Don't worry, Adam Ruzek didn't leave Chicago PD (he'll be back soon)

"Water Line" was an excellent Chicago PD episode. It was nice to see Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) get some shine after what has felt like a pretty quiet season 11 for him, and he carried the story with the intensity one would expect from a guy who's been around since season 1. Everybody who showed up to "Water Line" showed up to play.

One character, however, was notably absent. Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) was nowhere to be seen in the episode, which led to some confusion over whether the character was in peril, or perhaps even leaving the show. What's the deal? Well, we have some great news.

Adam Ruzek will return for PD's season 11 finale

In short, Ruzek is not leaving Chicago PD. In fact, NBC's promo photos confirm that the character will be back for the very next episode of the season, "Inventory."

The character, who was forced to take six months away from IU to recover from a gunshot wound, was pictured in scenes from the May 15 episode. He's perfectly healthy (for now), and can be seen wielding a firearm alongside Atwater, Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos), and his fiance, Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati).

Ruzek also pops up in the promo photos for the season 11 finale, "More," which will mark the very last appearance of Upton's character. It would have been a missed opportunity if he'd been MIA for such a major moment in the show's history, so we're definitely relieved on that front.

Ruzek's absence continues a PD trend

Chicago PD has struck up an odd pattern of sidelining main characters in recent weeks. Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) sat out the episode "Buried Pieces," claiming that he had to leave town for business. It was especially odd given that Voight had never missed an episode prior to "Buried Pieces" airing.

The same went for Ruzek. The character was in a three-way tie with Voight and Burgess for most PD appearances, but now Burgess is ahead of both men by one. It's unclear if these absences were due to scheduling conflicts, or a desire to give more screen time to other characters. We hope it doesn't continue into season 12, though.