Grey's Anatomy' explored motherhood like only it can: heartbreakingly

There was never going to be a winner in the custody battle over Sofia on Grey's Anatomy. 

In one corner you had Callie, the woman who carried Sofia and gave birth to her under terrifying post-car crash circumstances, who was looking to take the first grader across the country to New York. In the other, you had Arizona, who chose to raise this child as her own after she was conceived by Callie and Mark, and wanted nothing more but to keep Sofia in Seattle, surrounded by the village of extended family. 

It was a tough case and, for the viewers, a heartbreaking one to watch unfold. 

Trials are always ugly, but this one got particularly so, thanks to some truly aggressive lawyers employed by both doctors. Callie's lawyer was particularly harsh at times, painting Arizona to be a workaholic, partying mother who frequently abandoned her duties to do last-minute surgeries or go to trivia nights with Webber.

The sole benefit of this attack, though, was watching Bailey and Meredith's fierce sides come out, as they defended working mothers everywhere. This whole episode, in fact, seemed to lay out the truth about mothers for everyone watching: Don't judge mothers, just admire them for being able to do it period. 

Arizona's lawyer, meanwhile, called Penny's familiarity with Sofia into question. Penny was made to look particularly bad when she didn't even know what grade Sofia was in. 

In the final minutes, Arizona and Callie met on a bench as they were about to find out the verdict. Arizona was not feeling particularly confident as she had to walk out mid-testimony to go save a baby's life. 

"I love my child and I want her with me but I know that no matter how this ends, she'll survive. She'll be healthy and safe and well taken care of and loved because we are her mothers. But there is a child at the hospital who will not survive unless I'm there. So I have to go," she said in a moment that made Callie's jaw drop. 

Arizona perceived this to be a bad thing, but it turned out the judge was as impressed as I was by her dedication to her job, her ability to juggle it all and her conviction. She was awarded sole custody. 

The win was bittersweet to watch, though, especially when the camera cut to Callie sobbing into Meredith's arms. 

"How the hell did this happen?" she cried. 

Penny tried to reach for her hand to show support, but Callie pushed it away, as if to finally acknowledge that Penny was the cause of this. 

That Penny, not exactly a lucky one, eh? 

Fans, meanwhile, seemed pleased with the outcome,