If anything, it’s the characters who didn’t conclude their current storylines that were surprising. Carver and Ritter leaving ahead of Chicago

Fire season 14 was announced well before the season 13 finale, so they had a chance to do something different from previous One Chicago

character exits. Carver and Ritter could have been given happy endings rather than surprise deaths or one-dialogue explanations for their

 

 

disappearance, but they weren’t given any. It’s uncertain how that will be addressed in season 14. Meanwhile, another character’s apparent exit needs to remain wholly unofficial.

After Kidd has an emotional talk with Natalie’s sister, the Chicago Fire season 13 finale ends with Julia helping Natalie pack up to leave Stellaride’s. Julia even offers to buy her sister new clothes because she doesn’t love what they’re packing. Since Kidd spends the last two episodes of the season trying to put Natalie in touch with family who can take care of her, the role she’s been filling in the Evans siblings’ lives appears to have run its course.

 

 

Natalie stopped participating in Girls on Fire after Stella caught her smoking, and it’s largely suggested that Natalie’s only reason for her acts of rebellion, such as smoking and skipping school, was that she felt unwanted. With that mended, there’s no reason outside of monetary help that Natalie and Julia should need help from Kidd or Severide anymore. This might be a relief for the couple currently occupying a spot among Chicago Fire’s best romances, but the series shouldn’t close the door on Natalie Evans just yet.

 

 

After everything she’s put them through, it wouldn’t be shocking if Stella and Kelly were ready to have Natalie out of their lives. She nearly risked her safety by trying to get high during Girls on Fire training, wasted Kelly’s time by falsely accusing her sister of arson, asked for money to see a mother she hadn’t actually contacted, and got Kidd called into the school for an unexpected meeting. It often seemed as if Kidd and Severide were treating Natalie almost as a surrogate daughter, especially since their adoption plans evaporated just before the end of her story arc.

 

 

Whether their newfound pregnancy will work out remains one of Chicago Fire’s biggest unanswered questions until that storyline follows through in season 14, but they should continue making time for Natalie either way. Stella saved Natalie’s life a decade ago while working at another firehouse, making Natalie an important figure in Stella’s professional (and now personal) life. She even tells Natalie on their road trip that she still remembers the fire. Even if Natalie pops up to confirm she rejoined Girls on Fire, it’s good for Stella to continue seeing how the life she saved has turned out.

 

 

Since Natalie felt like a surrogate daughter, Kidd and Severide’s Chicago Fire pregnancy might seem to negate the need for her character. However, they weren’t expecting to wait that long to meet their child. Stellaride now has months to doubt their abilities as parents ahead of Kidd’s childbirth, and their continued presence in Natalie’s life could be exactly what they need to quell those doubts. After this long, Julia won’t likely adapt to raising her sister alone overnight. But helping with any struggles that arise can provide Stellaride with glimpses into their future when needed most.