Chicago Fire fans just got some long-awaited answers about Firehouse 51’s mysterious yet charming paramedic, Lizzy Novak (Jocelyn Hudon), during the show’s Season 14 fall finale “Pierce the Vein.”
Viewers started peeling back Novak’s many layers in Season 13 of Chicago Fire after learning that she navigated a tough childhood after a tragic suicide befell her family. The details of this tragedy were left up in the air after a neighbor recognized Lizzy as “one of the Novak girls” after the paramedic visited her childhood home. While Novak has confirmed that she has lost both of her parents, she hasn’t opened up much about her dark past until Chicago Fire‘s “Pierce the Vein,” when viewers met the other half of the infamous “Novak girls.”
Heidi Novak made an explosive Chicago Fire debut after landing in the hospital and nearly giving her sister a heart attack. Here’s what happened:
Who plays Lizzy Novak’s sister, Heidi Novak, on Chicago Fire?
Heidi Novak is played by Tatiana “Tatchi” Ringsby, a Brazilian-American model and actor who has appeared across a variety of creative projects. Tatchi is also active on TikTok, boasting more than 1 million followers.
Aside from appearing in the 2023 short film L’Apprenante, Tatchi has appeared in several music videos throughout their career, such as Halsey’s “So Good” and Zolita’s “Somebody I F*cked Once” music video trilogy. In 2025, they starred in the comedy She’s the He as Forest before making their debut in the One Chicago franchise as Novak’s sister, Heidi.
Lizzy Novak had a rough reunion with her sister, Heidi
Just as Novak planned on enjoying the rare day off to binge Botched on her couch, fate had other plans as she got an urgent call from Chicago Med. Novak rushed to Gaffney in her sweatpants to check on her sister, Heidi, who was hospitalized after passing out at a bus stop.
Novak expressed concern about the paramedics not being able to wake Heidi up when they found her, but her sister explained it was simply a side effect of accidentally mixing a sleeping pill with grapefruit juice. Still, Novak stewed with concern.
“Did you take more than one pill?” Novak asked nervously. “You can tell me the truth.”
Heidi was offended by the accusation. “I didn’t do this on purpose, Lizzy,” Heidi said. “I know that’s what you’re thinking. I would never.”
Novak hedged, “You say that, but-“
“I’m not Mom, OK?” Heidi snapped, the barbed jab instantly silencing Novak. After Novak drove her sister home from the hospital, she confronted Heidi about her continued absence from her life; it had been six months. Heidi flipped this on its head, accusing Novak of only ever being around during a crisis, never wanting to just hang out with Heidi.
“When’s the last time you talked to Will, by the way?” Heidi snapped.
“When’s the last time that you talked to him?” Novak snapped right back. “He is your brother, too.”
From the sound of that, the suicide created a seismic fallout between not only the sisters, but their brother, as well. Heidi confessed she was tired of pretending they were “normal” siblings when they weren’t, leaving Novak’s car in a huff.
Novak opened up about the grueling argument with her paramedic pal, Violet (Hanako Greensmith), while sharing a drink at Molly’s. Novak revealed that her siblings had a well-adjusted childhood until their mother passed away, after which everything fell apart in the household. Novak took it upon herself to step up as the caregiver, which drove a massive wedge between her and her siblings.
“You would think that that would make siblings closer,” Novak sighed as Violet reminded her that she didn’t have much of a choice. But Novak hadn’t felt forced to do it; she stepped up as a caregiver without ever asking, when maybe her siblings wanted a sister.
“But that’s the thing, no one really asked me to do any of those things,” she admitted. “I just kind of did it. It never really occurred to me to ask what anyone else wanted.”
