15 Grey’s Anatomy couples ranked on their relationship functionality
By Meg Dowell
4. Meredith and Nathan
Many fans all but rioted when Nathan and Meredith became an item, and it’s the rumored reason their relationship fizzled out and he left the show after a very short run.
To be fair, Nathan Riggs was the first serious relationship Meredith attempted after losing Derek. Imagine being her kids trying to wrap their heads around seeing their mom with someone who wasn’t their real dad. It was hard to adjust to, and in the end, fans didn’t have to.
Even still, their relationship had the perfect ending — one that showed just how much compassion, respect, and love these two had for each other.
One of the reasons they were able to grow so close was their shared tragic love stories. Nathan’s fiance went missing in action while serving overseas and was presumed to be dead. Meredith lost Derek in a car accident, which came with its own set of terrible circumstances.
Maybe they bonded because of that. Maybe they simply used each other as crutches, holding each other up as they grieved. Either way, when it all came down to it, they understood each other on a deep emotional level, and that could have carried them far.
In the end, though, when Nathan’s dream came true and the love of his life came back to him, she didn’t fight. She didn’t try to win him back. She let him go. Not because she didn’t care for him, but because she understood what he must have been going through.
If she had been in his shoes, she would have run straight to Derek no questions asked. She knew she had to say goodbye to him right then and there. And so she did.