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“Grey’s Anatomy” recap (10.5): Dirty Pillows

Alarms are going off left and right as the The Mer/Der Baby Emporium, and no one is happy about it, expect maybe the babies. The morning is in full swing, each child being bathed,fed, and loved before their parents head off to a long day at the hospital. Callie is up and at ’em, making coffee, baking her own granola or something cool like that. As Meredith rushes out, she kisses Derek as usual and for an extra treat, does the same for Callie. It’s a little awkward, and secretly a little awesome, but that’s just a day in the life for Callie, Meredith and Derek.

Alex’s dad, Jimmy, is doing much better after his brush with death. He flirts with Jo, and she lets him because she’s trying to get to know him, even if Alex won’t do the same. Alex is lingering out in the hall, too broken to try and reconnect with a man who mistreated him and his brothers. The last time Alex laid eyes on his father, Alex nearly beat him to death. He’s effectively erased this man from his life for 20 years, so much so that he even took his mother’s last name. This isn’t some sort of reunion to Alex. For him, it’s a rematch he’s not willing to participate in.

Cristina gets word that a donor has come through for a liver/heart transplant for a patient, and everyone wants in on the surgery. However, Meredith has dibs because the recipient is an old patient of hers, and she actually diagnosed her to begin with. Cristina agrees, much to Bailey’s disappointment. You know Bailey loves a good transplant.

Best friends forever, Arizona and April are chatting by the nurse’s station when Leah sashays over. She’s got a Pumpkin Spice Soy Latte with Arizona’s name on it, and Arizona is beyond confused. Leah gives Arizona the doe eyes before she takes off, and Arizona gets “drunken hookup panic” face. Having been on the receiving end of many a doe-eyed gaze, Arizona thinks that she may have invited Leah home with her the night of the gala. April is no help because she woke up in the bathtub, still be’Spanx-ed. Gurl, I have been there. A few times.

Callie stops by to pick up the mortgage slips on their apartment, which Arizona hands over. Maybe it’s the pumpkin sugar rush, or the caffeine, but Arizona opens her mouth and decides to push one of Callie’s “Do Not Fucking Push” buttons. She tells Callie that she’s welcome, after not receiving a thank you. Callie’s eyes flash and she lashes out at Arizona. She doesn’t think it’s particularly awesome to be paying for a house that she doesn’t even live in anymore, because her wife is a cheating, cheat-faced, cheater. Next time AZ, have Leah bring you a decaf.

In the on call room, Stephanie is modeling her oh-so-conservative new blouse for Jackson. She’s having dinner with him and his mother Catherine tonight, and she wants to make the absolute best impression. (Which means this will end in disaster and tears.) Jackson, on the other hand, just wants to make out.

Callie runs into Owen in the break room, and steals a hunk of his snack. Emma made him some banana bread, but he tells Callie not to read into it. She’s no fool though. Baked goods are the step between casual dating and serious boning. Callie tells him about her sister wife Meredith Grey and their life of casual kitchen intimacy. He makes that face he always makes, which could be arousal, frustration or back pain.

Callie has to leave her banana bread behind when she gets a page for an ortho consult. A young daredevil of a woman is waiting, with all sorts of broken bones and lacerations. She’s even broken a metal rod in her leg. Her understandably frustrated sister is there, and explains that these injuries are frequent occurrences.

Richard is finally able to get out of bed, and move about, but Catherine is afraid that he’s not progressing enough. She’s worried about his depression and asks Bailey if he’s on any medication for it. Bailey explains that she tried, but Richard refuses. Catherine wants to help her man, she goes to the on-call room to pick up some extra pillows and boy does she find some. Unfortunately, those pillows belong to Stephanie who is half naked, in bed with Jackson. This is not exactly the impression that Stephanie wanted to make on her boyfriend’s mother, who goes from zero to slut-shaming maestro in under ten seconds.

