A scowling Lucy goes in to the gallery to watch the transplant and finds Alex already there. After a moment he finally apologizes but maintains that she was overreacting, and that he deserves to be in there with his patient. Lucy isn't impressed by his feelings of entitlement and tells him about how she had another patient, who had a 40-hour labor and a baby stuck at a bad angle. She deliberately explains to Alex just how hard it is for a woman to go through that much pain, and how she kept the woman going by promising her that she'd have a beautiful baby when it was all done... except that then there was something wrong and she was the person who then had to tell the woman that after that, her baby didn't make it. Even Alex seems to understand just how awful an experience that would be, and when Lucy concludes by telling him she doesn't care about what he thinks he deserves he wisely keeps his mouth shut for once.
Lexie finds Meredith studying a vending machine and announces that Thatcher indeed has kidney stones, and Bailey is taking him to the OR. She's still astride her high horse and tells Mere that Thatcher deserves this pain for what he's done, and that she now understands that this is how he works -- he finds a new family and stops talking to the old one, which is just what he did to Meredith. Mercifully, Meredith finally turns and tells Lexie to get a grip. She explains that their situations were totally different -- Ellis cheated on him and then took Meredith across the country, while in Lexie's case her mom died, Thatcher was sad, and then he found someone that made him happy. She implores Lexie to give her blessing and just let him be happy, but Lexie seems not to have absorbed anything her big sister said, and tries to get Meredith to hate him along with her. Meredith just tells her that she loves her, but Lexie has to grow up; she then walks away leaving Lexie with her mouth gaping open.
Alex and Lucy are both worried watching the tiny surgery and they have good reason to be as things seem to be going wrong. Down below, the surgeons figure they need to do somethingamajig which usually takes 45 minutes, but Teddy tells them they have 30, and she instructs a nurse to start the clock. Which they do, starting an actual, big, digital timer in the middle of the room for all to see. Alex is agitated and swears and Lucy looks over at him, maybe realizing that the Grinch has a heart after all.
It's too much for her to bear, and she finally turns around and faces the wall while below, the docs work into their 27th minute. Teddy says that they are ready and again they take off the tiny clamp; Alex assures Lucy that they've got it but his face betrays him and Lucy calls him on it. Fortunately, though, we have a happy ending as the baby's vitals begin to climb and the surgeons all breathe a sigh of relief. Up in the gallery, Alex and Lucy both do triumphant fist pumps but then when they happen to lock eyes, they both awkwardly turn away like kids in a schoolyard.
The GoFL continues to play over Alex and Lucy, just in case we hadn't picked up on the signs that they might actually end up liking each other. Arizona joins Lucy and they watch Alex talking with the happy new parents. Lucy tells Arizona that she banned him from the area earlier and kind of wants to kick him out, and Arizona smiles and admits she likes busting him too but that he's also the kind of guy who gets thrown off a case and then still watches the surgery from the gallery to make sure the patient is okay. She can teach him to be less of an ass but doesn't have to teach him how to care. All together now: Aaaaaaaaaw. She and Arizona joke around but we're treated to a few more pointed shots of her gazing at him just in case we didn't catch the first 15 signs that these two will end up in some form of heated passion soon enough.
Jackson, his mission accomplished, heads back to the OR, but wait! He tells Mark that the peanut butter cups didn't work, and he didn't find anything out at all. Oh Jackson, do you really know what you're doing? I'm not sure. He's surprised when Mark tells him to scrub in, since he thought he wouldn't be allowed after failing to give him any inside Lexie information. But Mark points out that he's not a total bastard and that Jackson gave it his best shot. I suspect he'll become somewhat of a bastard when he realizes Jackson is using Mark's advice to make moves on his love, though.
Meredith is back to the truck, cabin, spoon tests and has a patient who is totally distressed that she can't remember the third word. Meredith is kind of awesome, kindly reassuring her to just take her time. The woman's daughter is sitting behind her and tries to help her out, trying to stay upbeat but nearly as distressed as her mom underneath her smile. As she reminds her mom that the word is spoon, the woman asks why they are there at all, and asks if they can go home. As the daughter walks her out, Mere watches them go and sighs.
Bailey is advising Dani on Thatcher's recovery when Lexie comes to the door of the room, and Bailey very cautiously acknowledges her with a raised eyebrow. Lexie asks if he's okay and after Bailey says he is fine, Thatcher calls her over. She goes to the bed and then turns to Dani and asks her to make sure that Thatcher calls her sometimes. Dani agrees, relieved but also looking like she's about to flinch should Lexie unleash another tirade. Bailey's obviously still skeptical as well but she leaves them alone, and Dani tells Lexie that she and Thatcher support each other's sobriety and are really good for each other. Dani then tenderly touches his face while Lexie sneaks a look at her tattoos and asks if that's really one of a hooker on her shoulder. Dani pulls down her sleeve a bit and tosses off that she was drunk at the time.
Alex and Lucy are in the elevator trying very hard not to look at each other but each are stealing glances. When the rest of the occupants file off and they're left alone together, Alex finally mumbles an apology about her patient. She thanks him and admits she's happy for his. The doors then open and, still with minimal eye contact, Alex starts to ask her out but before he can get out the entire question she turns him down and he quickly agrees. They then run in opposite directions as if they can't get away from their possible attraction fast enough.
Arizona and Mark are cooking up a storm when Callie gets home, defiantly holding a cup of coffee. Now, if she really is just sticking to one cup a day, that cup in her hand has to be seriously by now since she got it at the beginning of her presumably hours-long surgery. At least I assume that popping two hips back into place and pinning a man's bones back together would take a little while. She's skeptical when she hears they cooked for her and her facial expression doesn't change much when she hears that they made chicken breast, brown rice and broccoli when what she was craving was a peanut butter sandwich. Arizona then sees the cup and asks her if it's coffee. Callie confirms it, and then lays down some new rules. She's implementing a new voting system that gives the baby a vote, but as Callie is the human incubator for the baby she'll be speaking on his or her behalf. As she's then going to be putting her body through the wringer to get said baby out, she's awarding herself an extra "vagina vote." She, the baby, and her va-jay-jay think that a single cup of coffee a day is fine until she begins breastfeeding, based on the studies she's read. Neither Arizona nor especially Mark want to argue with the vagina vote, and Callie sits back on the couch, immensely satisfied with herself and her ladyparts. She then adds that they all vote Mark give her a foot rub, and he shuffles off to his place to get the lotion. Arizona decides that compromise can work for her too, and agrees to give Callie a sandwich if she eats the broccoli. It's a deal, and Callie sits back and treasures another sip of her old, stale coffee.
When Meredith arrives home she tells a delighted Derek that she decided to stay on his trial. He's got a computer open and has been looking at her data, which apparently shows that the trial is not not working. That's a good thing and they celebrate by deciding to do some quick baby-making before the roommates get home. As they canoodle, Meredith's VO wraps us up by musing that no matter how high the stakes, you have to eventually follow your gut. But the good thing is, that could very well take you right where they you meant to be. It's cheesy, sure, but it's a lesson I've been learning in my own life so I'll indulge myself a mushy moment and heartily agree with her while we fade to credits.