Episode 6 of Chicago Fire’s thirteenth season left Carver’s future at 51 up in the air after an unfortunate series of events.

After a short break, Chicago Fire returned with a new episode on Nov. 6 that has unexpectedly left fans spiraling and worrying that 51 could soon be saying goodbye to yet another character.

Warning spoilers ahead from Chicago Fire season 13 episode 6, “Bird of Prey”

Ever since he returned from his furlough, Carver has been struggling to settle back in at 51 and this week things finally came to a head.

First, he slept through the call siren resulting in Kidd having to come rushing to the bunk room to wake him so they could respond to the call. Later, Ritter comes to Carver to let him know that he didn’t change out his tank after their last call which puts Carver on the defensive as he lashes out at Ritter – an exchange that Kidd overhears from her office.

Following the exchange, Kidd tells Carver to head home, dismissing him from his shift and informing him she’ll be calling in a floater to finish the shift out. She then issues a blunt warning to him as she tells him not to come back unless he can get himself together.

And there in that moment fans were left to wonder, is this the end of Carver’s time with 51 or simply a storyline that will leave him on the bench potentially for an episode or two as he works through his ongoing personal matters?

There are no indications that Jake Lockett is leaving Chicago Fire 

While Kidd dismissing Carver from his shift and issuing a warning not to return until he’s gotten himself together hinted that Carver might miss a shift or two at 51, this does not seem to be a storyline used to set up another cast exit.

There has been no indication that Jake Lockett will be leaving the show, but rather this storyline seems to be used to continue the arc that the writers are taking Carver on this season – one which has been plagued with personal drama that is impacting his career.  And let’s not forget that Lockett was finally made a series regular for season 13 after two seasons!

It’s clear that Carver has some tough decisions to make and that one of those decisions might be finally severing ties with Toi, who has been no good since coming to town with him. Not only has Tori caused a rift between Carver and his 51 family – namely Violet – but their relationship is clearly now impacting his performance on the job due to the lifestyle they’ve been living.

Our hope is that Kidd sending him home will be the wake-up call Carver needs in order to realize he needs to get things back on track before it’s too late. Fortunately, that seems to be the direction the writers are heading in and we hope this will be a temporary break from active duty for Carver.