is different. She has to find what she's good at, and she's confident that she will. He agrees and wishes her good luck. He walks away and her patient wakes up scared. Leah tells her there was an explosion, but it's over and she's fine. Leah assures her she'll be just fine and the patient closes her eyes. Leah looks around in the ER, but all patients have been treated and everything is calm again. She returns the tablet to the nurses station and puts her trauma gown in the bin. She then walks out of the hospital through the emergency entrance without any goodbye from any of her former colleagues.

Bailey is talking to Webber about trying to get the board not to cut her genome project, but he does not control the budget. She asks if he at least fought for her to keep her lab, but he didn't. Some people belong behind a microscope, but she doesn't. She is a surgeon and it's what he trained her to be. Anything else would be a waste of her time, and before she continues trashing the board, she has to know he recommended her to fill Yang's seat on the board, which the board will agree is a no-brainer. She doesn't know how to react as Meredith and Cristina come over. Meredith says she doesn't have time for long goodbyes as she needs to catch her flight. While Bailey and Webber tell her to go and be a surgeon, which is what they trained her to be, Shane comes over. He seriously wants Cristina to take him to Switzerland with her. He wants to follow his teacher and be part of her work, despite being in the middle of his residency. He wants to be in charge of his education and he chooses her. She allows him to come and he respectfully tells Richard he quits. He thanks Richard for everything and enthusiastically runs off. While Bailey asks if she wants to take anything else on her way out, Cristina hugs and thanks her. She also hugs Richard, who tells her he's proud of her. Meredith says they now have to go, but Cristina tells her to wait here and runs off.

Owen and Ben are in the middle of a hectic surgery. The patient is not doing good. There are knocking sounds, but it takes a while before Owen notices them. When he does, he looks up and sees Cristina standing in the gallery. She waves at him while they share an intense look that perfectly shows how they feel. Owen returns to surgery for a moment and when he looks back up, Cristina has disappeared.

Meredith and Cristina are outside the hospital, where a cab stops. A doctor carrying a box with the donor heart comes out of it. It is for Link McNeil, and he was supposed to deliver it to Dr. Yang. Cristina says that's her, but Meredith tells the doctor he needs to find Dr. Pierce. He needs to go to the nurses station and they will direct him. Cristina tells Meredith she can't just leave the McNeils, but Meredith says they are in good hands while she puts Cristina's luggage in the taxi. Meredith says she and Owen will follow up on Link post-op while she forces Cristina into the taxi. Meredith tells the driver to go to the airport as fast as possible while Cristina still has something to say, but she can't get it out. Meredith suspects she needs an "I love you", so she tells her that. "Call me when you get there," she adds, after which the taxi drives off. Cristina waves and looks at her person through the rear while the taxi leaves the hospital's parking lot.

Meredith finds Amelia on the hospital's bridge. Amelia feels bad because she didn't lose a single one of her patients. She feels so good that she feels bad. This is the thing, this is what it feels like. It feels like... candy, Meredith completes. "But with blood and it's so much better," Amelia replies. Amelia was still in Derek's shadow, but she didn't care. The only thing that could make it better is if his shadow were gone, so Amelia would be okay if they would just go to DC and be happy there. Suddenly, Cristina walks by and drags Meredith with her. Meredith asks what she's doing here as Cristina keeps on dragging her with her.

Cristina drags Meredith into an on-call room. She can't go. Meredith says she can, and when Cristina says they're not finished, Meredith reminds her she'll miss her flight. "We have to dance it out, that's how we finish," Cristina says. Meredith sighs and takes her phone, making Cristina think she'll call someone to make her leave, but Meredith is finding a song. Cristina waits and Meredith finds a song. She puts down her phone, but Cristina is not ready yet. She first tells Meredith that they'll call each other at least twice a month and they'll text all the time. Meredith says Cristina hates texting, but still Cristina wants to text. She also asks Meredith not to let Owen get all dark and twisty, Meredith has to take care of him. She also has to take care of Alex by mocking him at least once a day, or he'll be insufferable. "Don't get on any little, tiny planes that can crash, or stick your hand in a body cavity that has a bomb in it, or offer your life to a gunman. Don't do that," Cristina tells her. Meredith smiles. "Don't be a hero. You're my person, I need you alive. You make me brave," Cristina says. Now she's ready to dance it out. Meredith presses the play button. While they start dancing, Cristina recognizes the song as one that Meredith loves. They then continue to dance it out for the last time. When they finish, Cristina says she has to go. Meredith nods and Cristina tells her to stay here. Cristina grabs her purse, but before opening the door, she turns around. "You are a gifted surgeon with an extraordinary mind. Don't let what he wants eclipse what you need. He's very dreamy, but he's not the sun. You are," Cristina says. She then walks out, leaving Meredith to think about what she just said.

