Grey's Anatomy Season 5 Episode 16

Addison: Letter of recommendation. Callie told me about the Chief's letter. I figured that it was the least I could do before I get on a plane back to L.A.
Bailey: Addison Montgomery, thank you!
Addison: Don't thank me. Just, you know, kick ass. Don't make me regret writing that you're the most promising young peds surgeons, that I've ever had the pleasure of working with.

Lexie: I'm so sorry.
Mark: It was worth it.
Lexie: No, i-it wasn't. M-Maybe a little. ... Thank you.

Bailey: I don't see anyone burnin' the place down.
Izzie: That's how they do it, they do everything right, and then as soon as you look away and they screw it all up.
Bailey: Hey, I'm sorry, earlier I was busy. I was busy with myself, so... I'm sorry.
Izzie: Don't be. I called you an ass. ... And you were right, I think that I just needed to vent, I'm sick of this place.
Bailey: Hell, I just watched Derek Shepherd beat up a man because he's so sick of it. That's just the way it works. The patients we lose, the mistakes we make, that's how we learn. That's always how it's been done. If you figure out a better way, you Izzie Stevens will be a better doctor than the rest of us.

Margaret Campbell: Tell me how you'd do a pulmonary embolectomy.
Cristina: I'd insert a catheter into the femoral vein, then position the fluoroscope adjacent to the embelence.
Margaret Campbell: What would you do if the power should suddenly go out? ... Or if you had to operate in a hospital that couldn't afford a fluoroscope.
(later)
Cristina: I would pulmonary arteriotomy, directly visualize the clot and then use atraumatic forceps to exract it. That's how I would do a pulmonary embolectomy without a fluoroscope.
Margaret Campbell: The fact that you felt the need to come and tell me that, tells me that you're a much better surgeon than I first thought. I've decided that today's surgery was my last. You look at me like you won't wake up that day, not that far from now, so much faster than you can imagine, and find that you are me. That you can't cut anymore. ... What will you have? I was a God. In this OR, holding that scalpel. I was God. And now? ... What will you have?

George (after he gave his letter of recommendation to Bailey): I know it's bad. It's just that-- that you're very complex. And word defining.
Bailey (sees Richard walking by): Chief? (hands him the letter) That is a letter of recommendation!
Richard (looking at it): O'Malley? You want me to take pointers from O'Malley?
Bailey: You be hard pressed to find a better person to take pointers from. (Richard walks off, Bailey follows) Chief? Chief...
Richard: Exactly! I am the Chief of Surgery and I don't have time to write letters to pump your ego. My head of neuro is being called a murderer. I have to fire my longest standing general surgeon because she won't retire! Interns are mixing up blood samples in your clinic. And you want me to spend time writing a recommendation so that you can leave me?
Bailey: Leave you? Sir, I'm applying for a fellowship in pedatric surgery--
Richard: Which is not what we had discussed! Do you know how much of my time you wasted? Do you know the amount of work it takes to groom someone? You were supposed to become the next me!
Bailey: You wanted me to become the next you. Now, I'm not your son or daughter, you don't get to pin all your hopes and dreams on me, sir.

Rob: I don't understand. She just died?
Derek: ... I'm sorry.
Rob: Yeah, I know you said that. Um... I'm asking how she died.
Meredith: ... We believe that your wife's high blood pressure is what caused the bypass to fail, that caused the bleeding and the swelling in the brain. Dr. Shepherd did everything that he could to save her, but there was too much damage to her brain. That's when Dr. Montgomery stepped in to deliever the baby.
Rob (sobs, and looks at Derek): You said that it was a routine procedure, and that she would be fine. And then there was a complication. And you said you fixed that, but then, the baby got sick... (starts to cry) and that made Jen sick, but then, you said that you fixed that too. And now she's dead?
Derek: ... I'm sorry.
Rob (sobbing): Stop saying that you're sorry! You killed her! You're a murderer. A murderer.

Margaret Campbell: It's been years since I've had you in my OR, Chief. I seem to remember an incident with a clamp being dropped into an open body cavity.
Richard: You're never gonna let me live that one down, huh?
Margaret Campbell: A teacher never lets up on her students. Although, I've often wondered on how the upcoming classes learn anything with the way we teach these days. Attendings see more concerned with inspiring their students, using encouragment and validation, and so forth. Instead of instilling them with the fear and shame that actually causes one to remember anything in the first place.

