Link needs to take a breath before he blows up his relationship in Grey's Anatomy

One couple I need to see succeed in Grey’s Anatomy is Jo and Link. Even Amelia pointed out how their friendship in the past makes them a great couple. The problem is they’ve hit a rough patch and they’re struggling to communicate with each other.

Caution: This post contains some SPOILERS for Grey’s Anatomy season 21, episode 6.

Jo and Link have been struggling since they found out that they were going to have twins. It came to a head in the most recent episode as Jo opened up about her fears.

Naturally, Jo feels like Link could abandon her. She’s only been with people who have abandoned her. Her mom gave her up at birth, and then Alex Karev just up and left in a shocking (and badly written) way. Now she’s worried that the same thing will happen with Link.

Link took Jo’s fears too personally in Grey’s Anatomy

Now yes, Link knows Jo’s backstory. He was there when she was Brooke. He knows all about Paul and the relationship she had with him. He was also there when Karev left, and he needed to pick up those pieces. So, of course, Link was going to take things a little personally when Jo shared her fears.

Jo didn’t mean it in a really negative way, though. She was trying to express why she was scared and why she was trying to do things alone. A healthy relationship will allow that sort of communication, and the two have had that in the past.

Link has taken things personally in the past, so it’s not all that surprising to see him do it again. It’s not always about him even when it is about him. He needed to take a breath rather than get offended about the fears that Jo has.

And let me say that I say this from experience. I’ve been in both Link's and Jo’s positions. I’ve had things said that I could have taken personally, but I had to take a breath to let the other person express their feelings. I’ve done it to them, and I have apologized for the way my fears made them feel, but it was a chance to have a good and honest conversation about those fears and where they came from.

This is now something Jo and Link can do. They have a chance for Jo to fully explain those fears to the man she loves. Link has a chance to express how he feels, but also to empathize with her a little. They do have the chance to build on this, but it all now depends on the way Link acts in the aftermath. If they’re to work, he needs to take a breath, and they need to talk it out gently. Active listening, my guy!

Grey's Anatomy has a great chance to show us healthy communication at this point. It has a chance to show how couples can grow.

Grey’s Anatomy airs on Thursdays at 10/9c on ABC. Catch up the following day on Hulu.