What To Remember About Nick From Grey's Anatomy

Hold on to your hats, devoted "Grey's Anatomy" fans, because a familiar hunk has returned to Seattle, and he's got his eyes on Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). During the ABC show's Season 18 premiere, Dr. Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman) resurfaces for the first time in four seasons. Nick's reunion with Meredith consists of meeting for drinks while she is in Minnesota to open a research library dedicated to her mother's memory. She informs him she is single again, though she's not meeting with him in licking her wounds following her breakup with Dr. Cormac Hayes (Richard Flood). However, Nick seems more than interested in her, teasing the possibility our "Grey's Anatomy" heroine has a potential love interest in the handsome transplant doctor.

Fans of "Grey's" are likely aware that Nick first appeared on the Season 14 episode "One Day Like This" (via IMDb). Audiences will also probably remember a few pertinent facts about him and what might make him such a good match for Meredith. But they might not recall important details about his personal life that slipped out in past conversations. Here's what you need to remember about this dashing character now that he's back in the Grey Sloan Memorial fold.

The most important thing to remember about Nick is that he's definitely into Meredith — even though they met under some pretty dire circumstances. Nick, who works at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, winds up on a surgical table in Grey Sloan Memorial in Season 14 after collapsing in the hallway. Before his collapse, he is on a mission to retrieve a liver for his patient but is instead forced to lie in bed and wait for his results. He and Meredith end up chatting about their lives for hours during this quiet moment. He reveals some past personal traumas to her and, in turn, learns about recent (at the time) events in her life. They also discuss what they would do if the time came when they suddenly weren't cut out for performing surgery.

The twosome's flirtation is never given room to develop, mostly because a blockage in Nick's renal vein means he needs to be rushed into surgery. Despite this, Meredith ponders her chemistry with her fellow doctor. She later tells Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) that Nick makes her feel things she hasn't felt since she fell for her beloved Derek, aka "McDreamy" (Patrick Dempsey). But, because Nick is her patient, she doesn't feel comfortable pursuing the connection between them. Now that he is back and set to be her co-worker in Season 18, her concerns may be cast aside.

In Season 14, Nick is five weeks away from receiving a new kidney when he arrived at Grey Sloan Memorial. As a transplant surgeon, this means he understands better than anyone what it's like on the opposite side of the table. His new kidney comes from his best friend, and he feels as if he failed the man by "screwing up" and going back to work too soon after such a major procedure.

Nick is also the sort of surgeon who puts the well-being of his patients over his own. The woman who is set to receive the liver Nick had been waiting for at Grey Sloan Memorial had been on a transplant list for years, and he had been with her case for an equally long amount of time. He was thus disappointed that he wouldn't be the one performing her surgery. That telegraphs the notion that he's just as dedicated a doctor as Meredith.

Like every doctor on "Grey's Anatomy," Nick has a difficult and complicated family life. His mother died while waiting for a heart transplant, which inspired him to become a surgeon. He seems to have a strong relationship with his father, who would take him to the Boundary Waters when he was a child. Canoeing with his dad seems to give Nick a sense of peace that is unrivaled by any of his other endeavors. 

Nick is also raising his niece, Charlotte, and has been in a parental role for an undetermined length of time. He mentions his sister is a drug addict and her dependency "ruined" her, resulting in him taking custody of the child. Since he mentions to Meredith that Charlotte is taking calculus in school, she's likely a teenager. He is determined to ensure his niece goes to college and becomes successful, unlike her mother.

What other past secrets is Nick hiding and what's next for him on "Grey's Anatomy" Season 18? Fans will have to keep tuning in to find out.