George (holding his letter of recommendation): Come on. I just need you to tell me if it's worthy of Dr. Bailey.
Izzie: Dr. Bailey is an ass. Say that. Say that she doesn't listen to the residents when they have important information about the interns.
George: I think that you're missing the point of the exercise, which is to say nice and important things. (they walk into the dermatology wing) You still hang out here?
Izzie: George, just say that she's dependable, say that she's selfless. Everything she was, until she wasn't. Just... you should probably go.
George: Dependably selfless. Thank you.

(Cristina is still reading Ellis' diary)
Meredith: How's my mother?
Cristina: Bitter. Angry. Genius. You know what's so wrong? How much the Chief and your mother fought. The sex must've been great.
Meredith: Okay, you saying that. That's wrong.
Izzie: What's wrong? Our entire health care system? Because I agree.
Cristina: Okay, here it is. (reads from the diary) 'March 3, 1979. Assisted, Margaret Campbell on a splenectomy. Impressive resume adequate technique.' See? Hack. Even then.
Meredith: You're working with Margaret Campbell?
Cristina: Yeah. Ye oldie timey thinks that she's still sane enough to keep doing surgeries. See, that's what I like about your mom. She wasn't all Alzheimer-y and still operating. Do me a favor and shoot me if I start making mistakes on patients and still think it's kosher to keep cutting.
Alex: Sounds like Shepherd.
Meredith: Alex.
Alex: Please, my guy's right. Your guy knicked and aneurysm and now he's tryin' like hell to cover his ass.
Meredith: Your guy needs to shut up.

Mark: Oh! There he is. The legand himself. How are 'ya legand?
Derek (chuckles): Are you drunk? Should I be worried about 'ya?
Mark: And he's got his sense of humor back. How's your patient?
Derek: She's good. Stable. And today is the first day in a long time that I remember what it feels like to be good at my job.
Mark: You? Come on. You're like the Dahli Llama or surgery. People from all over the world come here to let you cut into them. And you know what else? You look good doin' it. I like the facial hair, by the way, keep it that length. No more, no less.
Derek (laughs): Okay, alright. Stop.
Mark: Derek, there's something that we need to discuss.
Derek: Go ahead and have sex with Addison.
Mark: Addison?
Derek: Go for it.
Mark: What? I don't wanna have sex with Addison.
Derek: Really? Well, what did you wanna discuss?
Mark: ... Nothing.

Cristina: Oh, done tending to her highness?
Owen: You know, you're tough on people. It's good to hold such high standards, but this is medicine. No one's perfect.
Cristina: She's stubborn and out of touch.
Owen: So her 40 years of experience means nothing?
Cristina: Well, no, not if you don't use them correctly. If she wants to be old and keep operating, fine. Just keep up with the medicine.
Owen: Cristina, this is one case. You can't judge from this one case.
Cristina: That patient deserves to know who is doctor is, no matter who's feelings it happens to hurt.

(Bailey just got her letter of recommendation for the Chief. Callie walks up)
Callie: Newborn. (scoffs) I'm not a newborn. I'm-I'm a senior resident, I'm a great surgeon! I'm a divorcee for God's sake. I'm... I'm a... looking for you to agree with me here, Bailey. ... Bailey?
Bailey: The Chief, he wrote me a form letter of recommendation.
Callie: What? That's insane. He's the Chief and you're Bailey. (Bailey hands her the letter, and she reads it) 'Pleasent in the OR, and enjoyed by the nurses. She has completed a servicable amount of research, a fine addition to any program.'
Bailey: Fine. He used the word 'fine'. A blank page would be more... I pulled off a twelve person domino surgery, I took out and put back six of a dying girl's organs. I am Dr. Bailey. I am better than fine! (walks off)
Callie: Well, at least he didn't call you a baby.