Meredith is sitting in bed with the house papers. Derek comes in, telling her the kids are asleep. He notices something is up and he says she and Cristina will probably talk every day. It's not that. She doesn't think she can sign the papers. She says she needs to stay here.

While Callie is taking care of her patient, Arizona appears in the doorway. She tells her the baby's parents are here and Leanne immediately says it's okay for them to come in. They come in with the baby and shows concerns over her health, but Leanna is only asking about the baby, who is perfect. The mother hugs Leanne. They thank her and show her they're glad she's okay. Callie and Arizona leave the room to give them some privacy. They're both moved by the situation. They watch the family and Callie wonders why Leanne decided to be a surrogate mother for the couple. She really likes them, Arizona says. They agree it's amazing and then look at each other, realizing a surrogate may be an option for them too. They kiss.

Jackson meets April and tells her he delivered a baby today, so if the OB doesn't show up for their delivery, he can do it. April hugs him and says their baby will be fine, because he or she will have them. Of course it will, Jackson says. His mother always says that's how the world changes. "Good people raising their babies right," April says. He asks if it's a thing, because he always thought it was just his mother. She kisses him and tells him she loves him.

Maggie tells Sabine that Link is doing good. Sabine thanks him, and while Maggie sits down to explain some more, Owen walks off.

Ben is rubbing Bailey's feet. She doesn't want to get too excited about her place on the board, but he says she can be. She's determined to make policy, not just hear it. She'll make changes and keep her genome lab in the process. She's moved by the fact that Webber picked her.

Jo and Alex are kissing on his bed until they find an envelope that has Evil Spawn written on it. Alex knows it's from Yang and opens it. She left him her shares in the hospital and her seat on the board. Jo asks if Cristina can do that. It doesn't matter, because she did.

Derek reminds Meredith he already took the job. Meredith reminds him he lied when he said he would step back so she could have her year. He confesses he lied for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Meredith says she gave up that piece for him and that she found a way to make it work with her job, the kids, and her research and that with less help from him. He says he's killing himself just as much as she is, while she claims he keeps on taking more pieces. He says he's flying back and forth in the country to spend time with her and the kids as well, just as she says she's in his shadIt's ow. He says she'll be working at James Matheson, and not in his shadow. Meredith says that's how her father got his first job here: they wanted her mother, so she had to call the university and pull some strings and find something for Thatcher to do. She's a trailing spouse and that's not what she signed up for. He says she's being selfish, but she says she has to be because he believes his career is more important than hers. He says that at this point in time, it is. Not in this moment, she says, always. He'll always be that hot shot surgeon and she'll always be the young intern he fell in love with. He can't do anything about that if that's the way she sees herself. It's not how she sees herself, it's the issue here. Derek is breathing heavily and he explains there is nothing she can't do in DC that she can do here. "But I don't want to!" Meredith yells. They're not just talking about her job, they're talking about her life. She grew up here, made her family here, helped rebuild the hospital that has hers, her mother's and her sister's name on it. Her life is here and she does not want to leave.

Richard meets Maggie outside the hospital. She's had a rough day, but he wants to know how she's settling here other than that. It has been the weirdest two weeks of her life. She doesn't know anyone and no one knows her. She's had no conversation that isn't related to work. He sits down and says she knows him now. She doesn't want to sound like a kid crying at camp, it's something other than that. She was adopted and two years ago, she looked up her birth mom. She had to go to court for the records and found out she's dead now. She could only get her name and she was an amazing surgeon here. Her name is all over the hospital. That's not why she took the job, but it's a little bit why she interviewed. It's a little weird. Richard seems to suspect about whom Maggie is talking and asks her mother's name. Her birth mother was Ellis Grey. She asks if he knew her. He stays silent.

