GayTV Recap: Grey's Anatomy (Episode 15x22)

This week's episode of Grey's Anatomy caught up with the show's recurring gay couple as they dealt with a personal and professional crisis. It began with Grey-Sloan Memorial intern Levi Schmitt (played by Jake Borelli) lamenting his boyfriend Nico Kim's upcoming interview for a job in San Francisco, which would separate them, given Schmitt's life in Seattle. Nico (played by Alex Landi) assured him he would ace the interview, like always, and he had to find a new job after his fellowship year ends. Schmitt attempted to lay out several reasons life in San Francisco wouldn't be so great, but Nico ignored them with a smile.

The two stuck together to handle a new patient, Josh Sterman, a young man suffering from hereditary osteoporosis, requiring surgery to correct a compression fracture in his spine. Josh's grandfather was nervous about the surgery until the arrival of Chief Miranda Bailey, who had history with the older man. She sang Nico's praises, noting his talents were going to be in high demand after his fellowship ends. Nico, meanwhile, kept his patient calm with his confidence that the surgery would be quick and Josh would be back on his feet in no time.

Nico & Schmitt got their patient into surgery, and Schmitt found himself in awe of Nico's talents as a surgeon again, as things went quickly. Nico remarked that he made it look easy, despite the challenges of the surgery. Later, they had Josh back in recovery, where he was reunited with his grandfather and Dr. Bailey. Nico reported that the surgery went well and everything looked good, leading Bailey to depart.

While helping Josh get on his feet to go to the bathroom, he asked Nico about his job prospects, leading Schmitt to mention his UCSF interview, drawing some side-eye from Nico. Josh joked about Nico being better off going into sports medicine. Nico helped him steady himself on his feet, only for Josh to collapse in his arms. Schmitt sprang into action as they tried to figure out what was happening.

They rushed Josh back into surgery, with Dr. Pierce taking the lead as Josh was in cardiac arrest. She pointed out that something clearly went wrong with his first surgery as the patient's pulmonary artery was destroyed. She attempted to save his heart, mentioning he might need a transplant. With Schmitt at his side, a panicked Nico was confused about what could have went wrong, knowing he was careful.

After crossing paths with Josh's grandfather outside the operating room, Bailey rushed in, only to arrive to hear the sound of a flatline. She demanded to know what happened from Nico. He told her that it appeared that the bone cement from his surgery leaked and caused a blood clot that damaged Josh's heart. Bailey blasted him for his mistake that led to the death of a healthy young man. She ordered Schmitt to close up the body so that Nico would be at her side to witness the grief of the young man's grandfather as a lesson to never make this mistake again.

Nico was with Bailey as she broke the news of Josh's death to his grandfather. The older man questioned how this could happen after Bailey told him that his boy was in good hands with Dr. Kim and that they were lucky to have him. While listening, Nico struggled to reign in his emotions. Later, he was out of his scrubs, preparing for his UCSF interview, when Schmitt found him. He was surprised Nico didn't postpone the interview. He encouraged him to put it off, but Nico refused, telling him he can't reschedule a job interview.

Schmitt suggested he ask them to make an exception after what happened, but Nico told him that telling a hiring committee that he made a mistake that killed a patient wasn't exactly a good idea. When Schmitt placed a supportive hand on his shoulder, Nico lashed out at him. He claimed that Schmitt didn't understand because he's let failure hold him back his entire life. His harsh words caught Schmitt off-guard. Nico said that he wasn't like him. An angry Schmitt left, slamming the door as Nico's interview began.

Their drama on Grey's Anatomy may have ended there, but the storyline continued a bit on the spinoff series, Station 19, during the following hour when Schmitt crossed paths with Fire Chief Lucas Ripley at a flower shop. Having never met before, the two men chatted while both shopped for flowers. Ripley asked for Schmitt's advice on flowers, but he didn't have much as he revealed he was looking for flowers for a fellow doctor who lost a patient, referencing Nico's situation.

After overhearing Ripley mention to the cashier that he forgot his wallet, Schmitt stepped in, paying for his flowers for him, which he forced Ripley to accept after his initial refusal. Schmitt then made his own purchase and left the flower shop, only to discover Ripley collapsed on the sidewalk outside. He rushed to his side, while yelling for someone to call an ambulance, as the episode ended, setting up a further crossover between the two shows for the next episode of Grey's Anatomy.