From one Washington to another! Grey’s Anatomy may return next week, but without Dr. Derek Shepherd in neuro, where does that leave Patrick Dempsey?

The winter finale of Grey’s Anatomy season 11 finally stopped trying to repair the crack in Meredith and Derek’s relationship. Months of ignoring each other, pausing major blow outs, and attempts at making up proved to be futile for the first and fan-favorite Grey’s Anatomy couple.

Shonda Rhimes spoke with EW about the state of the couple’s relationship. Rhimes says, “We end them in a fairly dark place. He’s walking away and she’s sort of pushed him out the door. It’s like, you call someone’s bluff and push them out the door.”

Most of the season thus far has show relatively one-sided anger. Meredith loudly and repeatedly blew up at Derek for blaming his misery on her. When the offer first arrived for Derek to work on a brain mapping project in Washington, D.C. he turned down the position to remain on the West Coast with his family. Now that the offer is on the table again, the past few months arguing with Meredith and watching his past career go to his sister has changed his tune.

The focus of season 11’s opening episodes set Meredith’s timeline against that of her mother, Ellis Grey. The competitive relationship with Derek, measuring her success against his, echoed that of Ellis and Richard’s young love. Rhimes says of the parallel, “I love the echoes of her mother that are in there and what that means for her. I love the idea that this could possibly mean that for the first time in her life at the hospital, she has neither Cristina [Sandra Oh] nor Derek, and therefore is essentially alone and how she’s going to cope with that. It’s going to be very interesting for her.”

Alex Karev has become the surrogate Cristina Yang for Meredith this season, much to the dismay of his girlfriend, Jo Wilson. Meredith may prove to be too much for Alex to handle on his own.

Now that Derek is officially moving to Washington, D.C. what does this mean for Patrick Dempsey? The actor is still very much a part of the show, but as EW confirms, the show will not split time between D.C. and Seattle. Grey’s Anatomy is very much set in its hometown and the focus will be on the residents and interns of Grey-Sloan Memorial.

Rhimes adds, “There will be a time when you see him again, yes, but it’s probable that you won’t see Derek for a while.”

Fans of McDreamy, are you sad to see the leading man go?

Grey’s Anatomy season 11, episode 9, “Where Do We Go From Here?” returns, Thursday, January 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.