Grey's: "We're going to have to figure it out as we go"

Thursday's Grey's Anatomy episode spanned three holidays, starting the day before Thanksgiving and ending with New Year's. A lot happened, and while I'd love to recount it all, below is a shorter than usual recap that highlights the information that will be important in future episodes also.

- Richard is essentially bribing Meredith to keep his alcoholism a secret by offering her surgical lessons. So because he is being nice to her, she keeps ignoring the signs even when they are right in front of her. Then, at the end of the episode, Meredith finds a very drunk Richard acting stupidly at the bar and she is forced to come to his rescue.
- We find out that Bailey's family does not know she is divorced. But when her father comes for a visit, she is forced to talk to him about it. Bailey tries to explain her choice to him, but he says he is ashamed she chose work over her family. Then, in the middle of Christmas dinner, Bailey defends her choice and tells her dad her only fault was choosing not to settle.
- An 18-year-old girl comes to the hospital and tells Mark he is her father. A paternity test proves it and she moves in with Mark and Lexie. For weeks the new father/daughter pair barely look at each other, let alone talk, but then Lexie pushes him to open up to her. The daughter then confesses to Mark that she is pregnant. She says she dropped out of high school and that her mother kicked her out of the house so she has no where else to go.
- Things with Owen and Teddy are a bit awkward. Then the two get a moment alone and she opens up to him; She tells him she loves him and he admits he used to have feelings for her but that he now loves Cristina.