Friendship between Meredith,Richard and Bailey

It’s nearly impossible to keep one’s personal details classified when walking the halls of Grey Sloan Memorial. But isn’t it adorable when they try? Between a major cancer diagnosis and all the romantic entanglements, someone might as well write all the secrets on the OR whiteboard beside the early afternoon “Whipple procedure.”

First and foremost on this week’s Grey’s Anatomy (season 21, ep 2 “Take Me to Church”), Catherine (Debbie Allen) begrudgingly allows Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) to hijack her day for an impromptu CT scan to determine if the cancer has spread. As long as Meredith keeps it a secret, particularly from Richard (James Pickens Jr.). Unaware that Catherine is on the CT table, Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) points over the shoulder of a jittery Meredith at the scans popping up on the monitor and confirms that her sister’s mystery patient has tumors all over her liver.

Catherine is resolute. This is how she’s going to die. Good to know. Now, everyone get back to work!

Meredith immediately takes Catherine’s scans across the street to Bailey (Chandra Wilson) for a consult. Sure, Bailey has been chomping at the bit to get in front of Catherine to get her job back, but when she sees the scans and learns whose liver is on the other side of those tumors, she’s all in for helping Meredith figure out a way to save the woman who helped both of them break glass ceilings.

It’s simple: They must convince Catherine to do a biopsy to make sure the tumors are actually cancer and not something else. Once they butter up their former boss in a dive bar by singing her trailblazing praises, Catherine relents and agrees to the surgery. I loved that Catherine picked a place that had peanut shells on the floor because “Richard would never come looking for me here.” Meredith and Bailey then beg Teddy (Kim Raver) to borrow a scrub nurse for the surgery that they plan to perform in the clinic. No questions asked.

Teddy says yes, even though she and Owen (Kevin McKidd) are tiptoeing through their first day back after the recent firing. Of course, at the beginning of her shift, Richard tells Teddy she’s no longer the chief, and she has to slum it as a regular old cardiothoracic surgeon. It technically doesn’t bother Teddy since Owen’s sister Megan sent her friend Nora to Grey Sloan so Teddy could specifically check out Nora’s esophagus.

Nora grew up with Owen and Megan and accidentally revealed that everyone’s favorite military hero played the part of Rooster in the school’s production of Little Orphan Annie. I’d watch that all day long.

It was easy for me to use context clues to determine that Nora was not doing well when blood spewed from her mouth. Teddy saves the day and a life, but the more interesting twist to Nora’s surgery is the young woman lurking in the shadows. Remember Kwan’s (Harry Shum Jr.) ex-fiancée Molly (Dianne Doan), who has amnesia? It turns out that she has quite a stubborn streak and has no problem hanging around the hospital until Kwan shares their story.

No one knows who Molly is, and the guesses surrounding her proximity are entertaining. No, she’s not his cousin. No, she’s not a patient’s relative. Kwan never reveals her true identity, but eventually caves when Molly gently demands to know why they called the wedding off. Kwan admits that he cheated on her before the wedding, they got into a huge fight, and she drove off in her car, which led to the accident that resulted in her amnesia.

Sweet Molly’s eyes glisten, but she’s not mad at Kwan; in fact, she tries to help him find peace. He thanks her by sticking his tongue down her throat, immediately regretting it, and walking away with a flippant “call if you need anything” goodbye.

Speaking of goodbyes, poor Amelia, Beltran (Natalie Morales), and Schmidt (Jake Borelli) remove a benign tumor from a young kid’s chest cavity, only to find that he has a brain tumor that should kill him in a matter of months. Schmidt tries to wall up the sadness of the diagnosis, but with the help of the kid’s reverend, he learns to listen and live in the moment, even when the diagnosis is grim. Should this young man be picking out coffins from a catalog? Perhaps not. But writing a list of things you want to do before you die feels a little more helpful.

Something tells me that, like Yasuda (Midori Francis) and Millin (Adelaide Kane), Schmidt might be making out with the reverend in the elevator soon. There was a vibe. Tell me I’m wrong.

In other news, Richard, Adams (Niko Terho), and Winston (Anthony Hill) play a round of golf. Well, Winston mostly looks for his ball in the woods, but that’s neither here nor there. The point of the story is that Richard is sharp on the field, which means he can still be sharp in the OR. And his first order of business is hiring Teddy back as chief.

Will Richard go back to the OR? Or will he remain in a managerial role? My hope is that Catherine finally tells him that she’s sick, and Richard is forced to nurse her back to health with meds, loving care, and the sweet, sweet musical stylings of one Mr. Luther Vandross. That would definitely heal me.

