This post contains spoilers from Chicago Med season 11 episode 11 from this point forward.
Spark's sure were flying in last week's episode of Chicago Med as three new relationship began: Archer accepted Kingston's date invite, Frost and Novak turned up the heat, and Lenox and Ripley hooked up in the supply closet. As the teaser for season 11 episode 11 revealed, Lenox and Ripley are still sneaking around and hooking up, but how long until their secret gets out?
However, going into Chicago Med season 11 episode 11, we not only knew that Ripley's personal life will have a renewed heat that he'd been missing since he was dumped by Sadie, but we also knew that he would be reuniting with Sadie to honor the one-year anniversary of Sully's death. It's going to be quite the week for reunions as Charles also has one with former med school classmates in the ED.
The episode begins with Ripley and Lenox helping a patient who suffered a wound from a forklift ramming into him. The nurse notices the tension between them, and when Ripley asks to speak with her privately, it's code for a hookup in Ripley's car on the roof of the parking garage. Apparently, they agreed to stop hooking up, but they sure failed that mission.
Archer's caught between Asher and Kingston
Asher asks Archer if he's bringing Kingston to Molly's later, and even though he feels weird talking to her about his girlfriend, Asher assures her it's okay. Kingston's also okay with his relationship with Asher as long as he's not in love with her. Well... Archer's day quickly takes a turn when a patient comes in with a severe abdominal wound from a bull, which splatters blood directly in his face.
Asher treats a pregnant patient who worries that picking up groceries has impacted her pregnancy, and she explains to Asher about how Kingston advocated her through freezing her eggs before getting breast cancer treatment. On the sonogram, Asher sees some strange matter and calls for a fetal MRI. Because of the patient's claustrophobia, Kingston suggests a different method, which Asher politely agrees to. Kingston later apologizes, and Asher insists it's unnecessary.
Archer and Abrams inform Thompkins that he needs spinal surgery, which he refuses due to the fact that it will end his career. When Abrams tells him that he should find a new career, he sticks to his guns. Archer reads him the riot act. Meanwhile, Asher explains what's happening to her patient's baby, which wasn't caused by her fall but does require surgical intervention. Archer's defiant patient pulled his wires out and prepares to leave the hospital, but he collapses in the hallway.
When Archer's patient wakes up, he gives him tough love and calls him selfish for the stunt he pulled. Thompkins insists that the only thing he's been good at is bullriding, and he can't give that up. Archer changes his tune and tells him he's only hurting himself. During Asher's surgery, Kingston cuts in with her own takes on the procedure, leading Asher to ask her to leave the observation room.
Asher informs Kingston that the bleeding stopped and everything went according to plan. Again, Kingston apologizes and Asher's incredibly understanding. Finally, the get honest about Archer being in the middle of them and it being awkward. Addressing the elephant in the room settles their differences. All three of them are able to have fun together at Molly's after work. However, when Asher returns from the bathroom and spots them kissing, she can't help but feel jealous.
Charles guides old friends through a major surgery
Charles's reunion with Dr. Suzie Mankiewicz (Brenda Strong) and Dr. Howie Mankiewicz (Mark Linn-Baker) in the emergency department as Suzie seeks treatment for an eye issue. Suzie used to be Charles' girlfriend in college and Howie was his roommate. They have history! While Charles catches up with Howie, he admits that he's chosen Suzie over his career. They're rushed into Suzie's room because she's having a seizure.
Lenox is joined by Abrams to explain a knot of tangled blood vessels in her brain that have caused her vision loss and the seizure. There's a risky surgery with a 70 percent mortality rate that could remove the knot, but the other option is to treat the symptoms. Suzie will have two to five years until she reaches a cognitive and physical decline. If she survives the surgery, she won't be at risk of the decline. She decides without Howie's input to try the surgery.
Howie begs Charles to help him talk Suzie out of following through with the surgery. When Charles declines, Howie bites back that he doesn't understand "til death do us part" since he's been married three times. Howie believes that Suzie's being selfish, but Charles assures him it's the other way around. Rather quickly, Charles gets through to Howie. Before going into surgery, Suzie asks Charles to take care of Howie. Unfortunately, Suzie didn't survive the surgery. Howie falls apart.
Ripley and Lenox receive insight into their relationship
Ripley takes shots with Lynne at a bar to celebrate Sully, and she explains how Nate reminds her of his father. Lynne wants to spread Sully's ashes at Wrigley Field. They race around outside the building until they are able to sneak in through the front gate and believe that Sully caused the diversion that allowed them to get inside unseen.
Lynne asks Ripley why he was late to their meetup, but before he can even answer, she clocks that he was sleeping with someone. He admits that he's sleeping with Lenox, and Lynne can tell that he really likes her. Ripley believes that they're oil and water and a bad idea. She pushes him to be honest with Lenox about how he feels. Their chat is interrupted by ballpark security, and they rundown the stairs and onto the field to spread Sully's ashes. Before long, they're cornered by security.
As security chats about what to do, Lynne expresses her worries about Nate never truly knowing Sully. Ripley insists that Sully's with Nate and admits that he saw Sully when he was trapped in the well. Whether it was a dream or a hallucination, Sully was there with him and saved his life. Security allows Lynne and Ripley go without getting them into trouble. The power of Sully!
While Lynne was pushing Ripley to take a chance on his relationship with Lenox, Lenox talked with Suzie before her surgery and seemed to have her fears of having someone close to her watch her condition worsen realized. Ripley shows up at Molly's and pays for the next round of drinks. Lenox wants to have another hookup, but Ripley wants to talk. He doesn't want to stop their arrange and would rather see where it leads. She agrees, but that conversation might not be over yet.
Watch Chicago Med on Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC, also streaming on Peacock.