This act opens on a shot of Meredith's empty bed. Meredith enters the kitchen and Izzie asks where Derek is. It turns out that he slept at his place. Izzie laughs and Meredith asks if she really snores. Izzie: "Well, I grew up next a freeway so it really doesn't bother me. But yeah, you do." Meredith asks Izzie if she got any sleep the previous night. She didn't; she stayed up baking and "cleaning the bathroom floor in case George wants to lay down on it." Izzie talks about how useless it is to have all that money if she can't use it to save George from losing his father. As an alternative, she made cobbler. And we get a wider shot in which we see half a dozen pans of cobbler sitting on the counter. You know, this kitchen has a lot more pans in it than I would expect from such an undomestic family. Also, it looks like peach cobbler, which is the very worst cobbler of all.

In the hospital, Callie walks up to a desk at which Mark is standing. They give each other a glance. After he looks away, she looks at him more closely. He looks back and asks, "She told you?" Callie hesitates at first before acknowledging it. He gets up in her face and asks her if she thinks he'd be a terrible father. She denies having any basis on which to make such a judgment but then decides to take a stab at it. She asks him if he likes kids. He tells her it depends on how they're cooked. Er, I mean "on how loud they are." She looks thoughtful and asks him if he likes his family. He tells her that Derek's family was really his only family. He also doesn't remember things like birthdays or anniversaries. He asks her if all men aren't as selfish and thoughtless as he is, and she tells him, "To some men, family's everything." He asks her if she knows any of these mythical men. Callie, with a smile on her face: "I do. I know one." I think she just started ovulating. Hell, when I see the look of utter contentment on her face I think I just started ovulating. Mark thinks for a second and tells her that he would have made a terrible father.

Cut to the very anguished face of George. The O'Malley clan have gathered in the conference room, where the Chief, Bailey, and Meredith have just broken the news that Mr. O'Malley is not going to wake up. The choices are to keep him on life support while he slowly dies or to remove the life support and let him die more quickly. The meatheads are both near tears, and one of them asks George what he thinks they should do. His mother is also looking to him for guidance. In that minute, George becomes the man of his family. Or at the very least, he becomes a man. He swallows his own desire to be held and comforted and tells them that Mr. O'Malley is in pain and that the pain will only get worse. Mrs. O'Malley asks if George is saying that it's time to let him go. George looks to Bailey for guidance, and she tells him, "We can't tell you what to do here, George." Her voice nearly cracks as she speaks. George looks at his family and tells them, "He's not Dad like this. And he's not gonna wake up, Mom." Mrs. O'Malley sobs and takes her sons' hands. Another lovely scene from all involved. Do you think this show has a crying coach on staff? Commercials.