I think we can all agree that Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital is quite possibly the most dangerous fictional workplace to ever exist. And while every character seems to experience their fair share of bad luck, none have it worse than the beloved narrator, Meredith Grey.
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Let’s be real. At this point, we’re lucky she’s even still with us. Each season of Grey’s Anatomy brings new perils for our heroine, some far more devastating than others. While it’s almost unfathomable to think even one more terrible thing could happen to Mer, Season 14 fast approaches… and she’s basically due for some devastation.
So, brace yourselves. We’re about to look back at the most heartbreaking moments in Meredith’s history — and explore what could be yet to come.
1. She watched her mother attempt suicide
It’s no wonder Meredith grew up to be all dark and twisted. When she was just a young girl, she was forced to watch her mother slit her own wrist and forbid Mer to call for help. Young Mer waited until her mom passed out, called 911 and ultimately saved Ellis Grey’s life. But still… that kind of thing will haunt you forever.
2. She was almost blown up by a bomb — in a human body
As far as patient care goes, Mer always goes above and beyond. Need proof? She stuck her hand inside of a live human body to prevent a bomb inside the person from detonating. Unfortunately, the bomb did detonate shortly after she handed it to the head of the bomb squad. He did not survive (R.I.P Kyle Chandler’s character).
3. She found out her new boyfriend was still married
Granted, this situation sucked for pretty much everyone. But since her boyfriend, Derek Shepherd, should have clued her in and since his ex-wife, Addison Montgomery, did cheat on him with his best friend, we’re going to give Mer the “sucks most to be you” award in this scenario.
4. She drowned
Yes, like, legitimately drowned. During the chaos of a massive accident, she got pushed into the freezing water and went under. Luckily, a little girl helped point Derek in the direction of where Mer went down, and he jumped in to pull her lifeless body from the cold water. They almost lost her back at the hospital before managing to revive and stabilize her.
5. Her mother died
While Meredith was on the brink of death following the ferry accident, her mother, Ellis, succumbed to her Alzheimer’s. Although Meredith didn’t technically get to say goodbye, she did see her mom one final time in a dream while she was being resuscitated.
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6. Her stepmother died
Although Meredith wasn’t super-close to her stepmother (blame the absentee dad for that!), she did have a fondness for the woman who kept trying to pull her into the family fold. Susan was a sympathetic character, making it all the sadder when she entered the hospital for a case of hiccups and never left. To make matters worse, her father blamed her and slapped her across the face. Double ouch.
7. Her best friend, George, died
Meredith had no idea the severely disfigured man who’d been hit by a bus was her good friend George O’Malley until he was able to trace the coded message “007” in her palm. She realized who it was, but too late to save his life. At the same time, one of her other best friends, Izzie, had coded due to her cancer and was being resuscitated. Seriously, this hospital is like Hotel California — you can check in, but you can never leave.
8. She watched a mad man shoot Derek
Can you imagine having to watch your husband get shot and feeling powerless to do anything about it? In one of the most intense moments in Grey’s history, Meredith saw it all unfold, and understandably lost it.
9. She suffered a miscarriage
While trying to ensure Derek’s life was saved in the midst of the gunman chaos, Meredith — who had been struggling with infertility — had a miscarriage. Heartbreaking isn’t even a strong enough word to describe this moment.
10. Her plane crashed
It wasn’t just her plane, either. It was carrying Derek, who severely hurt his hand, Arizona, Cristina, Mark and Lexie… which brings us to the next tragedy.
11. Her half sister died
Meredith, Derek, Cristina and Arizona all made it through the crash in relatively OK shape, but Mer’s half sister Lexie wasn’t so lucky. She was pinned beneath the plane and died there in the woods. Lexie’s ex, Mark, also sustained critical injuries and eventually died back at the hospital.
12. The frickin’ power went out while she was giving birth
I mean, of all the terrible times for there to be a blackout, it had to happen while Meredith was trying to bring a baby into the world. Not only did she have to deliver in the dark, but she developed complications from the birth that almost kill her. Again.
13. Her “person” bailed
None of us were prepared for Cristina to take a job in Zurich and move away for good, least of all Meredith.
14. Her marriage almost ended
When Derek took a job working for the president in Washington, D.C., being a bicoastal couple put a huge strain on their relationship. Meredith even suspected Derek was cheating at one point, which he kinda did (a kiss is a kiss!). But it was in that brief moment of mistake that he recommitted himself to his marriage and moved back home.
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15. Derek died
Do we even need to discuss this? TBH, we’re still feeling pretty emotional about it.
16. She found out she was pregnant
Typically, such a discovery is cause for celebration. And it still was, but it was also gutting given the fact that she and Derek had a child he would never meet. Meredith found out after his death and had to grieve the loss of her husband while carrying and giving birth to their new baby. *Sobs*
17. She had to have the doctor responsible for her husband’s death over to dinner
Penny is a poorly trained doctor who was on shift the night Derek came into her hospital after his car accident. She didn’t catch crucial signs that could have saved Derek’s life, so yeah… Meredith was a much more gracious dinner host than we would have been.
18. She was brutally beaten by a patient
As in almost to death. The patient didn’t realize what he was doing at the time, but he definitely did a ton of damage. Meredith was in the hospital for an extended stay and even had her jaw wired shut for most of it.
19. Her new love interest found out his missing fiancée was still alive
Just when Meredith had finally made peace with Derek’s passing and given herself permission to move on, her promising new love interest found out that his former soul mate — a POW presumed dead — was still alive. Thus, Meredith’s next chapter was over before it began.
Dare we ask what’s next?
Clearly, it’s been a long, hard road for Mer. However, this is Shonda Rhimes’ world, and we’re all just living in it. And that means nothing is off-limits. Despite the staggering amount of heartbreak Meredith has endured, there could be more still. Here are a few horrible things that could possibly occur:
- Riggs could be injured or die
- One of Meredith’s kids could get hurt
- Mer’s half sister Maggie or her sister-in-law Amelia could die
- Meredith’s new “person,” Alex, could get killed or go to prison for real
- Meredith could actually die
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