“Peace of mind for Severide won’t come until Van Meter shows signs of recovery,” Cruz told his 51 friends.
The Chicago Fire family is a tight-knit crew, forged in steel thanks to their many valiant rescues together. Unfortunately, a cherished member of that family is in danger as Season 14 returns with an emotional midseason premiere (“A Man Possessed”).
Chicago Fire’s Season 14 fall finale (“Pierce the Vein”) was jam-packed with shocking twists and turns after Severide (Taylor Kinney) teamed up with his good friend, Office of Arson Investigation Captain Tom Van Meter (Tim Hopper), on a case after a suspicious fire broke out a school. Just as Van Meter and Severide landed on the arsonist’s trail, the assailant caught on to the investigation and struck again as the firefighters deliberated in an apartment building.
While all of the investigators were in rough shape after the arsonist’s attack, Van Meter took on the brunt of the damage, leading to his swift hospitalization and sparking Severide’s frenzied search for the arsonist in the midseason premiere. Here’s what happened:
Van Meter is still in the hospital after an arsonist’s attack
After the arsonist caught wind of Severide and Van Meter’s investigation, they orchestrated a meticulous counter attack to stop the case dead in its tracks, trapping the men inside a burning building with no exit. Van Meter was instrumental in helping Severide and others reach safety through the windows, but that valiant effort was at the cost of his own safety.
After escaping the building, Severide noticed that Van Meter was in rough shape as the OFI Captain continued to recommend other victims get to the hospital. As Van Meter moved in a daze, Severide noticed scorched marks on his jacket and that Van Meter was losing his balance.
When he collapsed sudddenly, Severide desperately called for medics, informing them his friend had suffered from smoke inhalation and third-degree burns. Despite being in rough shape himself, Severide tearfully urged the medics to focus on Van Meter instead of his more minor injuries. From the moment Van Meter was whisked in the ambulance, it was clear that Severide would do anything possible to see justice served after such a heartbreaking escalation.
Van Meter might not make it on Chicago Fire
Later at Gaffney, Severide was relieved to see that it was Chicago Med’s Dr. Dean Archer (Steven Weber) handling Van Meter’s case. But this was no delightful One Chicago crossover moment; Archer didn’t have good news for Severide. Van Meter was suffering from acute respiratory distress and significant lung damage. The doctors had sedated Van Meter and placed him on a ventilator in an effort to alleviate the symptoms and see some progress, but Van Meter’s condition remained unchanged.
As the heart monitors beeped, Archer solemnly explained that the next few hours were critical; if Van Meter’s oxygen levels didn’t stabilize soon, he wouldn’t make it through the night. The seasoned first responders know that Van Meter’s prognosis isn’t good, and Severide is sick with worry over the situation.
While Severide had always been dead set on finding and arresting the arsonist, you better believe Van Meter’s injuries lit a fire under him to see justice served. Not only is Van Meter a longtime mentor of Severide’s, but the OFI Captain has become like a father to him in the years following Benny Severide’s passing.
What will happen to Van Meter, and how will the fallout of this incident impact Severide moving forward? Only time will tell as Season 14 of Chicago Fire heats up.
Find out what happens next by watching Chicago Fire on Wednesdays on NBC and the next day on Peacock.
