We didn’t need a storm warning to know that Grey’s Anatomy’s Bailey would bring the thunder in Thursday’s episode. Stepping in for Nick, of course the interns’ new taskmaster was quick to warn the “surgical cowboys” that they had a long road ahead before they’d wrangle another procedure — and that was if they got to wrangle another procedure! Keep reading, and we’ll review all of the major twists of plot in “Keep the Family Close.”
‘PLEASE, DON’T PUT ME ON RECTALS’ | As the hour began, everyone, it seemed, had had sex except for Simone and Lucas, who so wanted to. Bailey, for her part, was ready to put her “baby surgeons” through their paces. “You’re going back to basics,” she told them as she assigned them procedure after procedure before they so much as spelled O.R. again. Winston suggested that Teddy focus on her recovery, but she was more concerned about her patients — to the point that she tasked Yasuda with checking on them for her. In the pit, Owen took control of a softball game gone wrong. At the same time, a twentysomething John Doe was brought in with multiple gunshot wounds and “a whole lotta Benjamins.”
Post-opening, Richard, Levi and Simone treated a baker named Dante, who was concerned about his pumpernickel starter — and noted how handsome Schmitt was. Shortly, Simone disclosed that a standard screening had revealed that Dante was HIV-positive. “Get me another doctor,” he insisted. What he really wanted, though, was another diagnosis. In the E.R., Jules checked in with a very pregnant softball player named Allie who’d only hit the diamond because her in-laws were at bat. In no time, Amelia had realized that she could have a spinal injury, which, left untreated for a moment longer, could leave her paralyzed.
‘YOU’RE WALKING AROUND WITH $40K IN A TRASH BAG’ | By and by, the John Doe who had come in loaded with bullets and money was declared dead. Against all odds, Blue got his heart beating again. When Richard confirmed that Dante was HIV-positive, he freaked. But his gall bladder needed to be treated immediately, or else, Webber said. Upon scanning Allie, Amelia discovered that she had… something I cannot spell. (Sorry.) What’s more, Amelia had a way to treat the patient without jeopardizing her pregnancy. Alone with Teddy, Mika observed that the doc needed help… which she refused to get. Before Dante could sign himself out, Levi assured him that he would still date — even hot surgeons like himself. Also, given the pain that he was in, Dante needed treatment, stat.
As Bailey assisted Winston in the O.R., he challenged her decision to forbid the interns to scrub in. How were they supposed to learn if they couldn’t practice? When Owen busted Mika for doing Teddy’s bidding, he rewarded her by checking off a few items from Bailey’s to-do list. In an on-call room, Simone tried to distract herself from the diagnosis that she’d given Dante by getting busy with Lucas. “Are you sure you want this?” he asked. “Maybe we should talk.” Aaand… maybe not. She ran out of the room. (These two give anybody else whiplash? Sheesh.) After operating on Allie, Amelia and Jo reported that she was expected to make a full recovery and so was the “little slugger.”
‘WE POUNDED ON YOUR HEART TO KEEP YOU ALIVE!’ | Alone with Jo, Amelia warned that Link could be sentimental. And no, “he didn’t have to” disclose the change in relationship status, she added. She knew. “We’re already family.” Richard reassured Simone that her instincts with Dante had been fine, and also, the patient was going to be fine. When Mika called Teddy on behaving as if it was business as usual, at last Altman broke down over her near-death experience. In the waiting room, Jules went off on Allie’s in-laws, who were more concerned with who they’d name MVP than anything else. (Surprise: Millin’s outburst won her the award!)
As the hour drew to a close, Levi informed Dante that his surgery had gone well. Simone apologized for delivering the news of his HIV status the way that she had. But he was understanding. Schmitt then agreed to take a break with Dante. (Cute.) When Moneybags’ parents came in to ID John Doe, Blue impressed Bailey with his interaction with them. Teddy admitted to Owen, “I’m a mess.” She was haunted by Sam’s death. That had been something she couldn’t control, he reminded her. But she could control whether or not she rested. Leaving for the day, Amelia confessed to Winston that she missed, well, everybody, and her cat just wasn’t cutting it. Would he have a burger with her? Yes! (Progress.) Bailey marveled to Ben that she had changed since last she was in charge of interns. Maybe Winston had been right to question her methods, she wondered. “Yes, you’ve changed,” her husband assured her. “But for the better.” Arriving home to a feast, Link asked Jo, “When did you have time to prepare for a famine?” A nostalgic seafood dinner laid in store for them. Finally, at the intern house, Simone shared with Lucas that she avoided hard truths. One such? “Now is not a good time for… us,” she said. That being the case, she wanted to put her career first. He didn’t take it well. “From now on,” he hollered, “we’re roommates.”