Nothing about Grey’s Anatomy season 11, episode 20 looks good for Derek Shepherd. But is death really the route the show will take?

Derek does not make it to D.C., but does that mean McDreamy’s days on Grey’s Anatomy are numbered? Well, yes and no. Will he die this season? Probably not.

Grey’s Anatomy holds back nothing when it comes to killing off your favorite characters. Just look at all the pain we’ve suffered at the hands of the showrunners! But luckily, in a way, Derek Shepherd’s real life counterpart Patrick Dempsey still has a contract promising another season with his signature at the bottom. It does not seem likely that ABC will be pushing Grey’s Anatomy anywhere before the close of season 12, especially when all the members of the old guard are contracted through 2016.

Related: Grey’s Anatomy season 11 gives us a new Dr. Shepherd to care about

But, hold on! Season 11 had Dempsey’s name on the bill and Derek was absent for a good majority of the season. What is stopping Grey’s Anatomy from pushing his storyline out of mind and out of sight once more?

When it was announced that Derek Shepherd would be taking the position in Washington D.C. and that neither Meredith nor the show would be following him, his prognosis seemed grim. During those few weeks the show proved not only that Meredith could survive without him, but that Grey’s Anatomy still has plenty of stories to fill ORs without the man in the ferry boat scrub cap leading the way.

Patrick Dempsey filming in Seattle for ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ April 2015.

Related: Grey’s Anatomy season 11 scoop: Seattle without McDreamy

Derek’s request of Meredith as he left his doorstep in the opening of last week’s episode, “Don’t move, wait for me,” set off alarms and fans’ fears were confirmed when he did not arrive in Washington, D.C. later that afternoon. While this week’s episode does not promise any answers, it is more likely than not that Derek will find himself roped into an emergency situation before he can make it to the airport.

Patrick Dempsey will be looking for his Sandra Oh send off in the near future, but does this season hold any more clues to where and what condition he will be in come the season 11 finale?

One thing we know for certain is that Patrick Dempsey took a visit to Seattle recently to film one of Derek Shepherd’s favorite pastimes — riding the ferry boat.

Our bets are on Derek Shepherd surviving season 11 and making his exit sometime in season 12 with proper pomp and circumstance and plenty of tears. Regardless of Shepherd’s fate this season, it is likely that fans of the dreamy doctor who found himself on the floor of Ellis Grey’s home way back in season 1 should prepare their goodbyes. After 11 seasons, Dempsey is ready retire from the world of Grey’s Anatomy and hit the track to pursue his other passion, racing.

Where do you hope the show leaves Derek at the end of season 11?

Watch Grey’s Anatomy season 11, episode 20, “One Flight Down,” Thursday, April 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.