Chicago Fire is full of married couples. A lot of the veteran characters have tied the knot at some point over the show's thirteen seasons. There are precious few that are single, but we are starting to think there may be something brewing with Lyla Novak (Jocelyn Hudon).
The medic has tried to keep the details about her past under wraps, but there is something going on between her and Jack Damon (Michael Bradway), a firefighter who recently returned to the show after getting booted from 51.
Novak and Damon have appeared flirty
There was some flirtation between Novak and Damon during the end of season 12, when they were both brand new to the firehouse. The latter was subsequently transferred to another firehouse, but the notion of Novak and Damon having chemistry was the first thing commented upon when they saw each other again in the episode "Bar Time."
Novak and Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith) answered a call to Molly's Pub, and Damon was on hand to assist. He was the one who made the call after witnessing a woman overdose on drugs. It wasn't a long interaction, but it was enough for Novak's ex-fiance, Scott Osbourne (Greg Finley), to feel threatened.
Nevermind the fact that Osbourne was engaged, he asked whether there was anything going on between Novak and Damon. Novak said no, of course, but it felt like the writers were tossing the idea out there to see how fans would respond. Especially since Damon is in talks to return to Firehouse 51 in the future.
Damon is poised to return to Firehouse 51
Chicago Fire loves itself a good workplace romance, and with most people married, or struggling to make sense of their feelings for each other (hello, Violet and Carver), we could be looking at a case of two younger characters providing an outlet for this time-honored tradition. The only other person at 51 that has generated sparks with Novak has been Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney).
This was something Jocelyn Hudon addressed during a recent interview with TV Insider. "I think a relationship with the chief more so in a mentorship way is where her true thoughts lie," she stated. "I think Novak sometimes just shoots things out into the world. Like, she works hard, she plays hard. I don’t know if she takes too much stock into little comments like that."
Given that Pascal recently lost his estranged wife, we can safely write off the notion of him being romantically interested in, well, anyone right now. Novak and Damon haven't been destined to hook up or anything, but we do feel like there has been enough groundwork laid for their romantic arc to not be a surprise as we look toward season 14.