The interns seem to have done the job, since the boyfriend is now gazing in at Marina in a closed hospital room, asleep. George explains that she's on medication to relieve the toxicity, and he can go inside in a few hours, and just then she starts to wake. George shows him how to use the intercom and gives him some space. They share a cute moment where she sadly tells him she never wanted him to go through this, and that she thought the bad parts of her life were over when she met him. He assures her that they are, and that he loves her, "Marina Rose." George watches from a distance, seeming to learn a lesson.

The Chief tells all of the ailing doctors that they did heroic good work that day, and then gathers a healthy Mark to check on the patient. The others marvel at how he manages to get all of the glory when they did the work, and Addison just says it's "Because he's Mark."

Izzie finds Bailey wrapping up paperwork in the tampon training classroom and apologizes for leaving, weakly trying to tell her about the surgery she got to help with. Bailey merely listens and tells her that's good, and Izzie asks if they had more patients. She's disappointed that there was only one, but Bailey muses, satisfied, "Eight million dollars worth of one." Izzie looks thoughtful, maybe, hopefully realizing that good can be done in more ways than just what she expected.

Richard goes to visit Ellis and asks her about the surgery, but she asks him a question back. "Do I know who Meredith is? Do I at least recognize Meredith?" The urgency in her voice seems to show that she's done some thinking. Richard tells her that she knows Meredith is someone important. Ellis orders him to look out for her since she can't, and when he agrees she smiles sadly with tears in her eyes. For the first time, she looks vulnerable, almost like a girl in her hospital gown. "I wish I could go back. I'd do everything so differently. I'd fight harder for you. I think... if I'd fought harder for you, maybe." He walks to chair next to her and she settles in to look at him. Seeing her seems to have made him realize that he can give her what she needs, and it's okay if an untruth is what can comfort her during the time that she has. He assures her they would have had a wonderful life together, and they go on to talk about buying a house, and having more children. Ellis is starting to crumble, agreeing, "And I would have been happy. Just like Meredith says she's happy. And that would have changed everything. Maybe... my life would be so perfectly ordinary." She begins to cry and grabs Richard's hand, lamenting, "My life is so unfinished. It's unfinished and I'm... not finished." She leans into him and he holds her, telling her just to think of the family and the house. She's clearly so scared, for what really seems like the first time. He looks incredibly pained but agrees with her musing about their life and just holds her. It speaks to his character that as much of a weenie as he was with Adele, and how he couldn't sack up and make a decision to go after her until it was too late, he could still say he made the right choice to stay with his wife, and beyond that, he could still suck it up and tell Ellis what she needed to hear to be happy for at least a few lucid moments. It's what makes this show so all-around great -- the complexity of the characters, the good and the bad just like actual people and real life.