Stella collapsed during the massive fire during the Chicago crossover after running out of oxygen. Her decision to not refill her air tank nearly cost Stella her lung and her life. HollywoodLife got the EXCLUSIVE scoop from executive producer/showrunner Derek Haas about where Stella goes from here. “She has to work next shift out of the bullpen, which Otis is delighted about, since he went through it last year,” Derek told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY via email. “And her choice to work past her oxygen limit does have lasting ramifications.”
Severide was by Stella’s side, until he got kicked out of the hospital, throughout her ordeal. As for whether or not this scary situation will impact their relationship, Derek said, “Not yet.” There was a certain look from Boden when Hermann told Severide that Stella stayed in the fire to save him. Could their relationship pose a problem within the firehouse? Derek teased: “It actually comes up more with Casey the next time. Severide gets in trouble and Kidd wants to assist.”
Also during the crossover, we see Casey open up for the first time about how angry and upset he is that Dawson is going. Derek revealed that Casey “will dealing with those emotions for some time to come.” Brett and Casey shared a moment, giving Brett the closure she needed about Dawson. Casey handed Brett a picture with a note from Dawson. But these two won’t be leaning on each other more in the near future. “They have their own storylines going involving new people entering the firehouse,” Derek said.
As for Otis and his PTSD after discovering that mom and baby burned alive? “He’s okay for now but that issue can come back at a later date,” Derek said. “It can be cumulative, like water building up behind a dam.” On the Otis front, you’re going to be seeing the woman — Chloe — he helped during the fire again. “Love is in the air!” Derek teased. Chicago Fire season 7 airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC. If you liked this crossover, Derek admitted that the Chicago teams are “talking about doing one in the spring!”