Just when we thought Natalie Zea’s appearance in Chicago Med season 9 was going to be a one-off, the creative team behind NBC’s hit medical drama threw an unexpected surprise our way in the fourth episode of season 10, “Blurred Lines.”
In the episode, Maggie is equally surprised when she discovers that Jackie is the new nurse joining the E.D. shift, with Zea making her way back to the show in a guest-starring role.
Looking to get Jackie acclimated back to the E.R., Maggie gave her some softball cases and tasked her with doing secondary work such as restocking supplies. This was something that Jackie wasn’t a fan of as she worried that Maggie didn’t think she was prepared to return to work, telling Maggie that she felt she was more than capable of being there for the patients after what she’s been through.
At the end of the day, Jackie more than proved to Maggie that she was ready to be back in the E.D on the floor after seeing how she came to the assistance of a patient and speaking with Dr. Charles, who reminded Maggie that she had been cleared by a number of physiologists before returning to her job.
Who is Jackie on Chicago Med?
We first met Nurse Jackie Nelson in the ninth season of Chicago Med in a storyline that began when Maggie suspected that Jackie’s husband might have been harming her after she spotted cuts on her arms. Unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong, Maggie finally spoke with Dr. Charles about her concerns and he informed her that it was likely the cuts were self-inflicted.
In discussing things, Dr. Charles told Maggie that it’s not uncommon for women in intense jobs to inflict self-harm and with Jackie working in the burn unit, she works in a field that is quite difficult. Add the fact that her husband had lost his job, making her the sole breadwinner of the household, and Jackie was stretching herself to her limits in picking up additional shifts.
When Dr. Charles finally spoke with Jackie, he was also concerned she was self-harming. Following a difficult case involving a burn victim who came into the E.D., Maggie saw Jackie running off to the bathroom and followed after her which was when Maggie discovered the severity of the situation when she noticed cuts all down Jackie’s arms. Maggie ultimately reported her findings to Dr. Charles and tried to talk Jackie into seeking help and taking a step back from work.
After Jackie attempted to return to work, Dr. Charles was forced to put her on a 72-hour psych hold out of fear that she was a danger to herself with our last update being orderlies taking her away. It seemed like a one-off story designed to spotlight the strains that working in the medical field places on nurses and that Zea’s appearance was going to be a one-off. However, it seems the writers felt there was more to the story.
Don’t miss new episodes of Chicago Med Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC and streaming on Peacock!