Derek asks Meredith if she's making him choose between this job and her family, but she is only stating she is staying here. They look at each other in silence.

In Zurich, Cristina has some pictures with Meredith, Derek, and Owen set up in her office, which used to be Burke's office. Just as she sits down on her chair, Shane comes in and tells her they're all ready for her. "Let's do it," she says and she follows him. She closes the door, which now has "Dr. Cristina Yang - Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery" written on it. Meanwhile, Cristina's voice over explains that sometimes, when you step into the unknown, we can only assume it will be brilliant.

Main Cast

 * Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey
 * Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang
 * Justin Chambers as Dr. Alex Karev
 * Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey
 * James Pickens, Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber
 * Sara Ramírez as Dr. Callie Torres
 * Kevin McKidd as Dr. Owen Hunt
 * Jessica Capshaw as Dr. Arizona Robbins
 * Sarah Drew as Dr. April Kepner
 * Jesse Williams as Dr. Jackson Avery
 * Camilla Luddington as Dr. Jo Wilson
 * Gaius Charles as Dr. Shane Ross
 * Jerrika Hinton as Dr. Stephanie Edwards
 * Tessa Ferrer as Dr. Leah Murphy
 * Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Derek Shepherd

Guest Stars

 * Debbie Allen as Dr. Catherine Avery
 * Caterina Scorsone as Dr. Amelia Shepherd
 * Jason George as Dr. Ben Warren
 * Rick Worthy as Ray Pelletier
 * Rebecca Field as Sabine McNeil
 * Kelly McCreary as Dr. Margaret Pierce

Co-Starring

 * Micah Cohen as Glen
 * Autumn Lee Withers as Marilyn
 * Kunal Kumar as Mike
 * Nichole Bloom as Leanne
 * Thomas Barbusca as Link McNeil
 * Teresa Huang as Nurse Ruth
 * Nicole Cummins as Paramedic Nicole
 * Nadine Griffith as ER Nurse
 * Michelle Alegria as Morning Anchor
 * J.J. Snyder as Reporter
 * Matthew Bohrer as Male Reporter
 * Graham Clarke as Weather Guy
 * Seril James as Doctor
 * Elena Schuber as Baby's Mom
 * Sean C. Graham as Baby's Dad
 * Ed Ackerman as Eyeball Man
 * M.Q. Tran as Young Girl

Uncredited

 * Linda Klein as Scrub Nurse Linda

Lincoln McNeil

 * Diagnosis:
 * End-Stage Heart Failure


 * Doctors:
 * Cristina Yang (cardiothoracic surgeon)
 * Arizona Robbins (pediatric surgeon)
 * Margaret Pierce (cardiothoracic surgeon)


 * Treatment:
 * Drug-Eluting Heart Pump
 * Heart Transplant

After spending weeks on a drug-eluting heart pump to keep him alive, Link McNeil received a heart transplant. It went well.

Alex's Patient

 * Diagnosis:
 * Imperforate Anus


 * Doctors:
 * Alex Karev (pediatric surgeon)


 * Treatment:
 * Anoplasty

Alex was at the hospital to perform his first anoplasty.

Amelia's Patient

 * Diagnosis:
 * Aneurysm


 * Doctors:
 * Amelia Shepherd (neurosurgeon)
 * Stephanie Edwards (surgical resident)


 * Treatment:
 * Aneurysm Clip

Stephanie scrubbed in with Amelia on an aneurysm clip.

Cristina's Conduit Patient

 * Diagnosis:
 * Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome


 * Doctors:
 * Cristina Yang (cardiothoracic surgeon)


 * Treatment:
 * Printed conduit

Before leaving for Zurich, Cristina did one final checkup on the last conduit patient.

Marilyn

 * Diagnosis:
 * Laceration
 * Blisters


 * Doctors:
 * April Kepner (trauma surgeon)


 * Treatment:
 * Stitches

Marilyn came into the hospital with a laceration on her forehead and blisters on her arm. April gave her sedation so she could calm down before sticking her wound.