Callie: Hey.
Arizona: Calliope. I haven't seen you around.
Callie: Yeah, well, I've been avoiding you. (laughs) Yeah, I know, it's so weird. You share a kiss with a woman that you've never seen before, honestly, this is a new adventure, one that I am so ready to take, for the second time. (sighs) Anyway, do you... wanna go on a date with me?
Arizona: Wait, uh, Erica and you, she was your first?
Callie: Yeah.
Arizona: Oh. Okay, so then I guess, my answer is no. I'm sorry.
Callie: Wait, wait. What? Uh... um... You kissed me out of nowhere, in a bathroom...
Arizona: Okay, see, this is what I try to avoid. You're all exploring and experimenting, and yay! This is a really exciting time for you, but I work in peds, I spend my entire day around newborns, so I try not to in my personal life. Thanks for asking, though. I'm super flattered. Super! (walks away)

Derek: That is the first moment of hope that they've had in a week.
Addison: Preeclampsia is serious. They needed to know. You are too close to this patient.
Derek: Stop fighting me on this. We had a victory in there, let's stay focused on that.
Addison: We give the family all of the information. That's our job, Derek. (Derek walks away)
Alex (to Meredith): Looks like my guy won that round.
Addison: Meredith... Um, Karev, can you go get Jen's blood test results? (Alex walks off) Give me one reason why I shouldn't go to the Chief.
Meredith: Why? The surgery was a success.
Addison: He made a mistake in her first surgery and caused a serious of complications, he feels responsible. So tell me why I should worry less, tell me why I shouldn't go to the Chief.
Meredith: During the clinical trial he lost a serious of patients and it effected him for the better, I think. I mean, he cares more, if that's possible. You just have to trust him.
Addison: Okay.

Margaret Campbell: Dr. Yang, explain to my patient what you feel what I should've done differently in order to avoid this complication. Now don't be shy, Dr. Yang.
Cristina: Okay, patient's status post minimumly invasive procedures have to have decreased post-surgical discomfort and recovery times.
Margaret Campbell: In human, please Dr. Yang.
Cristina: This surgery should've been done laparscopically.
Margaret Campbell: Dr. Hunt... perhaps you could explain to Dr. Yang. why I chose to do the surgery this way.
Owen: Although some doctors prefer to use new technology, there are others that think it's actually more risky since we can't see of move around during the surgery, it's half a dozen either way.
Margaret Campbell: Bravo, Dr. Hunt. Do you understand John?
John: Yes. I have no doubt you'll do the right thing by me, Dr. Campbell.
Margaret Campbell: Wonderful. Now, Dr. Yang, please take our patient to CT. Maybe you'll learn something in the process while I confer with Dr. Hunt about uh, our course of treatment.

Bailey: I'm on a deadline, Stevens.
Izzie: Sadie Harris mislabeled a patient's blood sample and now the clinic is probably gonna get sued.
Bailey: Well, it's a good thing Sadie Harris no longer works here, then.
Izzie: No, it's not. It's not a good thing, because it isn't just her. The interns all of them, they are capable of the same mistake. They are dangerous and they are bad.
Bailey: Stevens...
Izzie: Don't tell me I'm overly emotional and it isn't personal, because it is personal. I have worked so hard to teach them and- and it is personal.
Bailey: Stevens, you don't think that I thought the same thing about you people every day for the first year that you worked here? And you know what the Chief told me when I did? Get out.

Graziella: Dr. Stevens? Do you think that we will get to scrub in on a surgery today?
Izzie: You losers really think that you're capable of holding someone's life in your hands when you could barely finish the intern bowl? Come on.

Addison: Hey, her blood pressure is up a little higher than it was yesterday.
Derek: We can't wait.
Addison: Well, I know I just--
Derek: You want me to be aware. I understand. You're a good doctor, let's just be good toghether. (they walk off)
Alex: You're and my guy work well together.
Meredith: Well, my guy works well with everyone.

George: I need more time.
Bailey: No.
George: Don't get me wrong, I am honored that you asked me over all the other residents, but yeah, it's not easy telling distilling a doctor of your stature down to 500 words of less.
Bailey: I chose you, O'Malley because you were the only one that I could trust to do this without screwin' it up, so don't!

