Chicago Fire season 14, episode 6 was one of the most unique episodes of the season. The episode was lacking about half the cast, leading to a stripped-down episode that focused on six key cast members. It was a major episode for one character, in particular, paving the way for an unexpected departure for Kidd.
As the episode opens, Isaiah drops in at the firehouse and reveals to Kidd and Severide that he was looking into the post-op treatment needs his mom needs after her surgery. He wants to make sure she's being checked on regularly, as his research says patients need monitored closely. Kidd and Severide assure him they'll look into things, but remind him that he can't cut out of school.
In her downtime while on shift, Kidd tries to get in touch with the doctor treating Isaiah’s mom. Instead, she gets the runaround, being transferred between departments before landing on hold only for the line to get disconnected before she was able to get any answers. This makes Kidd worry about the facility, so she begins to look into it further.
It turns out the facility Isaiah’s mom has been transferred to does not have glowing reviews, and Kidd makes it her mission to find a new place for her. She tries calling all around town looking for a new medical rehab facility, but it seems every place she calls has a lengthy waitlist, making it nearly impossible to find a good one.
Following a call, Kidd accompanies Violet and a patient to Med, where she spots Goodwin and inspiration strikes. She sits down with Goodwin to explain the situation, and Goodwin reveals that she has a connection who might be able to help get Isaiah’s mom into a great rehab. There’s just one problem, they don’t have a location in Chicago, as the clinic is based in Cleveland.
Wanting to make sure Isaiah’s mom gets the best possible treatment, Kidd arranges for her to be transferred to the Cleveland-based clinic. However, they’re not just sending Isaiah’s mom away. In sharing the news with Isaiah, Kidd reveals that she’s going to accompany him to Cleveland, where they’ll spend the next several weeks making sure his mom is taken care of.
With Kidd and Isaiah leaving town, it's expected that Miranda Rae Mayo will miss at least a few episodes; however, it’s unclear how many episodes Mayo will miss. Given that episode 7 is the season's fall finale, there is a chance she might just miss one episode and that a time jump will come in episode 8. It's also possible that Kidd might miss several episodes in a row, keeping her sidelined for a portion of the season ahead.
Pascal takes a major step in moving on after the death of his wifee
While we thought the episode’s focus would be on the mentor relationship between Pascal and Severide, it ended up being another relationship that saw more impactful growth in the episode.
After asking Severide to shadow him for the day, Pascal informs Severide there’s someone he wants him to meet. Pascal then takes Severide to City Hall to meet the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, Annette Davis.
Davis is impressed with everything Pascal tells her about Severide, but their meeting is cut short when a call from Violet and Novak comes through over the radio asking for immediate assistance after getting trapped in a traffic deadlock while transporting a patient to Med. Severide, Pascal, and Davis help find a way for Kidd’s team to reach Violet and Novak by thinking outside the box.
Kidd and Vasquez are able to help get the patient down to the rig and taken to Med, and we later learn that the patient is expected to pull through. Though Violet does come down on Novak a bit in the end, noting that she was too emotional in allowing the patient’s daughter to come with them, since she distracted them during the call.
Circling back to Pascal, Davis was impressed seeing Pascal and Severide in action, and it was clear as they parted ways that Pascal sees Davis as more than just an ally at City Hall. As the episode comes to a close, Pascal goes to see Davis and explains that when she asked him out for drinks, he reacted poorly, as he’s still working through the loss of his wife. However, he wants to see where things go and invites her to grab coffee – an invite she happily accepts.
Vasquez’s dad has been lying to him this whole time
Looking to fulfill the promise he made to his dad, Vasquez goes to see Cliff Belfort in hopes of asking him to speak on his dad’s behalf at his parole hearing. When he shows up at Cliff’s door and mentions his name, Vasquez is immediately turned away.
After the failed visit, Vasquez calls Cliff to apologize for showing up unannounced and explains that he has a message from his father, who wants him to know how sorry he is for everything. He ends the message by noting that there’s something he’d like to ask if Cliff calls him back.
That afternoon, Cliff’s sister, Pam, shows up at the firehouse to confront Vasquez about his visit. She tells Vasquez that if his dad hadn’t planted evidence, Lindsay’s killer would have been behind bars, which is when Vasquez reveals to her that his dad didn’t plant the screwdriver. He asks her to please convince Cliff to speak with him, but it’s unclear if that will happen when she leaves.
Later that day, Cliff calls and leaves a voicemail agreeing to meet. When Vasquez goes to see Cliff after shift, Cliff reveals that he doesn’t blame Vasquez’s dad for what happened. He explains that his dad was the one who helped him the day of Lindsay’s death, and expresses his gratitude that Vasquez’s dad was the first one to answer the 911 call. He then proceeds to reveal that Vasquez’s dad was the first on the scene, before the medics – meaning he had to have planted the evidence.
As the episode ends, Vasquez goes to see his father in prison to confront him about what Cliff said. His dad tries to brush things off, saying that Cliff was a wreck that day and the medics were there, shutting down the conversation when his son sees through his lies.