But wait: Is Meredith officially moving on from McDreamy?

Warning: Grey’s Anatomy spoilers ahead. 

As you’re more than likely well aware, the world lost one very special McDreamy last year. At the end of Grey’s Anatomy Season 11, Derek Shepherd was hit but a truck, badly injured, and the doctors at the hospital he was transported to couldn’t save him. If your heart broke into a thousand pieces watching this, just think about Meredith Grey.

The end of the season jumped a little ways into the future, showing us that Mer is slowly getting back on her feet. Before this new Season 12 started, Shonda Rhimes seemed to hint that romance would NOT be at the top of her to-do list (remember, she doesn’t need a man to live her life). But now with the introduction of Dr. Nathan Riggs, it seems that Meredith might slowly get back into the dating game, or at least the hooking-up-at-the-hospital game.

However, before you get to excited (and/or upset) over a new shipper pairing, take a deep breath. There’s nothing concrete about the possibility of this new relationship yet, the man behind Riggs, Martin Henderson, suggests that the writers at Grey’s Anatomy wouldn’t do something THAT obvious this soon after loosing McDreamy.

“The writers are more than likely to play with that assumption and expectation, yet I think they’re also smart enough not to play into the hands of it,” Henderson explained to Entertainment Weekly. “At this point, knowing how Shonda [Rhimes] and the writers construct the stories and the relationships, anything is possible. A lot of what Shonda looks for when she starts writing characters is looking for the natural chemistry, and seeing what she finds thrilling [and] what’s organically happening between actors.”

So while Henderson doesn’t rule out a future relationship, it certainly doesn’t sound like it’ll happen anytime soon. He adds, “There’s definitely a possibility, but it’s way too early to tell.” This means we’re going to have to keep on watching to find out if Riggs is going to be the next leading-man in Mer’s life.

(Image via ABC.)