Meredith, Cristina and Ross go in to consult the heart/liver transplant patient. The patient and Meredith talk like old friends. She and her husband hope that this transplant will give her a chance at a normal life, so maybe they can have children one day. Ross sticks his foot in his mouth, and downgrades Meredith’s skills in front of everyone. Not cool Ross. Remember Brooks? We do.

After recovering from the initial mortification of having her boyfriend’s mother catch her with her boobs out, Stephanie attends to a gentleman with a bit of a sticky situation. See, he was “eating a honey sandwich” in a hammock, like a regular Winnie the Pooh, when he fell asleep and his junk was besieged by bees. Or maybe hornets. Anyway, it’s a mess down there and he can’t pee.

Derek is entertaining a group of brain surgeons, which sounds like a blast, so Meredith comes in to brag about her double transplant. She’s freaking out a bit because she promised Zola that they would have a tea party at three, and there’s no way she’ll be out of surgery by then. Derek suggests they get Callie to sub, but Meredith worries Zola will grow up thinking her mother didn’t love her if she doesn’t make it to that damn tea party.

Jo is observing Alex’s dad on the treadmill and running some tests. She casually tries to get personal details from him, but he’s not very forthcoming. He tells her that he’s just a casual heroin user, but the fresh track marks on his body say otherwise. She tells him there are rehabs he could go to, to try and stay clean. She wears him down a bit with her well-meaning persistence.

Callie isn’t answering her pages, so Meredith sends Ross to find her and bring her news of the princess tea party. (Mer, the last time Ross was given a message to relay didn’t turn out so well. Just saying.) Yang is super over it, and wants to talk about the surgery. She reminisces about how things used to be, and how this was their dream. Performing complex surgeries, side by side. Meredith is trying to hide it, but she needs to pump and dump like nobody’s business, so Cristina tells her to scoot.

Callie has a sit down with Daredevil Girl’s sister. There is a possibility that she may need a kidney transplant. The sister grimaces because she knows what comes next. She’ll be asked to donate. The thing is, she’s been doing that her whole life. Her daredevil sister suffered from aplastic anemia as a child, and has been a wild child for most of her life as a result. She’s already donated bits and pieces of herself to her sister over the years. In fact, she was born for that very reason. To keep her sister alive.

Stephanie calls Jo in to check out Beenis Sting guy. It’s Jo’s professional opinion that his member looks like it was mauled by angry badgers. Honey badgers! He needs a urology consult, but the specialist is held up. That leaves Stephanie only one option. Ask for a consult with the Empress of Penises, Dr. Catherine Avery. Stephanie steels herself for the inevitable barrage of insults, and manages to spit out that she needs Catherine’s help.

Callie is still stuck on the banana bread thing, teasing Owen that Emma is his girlfriend. Owen seems to be having a good ol’ time on his own, so Callie ponders if she should kick Arizona out of the apartment. April is there and immediately comes to Arizona’s defense. The apartment has an elevator and is accessible to the hospital, which is good for Arizona’s leg. Callie gives her the stink eye, and for a second April starts to backtrack. However, the power of their new girl-mance is too strong, and she reiterates her point. Who knew it would take giving April a real friend to make her infinitely more likable?

In the resident’s lounge, everyone is stressing. Meredith is pumping and studying for the surgery. Alex is smacking the coffee maker around. Bailey thinks Meredith is a liver stealer. Jackson’s mom thinks Stephanie is a gold-digging hussy, and he is afraid to set her straight. Ross comes in to tell Meredith that Callie can’t make it to tea-time until after six. Meredith is stressed but Bailey comes to the rescue and reassures her that there will be other tea parties. She even helps Meredith study for the surgery so she can double up on the breast pump.

Arizona is in surgery when Leah walks in and cozies up next to her. She thanks Arizona for inviting her to assist on the surgery, and Arizona is like, “What the actual hell?” Leah whispers that she won’t tell anyone about the other night, and a panicky Arizona blows her off. Leah leaves and for a moment the thought crosses my mind: Is Leah actually a diabolical genius who has concocted this whole thing to mess with Arizona?

