After a long break, Grey’s Anatomy returned with season 21, episode 9, “Hit the Floor,” which saw the aftermath of the convenience store shooting bringing chaos to Grey Sloan.
We pick up where the finale left off as Lucas and the convenience store gunman fight over the gun. It goes off and we learn that it was the gunman who took the bullet in the struggle for the gun, not Lucas. Lucas races into action to try to save the man as Jo calls 911 for help.
Lucas and Jo make their way to Grey Sloan Memorial and Lucas quickly fills them in on the situation. Bailey asks about Jo, assuming she’s been shot which is when Jo reveals she’s pregnant. Ben takes Lucas to be checked as Bailey looks in on Jo’s babies who seem fine, but she’s experiencing sharp pains so she calls for OB and Link. After further testing, we learn Jo’s at risk and needs a cerclage procedure needed to prevent her cervix from opening too early leading to the twins arriving before they come to term.
While Jo is eager to have the procedure, Link is understandably uneasy about the possible side effects and what they could mean for her and the twins. When things get tense, Bailey sends Link out of the way and he begins to spiral. His immediate reaction is to throw himself into surgery which is when Bailey reminds him that Jo has to be the strong calm in the storm for her patients, and tells him to pull himself together so Jo can fall apart and not have to be the strong one now.
With a nudge from Bailey, Link goes to apologize to Jo for freaking out and assures her all he wants is to keep her and the twins safe. He quickly gets on board with Jo's decision and reassures her he's there for whatever she needs.
The good news is that the cerclage went well and the babies are doing well. After the procedure, Jo apologizes to Link for pushing him away. As she explains, she’s still adjusting to having a partner after taking care of herself alone for so many years.
Owen nearly crosses a line
Early in the episode, Owen helps drive Nora to her new apartment as she drops a major truth bomb on him letting him know she was in love with him but didn’t know how to tell him as his younger sister’s best friend. He barely has time to react as she mentions having some pain in her stomach, which prompts him to turn the car around after she expresses some pain.
Her EKG is normal but her white blood cell count is elevated so they’re waiting for some cultures. Teddy arrives and orders some additional tests and asks Owen to stay with her. When he comes to check in on her, Nora leans in and nearly kisses Owen before he is paged notifying him they’re ready for her to be taken for the tests Teddy ordered.
The scans are clear, but Owen removes himself from his care team about the near kiss. While Nora takes responsibility for the near Kiss, Owen admits he’s just as much to blame as he leaves.
Lucas puts on a brave face but struggles with his brush with death.
After helping Jo, Lucas is taken to be checked out and it seems that his injuries are minor. Lucas assures everyone he’s okay and he jumps back into action despite Ben telling him he cannot treat patients until he’s cleared. Ben ultimately sends Lucas off to the clinic and he assists with things as they calm down just as the heatwave breaks.
While Lucas at first puts on a strong face, when a chair drops in the clinic it takes him right back to the convenience store as he freezes up. Realizing something is wrong, Ben helps talk him through the panic attack reminding him he’s safe and at Grey Sloan.
Lucas apologizes and confesses that he’s not usually a feelings guy, and Ben encourages him to speak with someone from the psychology department as he offers to help clean up the clinic.
Yasuda’s exit hits Jules hard
Word of Yasuda’s exit begins to spread throughout the hospital and, as expected, Jules is struggling the most.
Both Jules and Simone end up assigned to the gunman’s case. Simone tries to offer support to Jules in seeing she’s struggling with Yasuda’s sudden exit, but Jules instead lashes out about the interns not truly being there for one another and is clearly reeling.
During surgery, the gunman falls off the table as he was not strapped in correctly leading to a mad dash to stabilize him and get him back up on the OR table. Once the dust settles, Teddy calls out Simone for not properly securing the patient… only it was Jules who didn’t strap the patient in. Jules eventually shares this information with Richard, who thanks her for her honesty and reminds her he’s not the one who needs an apology.
As the episode ends, Jules goes to apologize to Simone but holds back when she sees Simone and Lucas embracing.