The world of the One Chicago universe isn’t necessarily the sort that serves up happy endings to its characters on a platter. Tragic deaths are common for this group, and sometimes people leave with their dreams and goals unfulfilled. One happy exception to that rule is Ethan Choi (Brian Tee) and April Sexton (Yaya DaCosta), who got to happily ride off into the sunset together after reuniting for a storybook wedding during Season 8 of “Chicago Med.” The on-again-off-again exes seemingly split for good when April split town during Season 6 after being accepted into a nurse practitioner program in another city — and DaCosta moved over to Fox to head her own drama series. Ethan spends Season 7 and much of Season 8 coping with the of a gunshot injury, before returning to work and reuniting with April. Ethan then heads off to join April and launch a mobile clinic.
That’s a rare sweet ending for an often tough-minded universe — and it’s ready to happen again. With Hailey Upton actress Tracy Spiridakos set to exit “Chicago P.D.” sometime after the series resumes for Season 11 once the SAG-AFTRA strike concludes, the show’s head writers will be charged with giving her character a satisfying ending. And it seems that the show just might decide to give Hailey a happy ending next to her husband, Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer). While Jay’s exit from the show during Season 10 might seem like an absolutely impossible impasse for this to occur, April’s return to assist Ethan’s exit from “Chicago Med” has more than laid out the groundwork for its occurrence.
The long, rocky relationship between Hailey Upton and Jay Halstead has been an emotional roller coaster for One Chicago fans. Hailey and Jay met during Season 4 of “Chicago P.D.” They don’t get on at first — after they team up as partners, she is wholly involved in getting the job done, while Jay copes poorly with losing his former partner on the force, Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush). Over the course of Seasons 5 and 6, they get closer and closer together. It all culminates in a marriage during Season 9. Unfortunately, during Season 10, Jay stabs a perp in self-defense and his guilt (and Hailey’s attempt at helping to cover up his crime) leads to him turning in his badge. The incident strains his new marriage to Hailey as well.
Jay is ultimately unable to cope with his PTSD and leaves Chicago for a job in Bolivia. There, he’ll be hunting down drug cartel members while working with the Army. He tells Hailey that morality there isn’t grey but black and white. Their marriage is left on pause while he vacates Chicago for eight months. While she continues to take care of her very dangerous job, she hasn’t referred to Jay since his departure. It’s quite possible they divorced off-screen. But Season 10 left the door wide open for him to return and reunite with Hailey. It’s currently a waiting game to see if that actually occurs, but hopefully, Hailey’s exit will be a joyful, and not a tragic one.
