Warning: SPOILERS for Chicago Med season 10, episode 21, "Baby Mine...."

There are already a few major storylines promised in the Chicago Med season 10, Caitlin and Naomi just picked at one that could have lasting consequences.

Given its current ranking as NBC’s top-rated drama, it’s hardly surprising that Chicago Med has managed to gain nothing but momentum leading into the season 10 closer. As if it weren’t bad enough to have buried his mother in the previous episode, the Chicago Med season 10 finale threatens the life of Charles’ youngest daughter as a hostage crisis limits the number of available staff. But with those two major storylines already potentially intersecting, Dr. Nicholas Hayes may have an unfortunate effect on the finale’s overall story as well.

Hayes’ Ongoing Storyline In Chicago Med Explained

Lenox Fell For The Worst Possible Coworker

If it seemed like Hannah Asher’s Chicago Med relationships were somewhat toxic, Lenox’s relationship with Hayes takes the cake. After Caitlin initially seemed to reject the apparent attraction between the two, Hayes managed to steal a kiss from Lenox during surgery practice before it was revealed he used the same trick on Naomi. The difference is that Naomi was a far less willing participant, and the ways in which her story lined up with Caitlin’s became too much for Lenox to bear.

Not only did Lenox cancel plans to go with Hayes to Myrtle Beach, but she also put in a complaint with human resources on Naomi’s behalf. Although first upset that Lenox took that initiative without discussing it first, Naomi coerces the hospital into reversing their decision not to suspend Hayes by leaking a news story with statements by other victims. As it turns out, Hayes has been using his position to harass a number of nursing staff as well. The board still has to investigate the victims’ claims, but that could create pacing issues for an already high-stakes season finale.

The Chicago Med Season 10 Finale Needs To Focus On More Pressing Storylines

Hayes Hardly Seems As Important As A Budding Hostage Crisis

Much like John Frost and Ainsley Towne’s Chicago Med storyline, it might have been better if Hayes’ story had begun with enough time to wrap things up ahead of the season 10 finale. It very much appears that the main plotline of the Chicago Med season 10 finale will focus on a parent taking Gaffney’s staff hostage. This unfolds after the previous episode ended with the man’s son getting bumped from the list for a lung transplant by a patient with a wealthier and more influential father.

Concurrently, Dr. Charles’ daughter Anna is brought to Gaffney in critical condition as a result of a car crash. Charles only just learned at his mother’s funeral that Anna dropped out of Stanford and moved back to Chicago, and the two haven’t gotten a chance to discuss that yet. Between the hostage crisis and Charles’ personal arc setting him up for potential tragedy, it’s hard to feel the weight of Hayes’ suspension as deeply as it might have been felt earlier in the season. However, factoring Hayes into the finale’s more pressing storyline might not be completely unfeasible.

How Hayes’ Plot Can Still Be Relevant In The Chicago Med Season 10 Finale

Goodwin Now Faces Even More Trouble With The Board

Even in the wake of Chicago Med’s nurses’ strike and Goodwin’s valiant efforts to reach an amicable resolution, it’s been confirmed by the network and showrunner that Goodwin will have more tough calls to make in the Chicago Med season 10 finale. She’s already taken flak from the board over Naomi’s press leak, so the board might no longer feel as generous toward the same nurses who helped Naomi get Gaffney’s star surgeon suspended. Even if they don’t walk back on their resolution with the nurses, the board may want to see heads roll.

It’s uncertain whether the board will want Hayes’ head or those of his accs, the latter of which Naomi’s already expressed concern about. But with Anna in critical condition and a number of staff held hostage, any further personnel issues could mean fewer hands operating on Charles’ daughter in her time of need. Either way, Chicago Med is bound to continue feeling the effects of Hayes’ storyline in season 11. Until then, fans can only hope the board won’t inadvertently punish Anna for the consequences of Hayes’ misconduct by eliminating staff at the worst possible time.

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