Written by Stacy McKee and directed by Chris Hayden, the two-hour episode aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on April 30, 2015.

The episode follows Meredith as she disappears from Seattle, adjusting to life as a single mother and ultimately giving birth to her third child, Ellis Shepherd.

Upon its original broadcast, "She's Leaving Home" was watched by 8.74 million viewers in the United States, ranking #2 in its time-slot, and earned a 2.6 Nielsen rating in the 18–49 demographic.

Meredith returns to Grey Sloan Memorial to break the news of Derek Shepherd's (Patrick Dempsey) death.

While most of the doctors mourn, Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) hides her grief behind morbid jokes, unsettling her colleagues.

Dan (Kevin Alejandro), Callie's ex-date and police chief, returns to the hospital as a patient, creating awkward tension.

April surprises Jackson by returning home unexpectedly, and Catherine proposes to Richard at the hospital, and he passionately accepts.

Meredith begins to bleed and instructs Zola to call 911, mirroring her mother, Ellis' (Kate Burton) story.

Meredith gives birth to a healthy baby girl, Ellis, and is surprised to see Alex at the hospital, as she had listed him as her emergency contact.

[3] In the 8:00 PM time slot, the episode ranked as the second most-watched show, outperforming Bones, The Vampire Diaries, The Odd Couple, and a rerun of The Blacklist, though it was outpaced by The Big Bang Theory.

[1] Nevertheless, the episode was the week's highest-rated drama and the third-highest rated scripted series in the 18–49 demographic, trailing only CBS's The Big Bang Theory (3.4) and ABC's Modern Family (2.9).

"[8] Ashley Bissette Sumerel of TV Fanatic provided a mixed-to-positive review, highly praising Pompeo's performance: "The episode manages to be both incredibly poignant and emotional, yet a little disappointing at the same time."

"[9] BroadwayWorld strongly criticized the episode, stating, "Seeing Meredith sleep in that big, empty bed alone is a powerful enough image.

"[10] Us Weekly echoed fan sentiments, noting that viewers "particularly took issue with Derek's funeral, which lasted a mere 10 minutes.