Just as Stella and Severide enjoyed a happy-ever-after with Isaiah, fate had other plans for the foster parents.
Amid the blazing rescue calls and juicy workplace drama on Season 14 of Chicago Fire, Chihards have loved watching Firehouse 51 power couple Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) navigate a new chapter as foster parents, but all of that came to a heartbreaking end during Fire’s latest.
Season 14’s “Crime of Passion” was an emotionally-charged watch as Severide became a man possessed in tracking down the arsonist responsible for trying to kill him and his cherished mentor, Arson Investigation Captain Tom Van Meter (Tim Hopper). While Severide escaped the fire relatively unscathed, Van Meter took significant damage to his lungs, leading him to be sedated and placed on a ventilator at Gaffney.
Severide was already dead-set on catching the arsonist, and with Van Meter’s troubling condition, he came downright hell-bent on delivering justice once and for all. However, these Firehouse 51 hurdles couldn’t have come at a worse time as seismic shifts occurred within his own household.
After months of fostering the beloved Isaiah (Hero Hunter) and traveling back and forth from Cleveland so that he could visit his mother, Stella got a troubling update from the adoption agency. It turned her and Severide’s world upside down, leading to an explosive argument between the pair. Here’s what happened:
Stella and Severide got a shocking update about Isaiah
The teenage Isaiah entered Stella and Severide’s lives earlier this season after his mother, Shawna, was rendered comatose after a car accident. After Isaiah’s ongoing concerns sparked Stella to help move Shawna to a better long-term care facility in Cleveland, she and Severide were happy to discover that Shawna’s condition had improved: She was awake and slowly but surely on the mend after a lengthy sedation.
Stella and Severide have grown quite close to their foster son, doing whatever it takes to take care of Shawna from afar and make sure Isaiah still has that connection to his mother. Stella has been making recurring trips back and forth to Cleveland, and after learning Shawna had woken up and made plans to head to Ohio, Stella touched base with her adoption representative, Terry, to chat about protocol and next steps with Isaiah’s birth mother.
As Terry arrived at Firehouse 51, he had troubling news for Stella: Shawna had connected with a longtime family friend, Lydia, who’d already agreed to move to Cleveland and take care of Isaiah until Shawna could take over care for her son. Stella reminded Terry that she and Severide were still his foster parents and pointed out that Isaiah should have a say in the matter. Terry agreed, explaining that no decisions would be made until Lydia met Isaiah again.
After touching base with the arson investigation-obsessed Severide on the matter, Severide encouraged Stella not fret over the matter until Isaiah met Lydia. They hadn’t seen each other since he was a young child, so maybe he had no interest in moving to Cleveland. Stella hesitantly accepted this, but after seeing Lydia and Isaiah swiftly connect upon their first meeting, her fears of losing Isaiah actualized before her eyes.
Chicago Fire Season 14
One Chicago Wednesdays are here!
Fresh off an extended fall hiatus, new Chicago Fire episodes begin airing January 7, 2026 every Wednesday at 9/8c. New episodes are available to stream on Peacock Thursdays at 6 a.m. ET.
Keep up with your favorite firefighters and paramedics Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney), Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney), Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg), Joe Cruz (Joe Miñoso), Randall “Mouch” McHolland (Christian Stolte), Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith), Lyla “Lizzie” Novak (Jocelyn Hudon), and Sal Vasquez (Brandon Larracuente) as they navigate the highs and lows of Firehouse 51.
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Stella and Severide got into a fight upon Isaiah’s departure
While Stella held down the fort amid a tornado of her worst foster parenting nightmare, Severide gained some progress in the arson investigation, visiting Stella to give her an update after Isaiah’s successful meeting with Lydia. As Stella packed up their foster son’s bags, she mechanically informed Severide that Isaiah was leaving that night.
Severide was taken aback, asking Stella how this possibly happened. Stella explained that as soon as Isaiah and Lydia connected, it was like he was a kid again, so the bond was deep.
“I thought you told Terry we could take Isaiah to Cleveland every week,” Severide asked, utterly baffled by missing out on so many developments.
“Hey, this isn’t on me,” Stella snapped. “Look, you weren’t here. You didn’t see what I saw. There’s nothing that I could have done to stop this.”
Severide asked if Stella was implying he shouldn’t have been working the arson case, missing Stella’s point entirely.
“No, I didn’t say that,” Stella leveled with him. “I am as invested as you are in catching this guy because you could have died in that fire. But everything that I am doing here? I’m doing it alone.”
Severide looked around the apartment at all of Isaiah’s scattered belongings, heartbroken but mission-driven. After confirming what time Isaiah would be picked up, Stella gave him the time and encouraged her husband to pin the arsonist “fast” if he wanted to make the farewell.
Why did Stellaride’s foster son Isaiah leave Chicago Fire?
After many months of happy memories, Stella and Severide ultimately agreed it was best for Isaiah to be closer to his mother in Cleveland, handing over long-term care to a cherished family friend who could live closer to Isaiah’s mother.
Stella and Isaiah waited for Severide to say goodbye, who was late amid the successful arrest. But sure enough, he came through and Stellaride was able to give him the send-off he deserved. After bidding a tearful goodbye to their foster son, Stella told Severide she was glad he was there.
“Me too,” Severide said, but Stella remained heartbroken. After telling Severide she needed to head back to Firehouse 51, she bid him a swift farewell.
As Severide arrived home to an empty apartment, it dawned on him just how heartbreaking Isaiah’s farewell was — and how tough it would be for him and Stella to move forward.
Watch Chicago Fire Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC and the next day on Peacock.
