Grey's Anatomy Recap: Jackson Avery Returns and Meredith Grey Makes a Life-Changing Decision

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This post contains spoilers from Thursday's episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Meredith Grey is taking on a new adventure.

Thursday's episode of Grey's Anatomy saw Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) decide to leave Grey Sloan Memorial and move to Boston.

The episode — titled "When I Get To The Border" — began with Meredith visiting Boston with Zola (Aniela Gumbs) to see schools that would be better fit for her after her recent panic attacks. Though her daughter was hesitant about leaving Boston, Meredith promised that she would do well no matter where she went.

On her trip, Meredith also visited Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams), who runs the Catherine Fox Foundation. She opened up to Jackson about Zola's "severe anxiety" and discussed how she wanted to "help her" in any way she could.

Her daughter's anxiety about their family history with Alzheimer's disease led Meredith to feel pressure to find a cure for it. Jackson offered her a job that would allow her focus on her new goal.

"I think you're having a breakthrough, rather than a breakdown," Jackson told Meredith, adding that he believes her background combined with her experience helping her mother, Ellis Grey, that she is the doctor who can "move the needle" in finding a cure.

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After visiting the Brookline STEAM school for gifted students, Zola had a change of heart and told Meredith she was ready to make the move to Boston.

Meredith was immediately supportive of the idea and told her daughter, "You're going to make your mark. No matter what you need."

She then texted Jackson to accept the job with the Catherine Fox Foundation. "I'm in," she wrote. "We're moving to Boston."

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Also in Boston, Thomas Koracick (Greg Germann) — who is now a neurosurgeon at the Catherine Fox Foundation — encouraged Catherine Fox (Debbie Allen) to tell her husband Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) and son Jackson that the size of her brain tumor had increased after she lied and told them she was in remission.

"It's not in remission. You need more treatment," he said. "You need to talk with your husband and your son."

Catherine remained steadfast that she wanted to explore alternative medicine, telling Tom, "I know you mean well… But, this is my cancer. This is my choice."

Tom continued to push Catherine on the issue and she responded, "This conversation with you is exhausting. I'm not going to have it with anyone else." She added that wanted "privacy and peace" but the end of the conversation was overheard by Jackson.

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Later in the episode, Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) and Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) took a road trip to volunteer at an Eastern Washington family planning center in light of the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, but encountered anti-abortion protestors outside of the clinic.

Inside, the "medical Thelma and Louise" found the facility overflowing with patients due to the new laws in the surrounding states. As they began to treat them, Bailey commented, "Progress is neither swift or easy" when it comes to women's rights.

Addison and Bailey went into crisis mode while traveling back to the clinic with a patient named Susan, who began to hemorrhage from an ectopic pregnancy attached to her C-section scar.

The doctors called for 911 for additional assistance, but the paramedics were held up by a traffic accident so Addison began to administer CPR.

"She has no pulse. She is gone," Bailey said, as Addison made every effort to save her.

However, because Susan needed a blood transfer, she ultimately died on the side of the road.

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Addison admitted that she was "infuriated" by the lawmakers becoming involved in reproductive care. She said, "Take a look at all the carnage. All the blood. It's wrong."

She added, "Women's lives are on the line, and our hands that are trained to help them… are tied!"

After her experience with Susan, Bailey opened up about her own experience needing a D&C [dilation and curettage] after having a miscarriage and her desire to change reproductive health care.

With Addison also wanting to give more women access to care, Bailey realized that the "OR on wheels" — which had been sitting unused — could be the perfect solution to treating patients in states where abortions are banned.

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Back at Grey Sloan Memorial, Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) roped her nephew Lucas Adams (Niko Terho) into bringing her son Scout to daycare.

On the way, he ran into his fellow interns Dr. Benson "Blue" Kwan (Harry Shum Jr.), Dr. Mika Yasuda (Midori Francis), and Dr. Simone Griffin (Alexis Floyd), who all teased him about sleeping with Amelia — not yet knowing she is, in fact, his aunt.

Mika quipped, "I wonder what other kinds of favors he does for her?"

Blue later told Amelia that her "secret is safe" but then alluded to offering her sexual favors in exchange for surgery. Lucas interrupted the conversation and told Amelia the other interns incorrectly assumed they were together.

Amelia was upset to find out that Lucas did not correct their assumptions and gave him an ultimatum, saying, "You have three days, and then if you haven't told them, I will."

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However, Lucas was equally frustrated that Amelia did not hold up her end of the bargain in keeping his family ties hidden.

He admitted that he has enjoyed life without the pressure of being a Shepherd after being his "family's biggest disappointment" and doesn't want that change at Grey Sloan Memorial.

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Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.