Leanne

 * Diagnosis:
 * Pregnancy
 * Arm Injury
 * Rash


 * Doctors:
 * Callie Torres (orthopedic surgeon)
 * Jackson Avery (plastic surgeon)
 * Arizona Robbins (pediatric surgeon)
 * Stephanie Edwards (surgical resident)


 * Treatment:
 * C-Section Delivery
 * Below elbow transradial amputation
 * Debridement

Leanne, who was 31 weeks pregnant, came into the hospital after the mall explosion with severe injuries to her left arm, which ultimately had to be amputated. She also had a rash which had to be treated. While they were operating, the baby went into distress and so she had to be delivered via emergency C-section.

Neuro Patient

 * Diagnosis:
 * Left Frontal Parietal Subdural Hematoma


 * Doctors:
 * Amelia Shepherd (neurosurgeon)


 * Treatment:
 * Surgery

A 26 year old with a left front parietal subdural hematoma was brought into the neuro OR.

Mike

 * Diagnosis:
 * Ruptured eardrums
 * Peritonitis
 * Bowel perforation
 * Traumatic brain injury


 * Doctors:
 * Meredith Grey (general surgeon)
 * Miranda Bailey (general surgeon)


 * Treatment:
 * Surgery
 * Neuro consult

Mike collapsed while being questioned about the explosion. A CT scan revealed a probably traumatic brain injury. He was taken into surgery and a neuro consult was requested.

Child

 * Diagnosis:
 * Penetrating injury to the chest
 * Hemothorax


 * Doctors:
 * Alex Karev (pediatric surgeon)
 * Cristina Yang (cardiothoracic surgeon)
 * Shane Ross (surgical resident)


 * Treatment:
 * Thoracotomy
 * Pneumonectomy

Nicole was tending to a child who had been walking and talking, but then collapsed. Alex had to do an emergency thoracotomy in the decontamination shower. When he was taken into the OR, his lung had to be removed.

Eyeball Man

 * Diagnosis:
 * Orbital Compartment Syndrome


 * Doctors:
 * Leah Murphy
 * Shane Ross (surgical resident)


 * Treatment:
 * Removing the blood and pushing his eye back into its socket

A man came in with orbital compartment syndrome, which was making him unable to see out of his left eye. Leah used a syringe to remove the blood and gently pushed his eyeball back into the socket, making him able to see again.

ER Patient

 * Diagnosis:
 * Penetrating trauma to the abdomen


 * Doctors:
 * Owen Hunt (trauma surgeon)
 * Ben Warren (surgical resident)


 * Treatment:
 * Surgery

A woman who had been dug out of the rubble at the mall was brought into the ER. Ben and Owen took her into surgery.

Young Girl

 * Diagnosis:


 * Doctors:
 * Leah Murphy


 * Treatment:

Leah tended to a patient in the ER, a young girl. She woke up and panicked, but Leah quickly reassured her that she'd be okay.

Baby

 * Diagnosis:
 * Premature


 * Doctors:
 * Arizona Robbins (pediatric surgery)
 * Jackson Avery (plastic surgeon)


 * Treatment:

Arizona delivered the baby Leanne was carrying with Jackson's assistance. She was healthy despite being nine weeks premature.

Notes and Trivia

 * This episode's title originated from the song , originally sung by Siouxsie and the Banshees.
 * This episode scored 8.92 million viewers.
 * This is the last episode to be directed by Tony Phelan, as he leaves the show after this season. Other crew members who left the production team after this episode are Joan Rater and Debora Cahn.
 * It also marks the last episode for Sandra Oh, Gaius Charles, and Tessa Ferrer to appear as Cristina Yang, Shane Ross, and Leah Murphy respectively as main cast members. This makes this episode the one with a record number of cast members leaving in it.
 * 10x24OpeningTitle.png title clip shows a collage of pictures of Cristina in episodes like: A Hard Day's Night, The First Cut Is the Deepest, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, Enough is Enough, Didn't We Almost Have It All?, Dream a Little Dream of Me, Part 1 and 2, Death and All His Friends, Adrift and at Peace, Going, Going, Gone and Do You Know?. This has never been done before for other leaving cast members.
 * Sandra Oh filmed her last scene on April 24, 2014. The particular scene was the goodbye scene between Owen and Cristina.
 * The last scene Sandra shot with Ellen Pompeo was the scene in the scrub room, where Cristina tells Meredith she's not finished yet.
 * In the episode, all catastrophic events are mentioned; from the derailment of the train to the plane crash.
 * While William Harper is the credited writer for this episode, Shonda Rhimes stated that she wrote most of Cristina's exit herself.
 * The song "Where Does the Good Go," which was played in this episode was previously played in the season one episode, No Man's Land.
 * This is the last episode to have Caterina Scorsone credited as a 'Guest Star' as she was updated to a series regular on June 23, 2014, in time for season 11.