Jo is giving Alex her best puppy dog eyes, but he has an immunity built up by this point. She tries to get him to let down his walls a little about his dad, but that’s out of the question for Alex. She tells him that she didn’t have a father, so she used to dream that he was all sorts of different people. She missed out on having that connection, and doesn’t want to see Alex go through the same thing. Alex, just wants the guy out.

Catherine comes down to consult on Beenis Sting guy. One look at it and she asks him point blank if he stuck his dick in a hornet’s nest. Yes. Yes he did. While Stephanie struggles to unsuccessfully insert a catheter, the guy’s bladder bursts. Off to surgery with you, Honey Smacks. Catherine is beyond angry at what she sees as Stephanie’s incompetence, and bitches to Richard about her. Richard defends Stephanie’s skills as a doctor, but Catherine doesn’t want to listen to reason. Leah stops in, but freezes when she sees Catherine and makes a hasty exit. Catherine doesn’t think Richard is getting the right care because everyone is afraid to push him, so she wants to take him home and do it right.

Just as Meredith is finishing up her studying, she gets a call from daycare. Zola bumped her adorable little noggin and needs stitches. Meredith leaps up to be by Zola’s side, and tells Bailey to let Cristina know that she’ll meet her in the OR in time for the surgery.

Jackson, Stephanie and Catherine all participate in the most awkward surgery ever, which is saying a lot for this show. Penis is thrown around a lot. The word. Not the actual…oh forget it. Stephanie tries to act like a regular, inquisitive doctor, but the only thing Catherine hates more than her son’s girlfriends, is bullshit.

Jo bounces into Alex’s dad’s room as he is packing up to leave. She has great news. She got him a spot in a free rehab clinic, but he doesn’t want her help. He asks her why she is doing all of this for him. He doesn’t want to set her or anyone else up for disappointment. That’s how he lost his family, his everything. Jo finds Alex to tell him that his father has a lifetime full of regrets, and maybe he should hear him out. Alex warns her not to bring it up ever again and storms off.

We next see Alex stitching up little Zola while Meredith comforts her. She is feeling so torn about her desire and commitment to be both a good mother and surgeon. Just then, she gets word that the double transplant in going into surgery immediately. While she was away, their patient went into distress and Cristina needed to act fast, so recruited Bailey to join her. Alex offers to stay with Zola while Meredith runs to scrub in.

Callie returns from Daredevil Girl’s surgery with bad news for the sister. She needs a kidney. The sister offers up herself up like a side of beef. “Here I am, take it!” Callie decides to have a heart to heart with her. She tells the sister that she doesn’t need to be someone’s spare parts anymore. She can say no. Callie’s own words resonate within her, as she encourages the woman to choose herself for once. They both scream “no” at the top of their lungs. Callie smiles bigger and brighter than she has in weeks.

Beenis Sting’s wife arrives to comfort her husband. When they tell her what happened she isn’t at all surprised. He is kind of into pain, in particular, the insect sting variety. It just went a little too far this time. I mean, isn’t that the way it always goes? It’s an average Tuesday, and the next thing you know, you are sticking your weenis into an active hive. Stephanie reaches down to pick her jaw up off the floor. His wife tells them that this is just one weird thing, out of all the other wonderful things about her husband. It’s not everything he is. (Some things, however, are deal breakers, lady.)

Meredith makes it to scrub room, just as Bailey and Cristina are getting ready to go into the OR. Cristina is short with Meredith, telling her that she’s been replaced on the surgery because she’s late and has been so distracted. Bailey offers a slight apology, and Meredith is left fuming.

Leah checks in on Richard, who’s white blood count is elevated. She wants to put him on antibiotics, but he forces her to do some real, hands on doctoring. As she plucks up the nerve to examine him, he guides her through a diagnosis, doing what he does best. Teach. Catherine is thrilled that her bossy baby is back. She also realizes that this means he isn’t coming home with her after all. “These fools need me,” he tells her. They cuddle up together on his bed, and he promises to stick around. Knowing Catherine, she’ll do everything in her power to help him keep his word.

