Tonight’s Grey’s Anatomy tugs at any heart strings you still have left as April and Jackson receive their diagnosis.

Sympathy is a tricky emotion to navigate. There are those who think that explaining their own troubles make you feel better about your own. Others may only be able to greet you with an, “I’m sorry.” What can the doctors do when April and Jackson hear the news that their baby falls in the Type 2 category? Keep their distance.

Grey’s Anatomy season 11, episode 11, “All I Can Do Was Cry,” deals with some heavily emotional material, but Meredith provides a bit of levity to the surrounding group. With Derek away, Meredith is in need of a sexcation. But she needs to cover a few things first, namely her on call shift and Zola and Bailey. After running through everyone in the hospital, Maggie finally tosses her name into the ring as the perfect babysitter candidate. She has one friend, why can’t Meredith accept that! Plus, she is a gets on the floor and bakes cookies kind of babysitter. What can top that?

The diagnosis is about as bad as it can be for April and Jackson’s unborn child. Dr. Herman advises Arizona to keep her distance from the family as they come to terms with their next steps. Catherine Avery is the woman for the job to talk them through what needs to happen. An induction, a baptism, and fleeting minutes holding their son is all they have to look forward to now.

April understands the circumstances surrounding her baby’s condition, but her faith pulls her in another direction.

In the ER, a family hunting trip takes a turn for the worse when a husband accidentally shoots his wife while putting away his shotgun. The bullet is not the only thing the trauma unit is worried about getting out of the patient. As she begins to bleed out, the bullet dislodges and her water breaks. However, the woman never knew she was pregnant.

Miracles can happen. The doctors have seen it before in their own ways. Sight is restored, cancer removal is given another shot, people get pregnant when science tells them it is impossible. In fact all of the above happened in this episode alone. But Kepner argues how can she know if her miracle isn’t down the road if she gives up now?

The chapel provides comfort for more than just Amelia during the Avery’s ordeal. Stephanie is able to move on from the guilt she feels about wishing harm on the family in their earlier days. Richard reconnects with Catherine Avery. But it is Jackson’s plea to any higher being listening to please offer some glimmer of hope for April. She believes in nothing more, and she needs some sign.

Kepner makes her way to the ER, where she knows she has a purpose. She can restore order, bring lives comfort, and get her mind away from her child for a moment. April walks into a woman who has wandered around the hospital clad in scrubs giving the illusion that she works there. But her true identity is a recent widower who cannot seem to move on. April takes her ghostly presence aside and offers her comfort and strength to move on. A talk that encourages April to let her, Jackson, and the newly christened Samuel Norbert Avery move on.

Amelia has another baby on her plate to worry about. Steph is on her team and in training to be on the floor as Amelia tackles the tumor of a lifetime. But not if her attitude and personal feelings get in the way of being a good doctor. A complicated procedure on a patient that would allow Amelia to practice a procedure she needs to use on Dr. Herman is more than just practice. She is not only helping a patient, but teaching Stephanie that once she crosses the OR doors all emotions are left outside.

Amelia’s final words to Stephanie echo throughout the entire episode, “You must be willing to look for light in the darkest places.” Whether that is in a widower’s eyes, your newborn son’s first and last finger squeeze, or your final shot at life, the hardest things to do are often the first step to going forward.

Jackson and April wheel their way out of Grey Sloan Memorial and towards their next step as a new family.

Grey’s Anatomy season 11, episode 12, “The Great Pretender,” airs Thursday, February 19 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.