Violet was sweating during the October 16 Chicago Fire and Chicago Med crossover episode.
When it comes to Chicago Fire excellence, paramedic Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith) is cream of the crop. So when she almost lost her job in Season 13, Episode 4 (“Through the Skin”), Chi-Hards were sweating to see how she’d get it back.
hankfully, with a bit of help from a Chicago Med fan favorite and Firehouse 51’s new Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney), things worked out. Here’s what happened:
Violet’s spur-of-the-moment call saved a life but jeopardized her job
Violet found herself in a sticky situation after she and paramedic Lyla Novak (Jocelyn Hudon) arrived at a scene to find a woman moments after she had already passed. After the woman’s sister arrived, they were shocked to discover she was pregnant. Devastated, the sister begged the 51 paramedics to do something to save the baby. After checking the child’s vitals, they discovered the eight-month-old baby was still alive. Violet called an ambulance to get the mother to the hospital for delivery, but they wouldn’t arrive in time to save the child.
At a loss for options, Violet informed Novak that she’d assisted with two C-sections during training. Delivering a baby was leaps and bounds outside their scope of care, but it was urgent. Novak stayed at her side as Violet began performing the C-section.
The procedure was difficult, but the baby survived thanks to Violet’s medical finesse and quick thinking. The sister was delighted, and several nurses thanked the paramedics for their heroic actions. Still, Violet knew the warm regards would only last so long.
At the hospital, the paramedics received a visit from the curmudgeonly Paramedic Chief Robinson (Laura Allen) and a representative from the Illinois Medical Board to speak about her “serious breach of duty.” Violet assumed full responsibility.
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“Pending a review of the medical board of the state of Illinois, your EMS license is suspended until further notice,” the rep told Violet.
“I have to pull you off [Ambulance] 61 immediately,” Robinson added. “I’ll send him a placement down to your firehouse to finish out your shift. Go home, Mikami.”
Violet was heartbroken by the development, strongly suspecting her license would be revoked. In the meantime, Chief Pascal assigned Violet to desk duty at 51 to soften the blow. After chatting with Pascal about the ordeal, he recommended that she think outside the box. The CFD couldn’t help her against the medical board, but someone with influence in the public health industry could provide some perspective.
Violet asked Chicago Med’s Sharon Goodwin for advice
After noodling which friends she had in the public health sector, Violet visited Chicago Med to chat with Gaffney’s beloved director, Sharon Goodwin (Epatha Merkerson). Goodwin had heard about Violet’s situation and was happy to ask how she could help.
“The thing is, I don’t really know how the medical board works,” Violet admitted. “But I heard that if I can get someone with some influence to advocate for me, maybe they could help persuade the board to think about, I don’t know, the optics of the whole situation, I guess.”
“The folks on the board are all M.D.s, and I’m sure I don’t need to tell you doctors are not known for their charitable view of paramedics,” Goodwin explained. “So I wouldn’t expect them to go easy on a paramedic who took actions that — right or wrong — are the strict purview of licensed medical doctors.”
“So that’s it, then?” Violet asked helplessly. “I’m done?”