Alex: Is he still beating himself up? Addison thinks that he's still beathing himself up.
Meredith: Alex.
Alex: The head of neuro hasn't left his patient's bedside for three days.
Meredith: He's fine. And I thought that Addison was leaving.
Alex: She put her brother on a plane last night. Admit it, her hanging around your guy it bugs.
Meredith: It doesn't bug. You bug.
Derek (walks up): Karev, page Addison, tell her that I need her to stay. (walks back into Jen's room)
Meredith: Okay, it bugs a little.

Meredith (closing voiceover): Patients see us as Gods. Or, they see us as monsters. But the fact is, we're just people. We screw up. We lose our way. Even the best of us have our off days. Still we move forward. We don't rest on our laurels or celebrate the lives we saved in the past. Because there's always some other patient that needs our help. So we force ourselves to keep trying, to keep learning, in the hope that maybe, some day, we'll come just a little bit closer to the gods our patients need us to be.

Owen: Today you were teaching someone who needed to learn but you were also a bully to someone who needed compassion. You were both.
Cristina: Well, I wasn't a bully. And ... I was right.
Owen (laughs): Yeah, you're a lot like her. Stubborn, opinionated, smart. ... Forty years from now, I'm going to have to pry that scalpel out of your hand too.
Cristina: From my cold, dead hands.
Owen: You're missing the point. I want to be around forty years from now.

Callie: I have experience to give.
Arizona: Calliope.
Callie: Life experience. Like the fact that I was married. Did you know that? Or that I was in the Peace Corps. Botswana. That's what convinced me to go to med school. And most recently, I've experienced the joy of cooking. Yeah, I make an excellent chicken bacada in addition to many other delicious meals that you'd be very lucky to experience yourself. And the fact that you can't open your eyes to see that, makes you, (whispers) inexperienced.

Callie: So, did you scope her out yet?
Mark: Who?
Callie: Arizona.
Mark: Oh, right. No, I haven't had a chance to swing by peds and ask the nurse to point out the attending who kissed my friend in a dirty bar bathroom.
Callie: Well, at least you're still good for coffee. (goes to grab a cup, as Mark slides both cups away from her)
Mark: Oh, that's not for you.
Addison (walks up): Oh coffee, why thank you, Mark.
Mark: Well, that's not for you either. (he sees Lexie walking by and walks up to her, Addison and Callie watch from the nurse's station) Morning, Dr. Grey.
Lexie: Yeah, you can keep your secret coffee. Until you tell Derek, our relationship is going to consist of you hiding in the attic and me smuggling snacks past Mer's bedroom. Do you know what that makes you?
Mark: Your boyfriend?
Lexie: Anne Frank. I am dating Anne Frank. And I'm tired of it. I-I want to go downstairs with you. I want to tell the Germans to kiss my ass.
Mark: I'm gonna tell him, soon. And when I do, you're gonna be my date to the wedding.
Lexie: Derek proposed?
Mark: Ah, not yet, but when he does.

Arizona: This is application is the start of a new life. How we feelin' positive? Confident?
Bailey: I am good. Great. Uh, you take care of your own feelings.
Arizona: Peds surgery is super competitive.
Bailey: I know that's why I come armed with letters of recommendation that will put the competition to shame. Look, Shepherd says that I'm talented and resourceful, Sloan finds it an honor to work with me everyday.
Arizona: What about the Chief? What'd the Chief think?
Bailey: I'm still workin' on that.
Arizona: Bailey, the Chief's recommendation is the only one that matters. Everyone on the selection commitee works--
Bailey: I know! Jus-- You calm down. I got it under control.
Arizona: Good, because speaking on the behalf of me, we couldn't be more excited to have you. Yay!

Owen: Alright. What?
Callie: Campbell was Seattle Grace's first female surgeon. As pioneer's as it gets, mostly she just sits in her office and spreads prestige around, but ... she still does routine surgery now and then.
Cristina: Botches routine surgery. I'll page the Chief.
Owen: No, page Campbell. It's her patient.
Cristina: And let her maim the guy again? How about we page someone who actually knows how to operate instead of some dinosaur who refuses to retire her scalpel and go join her friends in Boca.
Margaret Campbell (from behind them): The dinosaur is here. No need to page me.