On this week’s episode of ABC Television’s hit medical drama Grey’s Anatomy the team has to fight for one of their own.  The episode opens with a man named Isaac handing Dr. Shepard an X-ray showing cancer growing on a patient’s spinal cord. Shepard immediately gasps and rattles off the complexity of the tumor and why the patient should have already lost the use of their legs, or worse, they should already be dead or soon will be. Shepard informs him that this is the type of tumor that is inoperable.

To his surprise, Isaac informs Shepard that the X-Ray is of his own tumor and that he has been to several doctors around the country but it was Shepard who he wanted to do the surgery to give him a chance to save his life.

He explains that over Shepard’s career he has proven to be a doctor who is willing to take risks.

Shepard tells Isaac that he will have to think about it because he truly believes there is nothing he can do.  But when he takes the case before the Chief, who bluntly orders him not to do the surgery, he decides he will do it anyway. Shepard’s decision is based partially on the challenge of doing what other doctors were afraid to even attempt and partially to defy the Chief as their feud continues in this episode.

It becomes a big hospital conspiracy as everyone but the Chief find out that he is going forward with the surgery. The first surgery goes for 10 hours with Shepard opening up Isaac but not being able to figure out how to help him. The Chief comes in and tells him he has to close him up and Shepard does because he doesn’t know what to do. The next surgery is a huge success as Shepard simply goes in without a plan and takes each challenge as it comes.

This was a great episode of Grey’s Anatomy as the final scene of the episode is where the Chief informs Shepard he is fired and to get out of his hospital. Shepard responds by telling him to sleep on for a night before he makes a final decision.