'Chicago Med' Fans Never Got Closure on Ethan and April's Relationship

Spoiler warning: This article contains spoilers for those who aren't caught up on Chicago Med.

The Season 6 finale of Chicago Med left off on a hopeful note for two of its most adorable characters, Ethan and April. They shared a touching moment that seemed to be a promise of a bigger romance to come. But in the Season 7 premiere, they aren't together and April isn't even on the show anymore. So, what happened?

It's not uncommon for contract negotiations to put a wrench in plans for characters on TV shows. And we can't always get the couples we want, even if it seems like that's the way certain storylines are headed.

Still, it was a shock to many fans when Season 7 premiered and those final moments in Season 6 between April and Ethan appeared to mean very little.

April had been a big part of Chicago Med since its series premiere. And her on-again, off-again relationship with Ethan was part of her storyline in Season 6.

At the end of the season, Ethan recovered from a gunshot wound and April confessed that she still loved him, which was a big moment for fans who still shipped them as a couple. It seemed like that moment meant they would be back together for good once the show returned for Season 7.

Unfortunately, the relationship wasn't meant to be. In the Season 7 premiere of Chicago Med, it's revealed that April is away studying at a nurse practitioner program and Ethan is undergoing physical therapy following his near-death experience.

And it all has to do with some behind-the-scenes complications. Yaya DaCosta, who played April for six seasons, spoke to TVLine about her character's abrupt exit from the show.

"I think that when [the finale] was written, the idea of April not being at Gaffney Medical Center, and me not being on the show, was not even a thought," she shared. "Things happened behind the scenes very quickly. We were literally in the final days of shooting the episode while conversations and negotiations about my working there were going on."

During a September 2021 Television Critics Association panel discussion for Our Kind of People, which Yaya was cast in following her Chicago Med exit, she said the timing was just right.

She explained that "there was a window" during which her fate on Chicago Med was unsure and in that time, she "fell in love with Our Kind of People." For her, it made sense to move on from the medical drama.

Yaya told TVLine that she would be open to making a future appearance on Chicago Med to give April and Ethan's storyline proper closure.

"My experience on Chicago Med was absolutely lovely," she said. "I loved the cast and crew, and it was difficult to leave on a personal level, but not on a professional level."

Watch Chicago Med on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.