And, Meredith and Alex were best friends, but she’d already lost her husband, mother, father, sister and other beloved co-workers to death by then.
It does make some sense that Vernoff and her team didn’t feel right doing that to her again.
Jo has had her share of grief, having even returned from an extended stay in a mental health facility not long before Alex left town.
According to Krista Vernoff, this option allowed the show to let the characters have sadness, confusion, and even anger over Alex leaving so abruptly and finally, without raining more prolonged grief upon them or the actors who play them.