‘Chicago Med’: Major Character Could Lose Everything After Big Episode 5 Cliffhanger

Chicago Med left a fan-favorite doctor in serious trouble after a choice they made treating a patient. The NBC medical drama returned with a new unique medical case, as Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto) and Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) continued to disagree about her ability to correctly treat patients after her serious head injury. Her latest case led her to a make a rash decision that could ruin her career forever.

Spoilers ahead for Chicago Med Season 5, Episode 5: “Got A Friend in Me”

The episode kicked off with Will coming up to Natalie after she showed up to work late. She seems defensive saying she had trouble getting out of the house but had a good rest and does not have a headache. Will assigns Natalie to check on a kid who was brought in for a nosebleed. She says she can do the intake and pass it on to another doctor, but Will insists she focus on that case. He says it’s out of his hands since the orders came from above him.

Natalie arrives in the exam room and meets the adorable Lucas, whose nosebleed seems to have stopped. His parents reveal his nose started bleeding profusely while at the park. His mom said the boy had been dealing with nosebleeds all summer. Upon closer examination, Natalie thinks it might be seasonal allergies.

The doctor says she wants to do a blood test just to confirm the diagnosis, but the boy’s parents are reluctant. They reveal they have adopted a holistic approach to treating diseases. Natalie tells them the test wouldn’t introduce anything else into his system so it is not a problem. They hesitate but agree to do the test.

After getting the lab results back, Natalie informs the parents Lucas has a bacterial sinus infection. The parents start to suggest alternative solutions – such as popsicles of coconut water — to try to rid their child’s body of the condition. Natalie interrupts and says antibiotics would be a faster solution to his symptoms. They brush it off, with the mom telling Natalie he had a bad reaction to medicine after an ear infection.

They refuse to listen to her suggestions, but gets them to agree to let her hydrate the boy and not use antibiotics. Lucas’ symptoms then start to get worse, and Natalie says he may pneumonia. The news angers his parents saying that he looks fine, and she just wants to trick them into treating their son. They say they want to take him home and take him to a holistic doctor.

Natalie lashes out and catches Will’s attention. He agrees to talk to them for her on his own. They agree to do the extra test, but Will says she needs to get it together, as this is the second time someone has not trusted her diagnosis.

The episode ends with a big cliffhanger when the X-ray proves inconclusive. The parents say they just want to take their kid home, but Natalie says she won’t approve their release. When they refuse to listen to her, Natalie locks herself in the room and administers the medicine. We last see security and the parents screaming for her to stop, as Natalie watches the consequences of her choices unfold.

Will Natalie lose her job? Chicago Med airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.