Dr. Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) made a triumphant return to Gaffney on Chicago Med, but what was meant to be a light-hearted visit among friends soon ended with tragedy.
Season 11’s “A Game of Inches” kicked off with an unexpected visitor rushing into Gaffney’s Emergency Department: Owen, the young son of Dr. Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto). Owen warned the Gaffney staff that a diaphoretic teenager had been dumped onto the sidewalk, and he needed help. After Dr. John Frost (Darren Barnet) questioned how the young Owen knew what that word meant, Owen explained that’s what Will told him. Next thing we know, Dr. Will Halstead burst into the Emergency Room carrying the teenager.
RELATED: Why Dr. Will Halstead Is Returning to Chicago Med
“Which room’s open?” Halstead asked his former Gaffney colleagues, setting the stage for an action-packed Med episode.
Dr. Will Halstead returned to reveal he’s going to be a dad
As soon as Halstead brought in the teenage Jasper, he struggled not to showboat the entire operation, stepping on Frost’s toes instantly by reminding him he was a doctor at Gaffney for nearly a decade. While Halstead’s patient care instincts were correct, his passion for helping Jasper is soon revealed to be connected to his tension with Natalie’s son, Owen.
After Jasper was stabilized, Halstead had exciting news for his former Gaffney pals Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) and Dr. Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt). Halstead and Natalie are expecting a baby boy soon, giving their Gaffney colleagues plenty to celebrate. Goodwin was elated about the news, but soon caught on to Owen’s lack of enthusiasm.
“[Natalie’s] feeling good, so I thought we’d catch a Bears game,” Halstead explained, looking to Owen for a reaction. “Have a little boys’ weekend, right?”
Fans may recognize the child star who plays Owen
Frankie DeMaio is one of the newest faces to join the One Chicago franchise, appearing in Med’s latest as Owen Manning, Natalie’s son and a longtime character on the NBC medical drama.
Before hopping aboard Chicago Med, DeMaio appeared in Season 5 of Netflix’s You as Henry Quinn-Goldberg, the son of Penn Badgley’s Joe Goldberg and Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti). That psychologically thrilling role marked DeMaio’s on-screen debut, but he continues to deliver the goosebumps on Chicago Med.
Halstead struggled to connect with Natalie’s son, Owen
Halstead later connected with Goodwin, admitting that he thought Owen hated him. Goodwin assured him that Owen was likely troubled by the new baby, but Halstead worried it was something else. Halstead had believed their one-on-one time would be good for them, but Goodwin reminded him it wouldn’t be easy to connect with Owen if Halstead continued stepping on toes at Gaffney.
Goodwin encouraged Halstead to go have fun at the Bears game with Owen, but Halstead remained distracted by Jasper’s worsening condition. While treating Jasper, Frost and Halstead soon discovered that he was a drug mule with a blockage of cocaine baggies in his intestines. As Jasper approached the harrowing surgery, he asked Halstead to stick by his side, leading a conflicted Halstead to decide to skip the Bears game with Owen.
Upon catching wind of this development, Goodwin visited Owen in the waiting room to talk to him about having parents in medicine. After asking Owen if he was worried he would get even less attention with a new baby around, Owen said he wasn’t mad about having a new brother but was worried. Goodwin then gifted Owen with a journal to help him express himself to Halstead better.
Natalie Manning got an urgent call from Goodwin about Owen
Just as Owen began watching the Bears game on his iPad, disaster occurred in Jasper’s operating room after the drug runner barged into the room and held the surgeons at gunpoint. Confused by the surgeons being at a standstill in the O.R., Halstead flew into action.
E.D. Chief Caitlin Lenox (Sarah Ramos) successfully talked the gunwoman into leaving with the cocaine they’d already recovered, jumping back into surgery as soon as she could. But just as the surgeons proceeded, a gunshot went off in the other room.
Next, we cut to Seattle, where Dr. Natalie Manning was notified about an urgent call she needed to take. After picking up the phone, Natalie was shocked to learn it was her former boss Sharon Goodwin on the line.
“I’m so sorry to be calling you like this,” Goodwin told her. “But something has happened.”
“What do you mean?” Natalie asked.
“It’s Owen,” Goodwin said. “He’s been shot.”
Natalie was devastated by the troubling news, and Chihards will have to wait to see what happens next by watching Chicago Med on Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC and the next day on Peacock.
