Meredith Grey finally woke up! After months of teasing and dream beach sequences, this week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy finally showed Meredith waking up from her COVID-19 coma.

Derek Shephard returned once again this episode to give Meredith the final push she needed to return to the living world. The couple discussed his death (in season 11) and what it was like for him to know the doctors weren’t going to save him. Derek explained that dying is exhausting and that Meredith gave him the comforting push to let go.

The couple also talked about their wedding and the fact that they never had a real wedding. Meredith said their daughter Ellis felt jipped and that she would give her a wedding if she could. Suddenly, Meredith was wearing a white dress and holding a bouquet, and Derek was wearing an ivory suit.

“You hate weddings,” Derek said.

“I hate weddings, but I would give this to her if I could,” said Meredith, referring to Ellis’ drawing of the couple getting married on a beach. “What do you want me to promise?”

“To torture yourself less,” Derek responded.

Throughout their whole time on the beach, they two were never able to get close to each other. But in this scene, the couple were finally close enough to kiss.

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In the real world, Teddy Altman and Winston Ndugu find a clot in Meredith’s liver, which could be the reason she isn’t fully awake. Winston tells Teddy she should do the surgery because he’s marry Meredith’s sister, Maggie Pierce, and that feels too close to home. Teddy makes him assist her though, telling him that they both need to leave their egos at the door and do the most careful job possible on Meredith.

The surgery ends up being a success, and they take her back to her room. Winston has one more trick up his sleeve and asks Maggie to bring Meredith’s oldest daughter, Zola, to the hospital to see her mom. Zola comes in, dressed head to toe in PPE, and launches herself onto Meredith when she finally gets to see her.

As Zola chats away with her mom, Meredith is still on the beach with Derek.

“There’s no pain here” Meredith said, with Derek hugging her from behind.

“You want to know a secret?” he asked. “I miss the pain. You have to go.”

“I’m so tired,” said Meredith.

“It’s not your time yet,” he said. “Our kids need you. You have to go.”

And with that Meredith wakes up to her daughter, telling her “we love you.” All the doctors waiting outside Meredith’s room breath a sigh of relief and shed a happy tear, grateful that Meredith is finally awake. The episode then cuts to Derek walking away down the beach.

This episode also saw Amelia Shephard back in the OR. She is working on an up-and-coming baseball player, Felix, who has a tumor. She begins to freak out because if she is a millimeter off, she could paralyze him, ending his career. Luckily, her baby daddy, Link is in the gallery cheering her on. She completes the surgery successfully.

Miranda Bailey treated a patient named Erica this week, a woman who saw the pandemic as an opportunity to enjoy life a little more, even if that means jumping into deep holes that cause internal bleeding. Bailey takes a page out of Erica’s book, reminding herself that life is short and she deserves to enjoy it. Near the end of the episode, Erica realizes that she needs to be responsible again, but Bailey reminds her that rest and enjoyment are ok.

Bailey also gives Jo permission to switch to OB, because Grey’s is still doing that storyline.

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays on ABC at 9/8c.

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