‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Will Meredith Leave Seattle Permanently? (VIDEO)

Ellen Pompeo as Meredith, Scott Speedman as Nick, Peter Gallagher as Hamilton in Grey's Anatomy
ABC/Liliane Lathan

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Grey’s Anatomy Season 18 Episode 13 “Put the Squeeze on Me.”]

This season on Grey’s Anatomy, Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) has been splitting her time between Seattle, with her family (and her technically full-time job at the hospital), and Minnesota, where she’s been working on a clinical trial to cure Parkinson’s. Just as the latter seemed to be winding down, however, Dr. David Hamilton (Peter Gallagher) had an offer for her that would mean a major change.

In “Put the Squeeze on Me,” Hamilton tried to get her to agree to be part of the staff permanently, as Director of the Grey Center (with a major budget) and Chief of General Surgery, in the middle of a presentation. As Dr. Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman) pointed out, after her recent success, everyone wanted to see what else she could do. “What if I just want to go home and be with my kids?” she asked. He pointed out she didn’t have to do every project herself. By the end of the episode — as Nick came home with her and met her kids — she hadn’t made a decision.

The promo for next week’s “Road Trippin'” shows Meredith talking to her oldest, Zola (Aniela Gumbs), about it and telling her about the job offer. “So we would move?” Zola asks. “We would have to, yes,” Meredith says. Watch it below.

We know that Grey’s Anatomy is returning for a 19th season, and that Pompeo has signed on to continue to play Meredith. But as this season has shown, she could still be part of the show and only occasionally be part of Seattle’s storylines. However, if her kids move to Minnesota with her, chances are the only thing that would bring her back to Grey Sloan would be a surgery or project on which she needs to participate and maybe the occasional visit to see her sisters, Dr. Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) and Dr. Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary). But with Meredith asking Dr. Kai Bartley (E.R. Fightmaster) about their relationship with Amelia, could she not be the only one to possibly leave behind Seattle?

In “Put the Squeeze on Me,” Meredith pointed out to Nick that she had a life and kids back in Seattle. “I could meet your kids. You could have a life here,” he said, though insisted that despite the benefits her grant money would mean for his research, he wanted her to do what she wanted. The end of the episode did see him meet her kids, but that doesn’t mean the second part of his statement (a life in Minnesota) will come true. After all, we saw Nick in her world, her life in Seattle. Might he be the one to move? His niece is off doing her own thing, after all.

But what do you think? Vote in the poll below.

Grey’s Anatomy, Thursdays, 9/8c, ABC