Quotes

 * Miranda: What's up?
 * Jackson: Disappointing news, actually. The Foundation cut our budget, so we are unable to continue funding your genome lab.
 * Miranda: Oh. Who's gonna fund it then?
 * Jackson: We're shutting it down actually. It's simply not producing the results that are projects are...
 * Miranda: Did you not just hear what I said? I gave an immunodeficient child deactivated HIV and it saved him!
 * Jackson: And it almost got the hospital sued in the process. And almost lost your license and landed in jail, so is that really where you want to plant your flag?
 * Miranda: Yes. And so should you! Hey, two years ago, I was wiping your butt and changing your diaper and now you wanna do this to me? No, no, I will not stand for it.
 * Jackson: It's budgetary and it's done.
 * Miranda: Won't stand for it!


 * Shane: Hey! Have you talked to Leah?
 * Stephanie: Oh, yeah. She's still on the couch, still depressed, eating everything.
 * Shane: Has she said what she's going to do?
 * Stephanie: Won't even talk about it. Catatonic.
 * Shane: What are you doing?
 * Stephanie: Just finished an aneurysm clip with Dr. Shepherd.
 * Shane: Shepherd or Shepherdess?
 * Stephanie: Shepherdess.
 * Amelia: Shepherdess? Really?
 * Shane: Sorry, it's just very confusing.
 * Amelia: I like it. Shepherdess.
 * Stephanie: Well, before, it was just Shepherd's little sister.
 * Amelia: Edwards, do you like working on neuro?
 * Stephanie: Yeah.
 * Amelia: Don't ever say that to me again.


 * April: Chief? Can I talk to you?
 * Owen: You are.
 * April: Privately? Do you have a minute to go, like, to a trauma room or...
 * Owen: Spit it out, Kepner.
 * April: I'm pregnant. I know it's sudden and it's soon, and I know it makes your life hell, but I will work until it falls out of me.


 * Ray: Ma'am, we don't know if this is over yet. If he dies and you take him before I question him, we have nothing left.
 * Meredith: And if he isn't the guy, you have a dead civilian on your hands, whose care you obstructed. Move.
 * Ray: Ma'am, please!
 * Meredith: It's doctor. You're the boss out there, I'm the boss in here. Get out of my way.


 * Cristina: How are you gonna cope with it?
 * Alex: With what?
 * Cristina: The boredom. Making buttholes will be your whole career. How will you not stick your head in the oven?
 * Alex: Screw you. I'll cry about it on my boat.
 * Cristina: You saw a kid, knew he had a hemothorax, reached in and fixed it. You know you're never going to do that again. Saving kids with ping pong balls, or making an end stoma with an appendix.
 * Alex: How did you even know I did that?
 * Cristina: You think I wasn't paying attention to you proving me wrong? I thought you were competent, well, now, when you got here I thought you were an imbecile, but you got competent, like a decent handyman. Eventually, I had to accept that you were good. Good hands, you think fast, act faster. I mean, you'll never be as good as me, but you're very, very good. And you're putting all that talent in a drawer. So maybe you are an imbecile. Oh, god, what a relief! I'm still right!


 * Catherine: April, there's always gonna be stupid people, there's always gonna be accidents, but that's not what defeats you. It's the fear.


