Patrick Dempsey's McDreamy returned for his second appearance on Thursday's episode.
Spoiler alert! Do not proceed if you have not watched Thursday's episode of Grey's Anatomy.
Last week only scratched the surface for what was to come between Meredith and Derek's long-awaited reunion.
On Thursday's Grey's Anatomy, titled "My Happy Ending," Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) -- confirmed to be COVID-19 positive -- was transported to the same beach where she first saw her late husband, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), waving at her from afar during her dream sequence after she collapsed again four days after she was initially found unconscious. Meredith's case, as it's unveiled throughout the episode, is bad. Like, severely bad.
And, if things get worse, Meredith's health directive is a DNR order that she knows her BFF, Alex Karev (remember him?), would follow to a T. But she confides in McWidow (Richard Flood) that if she "falls asleep, [she] won't wake up." This comes after her loved ones and friends advise her to rethink her plans if, God forbid, something does go wrong, that she picks the right person who has her back no matter what. She ends up choosing Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.).
"I can't get anywhere," Meredith yells to Derek from a mile away in her dream, as she tries to get closer to him -- to no avail.
"You're worried about the kids," Derek says from a distance, remnants of their signature love theme playing in the background
"I don't understand," she says, confused.
"It isn't real, Meredith," he replies, trying to guide her back to consciousness.
"I miss you," she admits.
"I know," Derek answers.
Later, in the episode, we're back into Meredith's dream world and she's desperately running toward Derek. "You could walk too, you know?"
"It wouldn't make a difference. Because the sand isn't real, Meredith," Derek repeats, laughing at her stubbornness.
But just as she's about to reach him, Meredith trips and falls flat on her face. "I hate you."
"You love me. God knows you love me," he says lovingly, knowing full well she's not ready to go to the other side just yet. "I'll be right here when you're ready."
This is the first time Dempsey reprised his role as Derek Shepherd since getting killed off in 2015. He's expected to appear a few more times this season, possibly to offer Meredith some closure.
"All I can say is you have not seen the last of him. That's what I will say and whatever does come, it's going to be... What you saw last week that everybody freaked out about is just a tiny, it's the tip of the iceberg of what's to come," Kevin McKidd, who directed Thursday's episode, told ET. "You'll have to watch."
Looks like we'll have to wait a few more weeks to see more of Meredith and Derek's dreamy reunion.
Grey's Anatomy returns Thursday, Dec. 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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