Callie has a bit of a spring in her step again when she runs into Owen on her way out for the night. He tells her that Daredevil Girl’s sister is donating a kidney after-all and Callie’s spring is no longer sprung.

Alex’s dad is leaving the hospital via the Elevator of Feelings, and bumps into Alex on the way down. Alex stands in silence, too afraid to speak. When his father turns and acknowledges him, it’s clear that he doesn’t recognize his own son. Alex’s face is a mix of disappointment and relief.

Meredith waits for Cristina to come out of surgery, and then accuses Cristina of stealing it from her. When Meredith claims to be just as good of a surgeon as Cristina, Cristina responds with a big, fat, dose of the truth. She isn’t. Meredith’s priorities have changed since having children. She no longer steps up like the other doctors do. A piece of her heart and mind are with her babies, and there isn’t anything wrong with that, Cristina contends. Meredith is in a place where a lot of women find themselves. We are told we can have it all, but find that the world doesn’t exactly facilitate that with ease. We push to break through the glass ceiling, only to find that it’s the closing doors that are the most difficult to navigate.

At Joe’s Bar, an exhausted but still quite lovely Arizona orders a stiff drink. Callie walks up to her, and for a moment, Arizona’s heart leaps. Callie has come there on a mission though. She wants Arizona out of their apartment, and she’ll be sending an intern to packing up her belongings. Callie is done taking care of people. She reminds Arizona how she took care of her for a year, because she needed her to. Now she doesn’t, and Callie wants her life back. Arizona doesn’t cry, or speak really. She just absorbs the barbs. Sometimes you just don’t have any tears left. When Callie leaves, Leah, who’s been sitting quietly at the bar, offers to let Arizona stay with her. Arizona can’t take it anymore, so she flat out asks Leah what happened between them. Arizona fumbles her words and calls Leah pretty.

At this point, she is overall pretty mortified at her life. Leah tells her that they just hung out. She called to check on Arizona after the gala and when she didn’t pick up, Leah headed over to her place. There, she found Arizona passed out on the hallway floor. That night, they had a dance party, ate epic grilled cheese sandwiches and bonded. Leah is disappointed that Arizona doesn’t remember much beyond the grilled cheese, because it was the first time in forever that Leah felt like someone understood her. Oh Leah. It’s such a blessed thing when you meet someone who just gets you. It’s got to be a little heartbreaking to be the only one who remembers it. Arizona is relieved, but Leah doesn’t let her off the hook about the “pretty” comment.

Also at Joe’s are Stephanie and Catherine, who are waiting for Jackson to arrive. Stephanie breaks it down for Catherine. She’s a lot more than the girl in her bra, making out with Catherine’s son. There are so many more interesting things about her, things that she hopes she gets to show her. Catherine lets up on the poor girl, and when Jackson arrives, he’s pleasantly surprised to see them getting along.

At the Mer/Der Mansion, Meredith is slamming cupboards and raging when Derek gets home. She’s mad at Cristina so she naturally takes it out on Derek, blaming him for losing out on the surgery. Meredith says that she shouldn’t have to choose between being a great mom, and being a great doctor. They continue to argue, as Meredith battles against the conflicting feelings in her own head.

Back in her apartment, Callie is finally alone with her thoughts. There is something about that feeling of being alone in a home you once shared with someone. It’s overwhelmingly sad, but also full of new possibility. Familiar and disorienting all at the same time. There are things you trade, things you give up, to merge your world with another. How do you know when you’ve given up too much? Callie has been giving up pieces of herself for years. She wants to remember what it feels like to be Callie before Arizona. Before Erica and Mark. Before George. The girl who danced in her underwear like no one was watching. Now no one is, so she slips off her pants, and slips on her earphones. She moves her hips, and slides her bare feet across the floor. Lost in the rhythm, lost in the words, each step bringing her closer to finding herself again.

Here are some of our favorite #GreysGays tweets from “I Bet It Stung.”

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