 * Meredith: You have been stalling for two weeks.
 * Cristina: You know what? I have to finish something here! Nothing feels finished, none of it feels finished. Owen and I... we split over something that hasn't even happened and we never even split up. And you and I are not finished. George is dead, and Izzie is gone and it's supposed to be you, and me, and Alex. And now nothing is finished. I am not finished!
 * Meredith: You don't feel finished because this isn't the end for you. There is no finish line, there is no end point. You just have to go.
 * Cristina: I know. I know, I know, and I keep trying to, but I don't know how to just do it. You gotta help me, Mer.


 * Shane: It's not fair. Webber was wrong, maybe you just need to...
 * Leah: Really, Shane? I hung on his every word, all year, all of us did. He's the greatest teacher I have ever had. So maybe if it were someone else saying this, I wouldn't believe them, but Webber? I gotta find what I'm good at. And I will.
 * Shane: You will. Good luck!


 * Miranda: Did you at least fight for me to keep my lab?
 * Richard: No, I did not. When it came time this morning to decide who would staff the ORs, who had the stamina and the talent to run patient after patient, it was a no-brainer. I mean, some people belong behind a microscope, but you don't. You are a surgeon, Bailey, it's what I trained you to be. And anything else would be a waste of your time.


 * Miranda: (after Shane quit to join Cristina) Wanna grab anything else on the way out? A CT machine?
 * (Cristina hugs her.)
 * Cristina: Thank you.
 * (Cristina hugs Webber.)
 * Richard: Proud of you!


 * Meredith: You okay?
 * Amelia: I just feel bad.
 * Meredith: Did you lose someone?
 * Amelia: No. No, I didn't lose a single one. That's why I feel bad because I feel so good. This is the thing, Meredith. This is what it feels like. It feels like...
 * Meredith: Candy, but with blood.
 * Amelia: Only so much better. And Derek... Well, I was still in his shadow, but I didn't even care. And the only thing that would have made it better was if his shadow was gone, so you guys can go. Have fun. Be happy.


 * Cristina: I can't go.
 * Meredith: Yes, you can!
 * Cristina: We have to finish.
 * Meredith: You're gonna miss you flight.
 * Cristina: We have to dance it out. That's how we finish.
 * (Meredith takes her phone.)
 * Cristina: What? You gonna call someone to make me leave or what?
 * Meredith: I'm finding a song. Okay, ready?
 * Cristina: Wait. We'll call each other at least twice a month and we'll text all the time.
 * Meredith: You hate texting?
 * Cristina: Text me. And don't let Owen get all dark and twisty. Take care of him. And Alex. Take care of Alex. He needs to be mocked at least once a day or he'll be insufferable. Don't get on any little, tiny planes that can crash or stick your hand in a body cavity that has a bomb in it or offer your life to a gunman! Don't do that. Don't be a hero. You're my person, I need you alive. You make me brave. Okay. Now we dance it out.


 * Cristina: You are a gifted surgeon with an extraordinary mind. Don't let what he wants eclipse what you need. He's very Dreamy, but he's not the sun. You are.


 * Alex: It's Cristina's shares in the hospital. She's leaving them to me.
 * Jo: What?
 * Alex: She left me her seat on the board.
 * Jo: Can she do that?
 * Alex: I don't know. She did.


 * Derek: In DC, you can do your surgeries, you can do your research, you can do the portal veins. There is nothing you can do here that you can't do there.
 * Meredith: But I don't want to! We're not just talking about my job, Derek. We're talking about my life. I grew up here! I made my family here. I helped to rebuild the hospital here that has my sister's name on it, my mother's name, my name! I live here. My life is here. I don't want to leave.


 * Maggie: It has been the weirdest two weeks of my life. I don't know anyone. No one knows me. I haven't had one conversation that wasn't related to work.
 * Richard: Well, you know me now.
 * Maggie: No, God, I sound like a kid crying at camp. No, it's not it's not that. It's something else. I was adopted. Two years ago, I looked up my birth mom. I had to go to the court for the records. She's dead now, um, so I could only get her name. But she was amazing. She was a surgeon here. Her name is all over this hospital. That's not why I took the job. I mean, it's a little bit why I interviewed, But it's just so weird.
 * Richard: What was her name? Your birth mother?
 * Maggie: Ellis Grey. Did you know her?