[voiceover] Remember when we were little and we would accidentally bite a kid on the playground. Our teachers would go, “Say you're sorry”, and we would say it, but we wouldn't mean it because the stupid kid we bit, totally deserved it. But as we get older, making amends isn't so simple. After the playground days are over you can't just say it, you have to mean it. Of course when you become a doctor, sorry is not a happy word. It either means you're dying and I can't help. Or it means this is really going to hurt.
“No Good at Saying Sorry (One More Chance)” · Season 5, Episode 21
In this episode: Meredith Grey (4), Richard Webber (2), Cristina Yang (1), Owen Hunt (1)
I see that you're angry with me, and may be angry with your mother.
Don't do that! I'm not your friend, and I'm not your family. You don't get to call me into your office on personal business, and you don't get to speak to me this way right now. It's an abuse of power. I'm a resident. I work for you. You have to speak to me like I'm a resident. And for the record Chief, somebody had to stand up for that little girl, and I make no apologies for that.
You wanna just be a resident? Fine. Alright then. That woman is a victim of domestic violence. This hospital is supposed to be a safe place for her to come and tell her story. And as her doctors it is our job to help her. You did not do your job. Instead you further battered a battered woman.
What about the little girl!
Dr. Grey! You will stay away from that child. You will stay away from that family. You will not come within 100 feet of them. And if you do, you will be suspended from this hospital pending reevaluation of your emotional and mental fitness for residency.
Oh great, is this another heart to heart?
I know you don't like me, and you have every right not to like me, I have abused my power but now I'm here on your turf. What I need to say, what I need to say is, I saw what your mother was doing, I saw how neglected you were, I saw her drive your father off and I spent a lot of time beating myself up about that, but what does that do for you, nothing, nothing. I wasn't your advocate, I didn't fight for you, I never stood up for you. I let myself off the hook, I told myself I was young and didn't know any better, but I did know better, I wasn't much younger than you are now. I should've fought for you Meredith, like you fought for that child today. I told myself that I wasn't your father, that it wasn't my responsibility, that I was right not to but in, I let myself off the hook. You were helpless, you were a baby. A beautiful, smart, funny, little girl, and no one stood up for you. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.
Nice work today? Seriously?
I'm sorry?
'Run to my truck.' You've got O'Malley clipping bleeders and you're telling me to run to your truck.
You know what my truck looks like. O'Malley doesn't. And that- that run you took, it saved a guy's life.
Yeah, well, all day... all day you were teaching O'Malley and you ignored me.
O'Malley wants to be a trauma surgeon. You've already declared cardio. I didn't do anything wrong today. I treated you like I would anyone else.
No, not like anyone else. 'Take care now.' What is that? What are you, like, you know, happy now? What- what are you? You know, just a "choke 'em and forget 'em" kinda guy? [Owen hands her a card] "Hey there now. Take care now. Nice work, Yang." What is this?
It's my shrink. My shrink gave me these sentences. We, uh, we came up with them together. They're all 3-word sentences so I'd have something to say to you instead of the three words that are... that are killing me. The three words that you know I feel but I can't say them, because it would be cruel to say them because I am no good for you. I don't want to torture you. I don't want to look at you longingly when I know I can't be with you. So, yeah, I'm smiling and I'm saying 'take care now.' I'm letting you off the hook. I'm trying. I'm trying so hard to let you off the hook. I'm trying to make it right, what I did to you. Can't you see that? I'm just trying to make it right.
Take care now.
[voiceover] As doctors we can't undo our mistakes, and we rarely forgive ourselves for them, but it's a hazard of the trade. But as human beings we can always try to do better, to be better, to right a wrong even when it feels irreversible. Of course, "I'm sorry" doesn't always cut it. Maybe because we use it so many different ways: as a weapon, as an excuse. But when we are really sorry. When we use it right. When we mean it. When our actions say what words never can. When we get it right, "I'm sorry" is perfect. When we get it right, "I'm sorry" is redemption.
These quotes come from Wikiquote's Grey's Anatomy pages and are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.