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

Grey’s Anatomy has plenty of heartwarming and close relationships, but Meredith and Richard’s connection stands out. The two of them have had each others back many times throughout the show.

From the moment when Richard sees Meredith in her wedding dress, to when Meredith’s logical lectures for Richard calmed him down, the two are there for one another through thick and thin. They compliment each other well, and viewers can see this through their chemistry and the way their motives are similar. Richard and Meredith’s relationship is one of the best platonic ones the viewers have seen, both as coworkers and family.

Richard Sings To Her

After Meredith is physically attacked by one of her patients in season 12, Richard refused to leave her side and helped her throughout her recovery. He would always check in on her to make sure she was okay and tried to do his best to attend to her.

For some fans, one heartwarming scene was when Richard sang to her while he pushed her down the hallways. While Meredith was feeling a little irritated and low, Richard sang My Girl, down the hallways to try and cheer her up. All the things he did proves how much he loved her.

Helping Meredith With Forgiveness

After the episode with the attacking patient, Meredith cannot find it in her to forgive. While Meredith was upset about the situation, Richard told her about the power of forgiveness and gave her helpful tips.

While Richard is always rooting for Meredith, he is not afraid to tell her what she needs to do, no matter how difficult it may be. Not only is he a coworker who cares about the health of Meredith, but he is a friend and someone who can speak his wisdom to her.

When Richard Almost Called Meredith His Daughter

After Meredith almost drowned, she was rushed to the hospital. In a panic, Richard says, “This is Ellis Grey’s little girl. This is my…” Many assumed he was going to say that she was his daughter, and in the panic of it all it seemed natural for him to say.

This meant a lot to viewers, especially since Meredith had a lot of family struggles and lacked the support she needed. Richard was like a father figure to her.

When He Told Meredith She Had A Gift

Meredith is not easy on herself, and she never received the kind of praise and encouragement she needed from her mother. So when Richard told her that she had a gift and not to waste it, she took it to heart.

Another time, when Richard wasn’t necessarily happy with Meredith’s decisions, he told her that they need her. While these are small comments, they meant the world for Meredith and helped her push through her toughest moments.

They Are There For One Another No Matter What

There are many tragedies and hard moments that happen in the show, from the deaths of patients and loved ones to personal issues, and so forth. Through all of this, Richard and Meredith always make it known to each other that they are there if they are ever needed; especially since they get each other on a level no one else can understand due to their close history.

Seeing Meredith in Her Wedding Dress

Meredith tries on wedding dresses in one of the doctor’s rooms, and the scene is lighthearted and humorous as Meredith jokes around with Cristina and Izzie. When she steps out in the winning wedding dress, the mood in the room changes as they all admire Meredith.

From outside the room, Richard passes by and stops when he sees her, and he smiles. While this wasn’t a direct interaction, it showed how Richard truly cares and when Meredith is happy, he is too.

Meredith Waited To Return To Work For Richard

In season 13, Bailey decides to replace Richard as the head of teaching at the hospital. When Meredith finds out, she argues with Bailey about it and eventually claims that she would not return until Richard came back.

Viewers admired this stance that Meredith took for Richard, and how it showed that she truly cares for him and admires his leadership. Richard told her to not waste her potential, and encouraged her to go back and use her skills for good.

Meredith’s Lectures

While Richard was always the mentor, sometimes he needed someone to talk to him and set things straight. In season 11, Meredith sees Richard fighting with Catherine, and Meredith steps in. She tells him that there are real issues at hand, and she approaches the situation logically.

Meredith is able to approach a lot of things with rationality, and this helped break up the argument and show what’s actually important. It also helped Richard get out of his mind and take a mental step back.

When Richard Helped Meredith With Her Mother’s Ashes

After Ellis passed away, Richard was seen to support Meredith and does what he can to help her as she grieved. When he caught her washing her mother’s ashes down the sink in the operating room, he offers to help her, knowing that’s this is where Ellis would want to be.

This emotionally complex scene is a pivotal moment in Meredith and Richard’s relationship as it sees them say farewell to one of the most important people in their lives.

Meredith Gives Richard Her Power Of Attorney

While Meredith is hospitalized, she gives Richard her power of attorney. She tells him that he is the only one she can trust to make the tough choice if it comes down to it. Richard offers other names, but she insists that he is the one who can make the decision. Richard agrees and goes on to teaching some interns, but this scene was one of the most heartwarming scenes from the show. Viewers were shown the chemistry they have, and how they literally trust one another with their lives.