This was one of those episodes where there wasn't much in the way of light storylines to balance out the dark ones. The lightest one we get is that Richard is having a hard time adjusting to being just another doctor, because everyone still treats him like the Chief and he can't fit in. He eventually tries to talk about how hot one of the nurses is to fit in with the rest of the boys, but it falls flat and eventually, he seems to come to terms (at least somewhat) with his in-between status and he gives Derek some advice on how to better handle being Chief. Earlier that day, when Mere told Derek about an amazing surgery she was assisting on, Derek wound up stealing the surgery for himself and has to later admit that not operating is driving him crazy. Richard gives him some tips, and even offers to become his lunch buddy in the future, so that Richard has someone to eat with and so that Derek doesn't get bombarded by everyone wanting something from him while he's trying to have a sandwich. Awww.

Callie's patients are a couple of guys who were caught in an avalanche while doing some daredevil skiing. She and Mark work on them and all the while, Mark tries to get Callie to admit to Arizona that she wants kids, pointing out that she is going to have to be honest about it because it's not just something one can continue to sweep under the table. She inadvertently gets her daredevils to admit that they don't want to live on the edge and would rather go wine tasting, and their joyous realization that they all feel the same way prompts her to finally talk to Arizona. Arizona freaks because she thinks that Callie is breaking up with her, but when Callie admits she wants a baby at some point, Arizona pulls away and what with all the talk of death in this week's voiceover, it seems their relationship might wind up dead.

Teddy has the bulk of the story this week as she has a terminal patient who has requested physician-assisted suicide. She needs a second doctor to sign off so she grabs Hunt, but rather than sign off he walks out and then proceeds to have flashbacks all through the day about Iraq. We see that he and Teddy were super close friends, and their commanding officer Dan thinks they should just get together already even though Hunt keeps insisting he is with Beth. Just after a bunch of wounded soldiers are brought to their camp for treatment, they have to leave because of a sandstorm; Teddy leaves on a helicopter with his patient while Hunt and Dan take theirs in a Humvee. In the middle of nowhere, they hit a roadside bomb, the truck flips, and the driver and all of their patients die immediately. Dan is seriously wounded and Hunt tries to care for him as best he can, up to and including sticking his fingers in Dan's neck to plug an artery that bursts. After hours out there, Dan knows it's his time to die and tells Hunt he has to let go, and, after much arguing about it, Hunt finally does but the act clearly takes its toll. Back at Seattle Grace he raises a ruckus and tries desperately to convince the patient not to do what she is going to do, but she then tells him why she's doing this and manages to convince him that it's the right thing for her and she's at peace with it. Outside later, the woman's husband finds Hunt as he's totally scared about what's going to happen though he's obeying her wishes. Hunt convinces him that there will be a moment when she's gone that he'll know he did the right thing, and then warns him to hold on to that because there's going to be a whole other shitstorm of feelings as well, which is clearly what has been consuming him all day. That night Cristina realizes he's not sleeping (though she doesn't realize this has been going on for a while) but Hunt manages to convince her that everything is fine and to go back to bed. Clearly though, everything is not, which I'm sure is going to carry us the home stretch of the season.

Watch the full episode.