The Reason Sarah Reese Left 'Chicago Med': How Dr. Charles Played a Part

Fans of the NBC medical drama series Chicago Med grew quite fond of Sarah Reese, played by Rachel DiPillo, when she first appeared in Season 1 as a medical student at Gaffney. She later joined Dr. Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt), serving as a psychiatry resident under him until her departure in Season 4. Over the course of her time on the show, Sarah learned from Dr. Charles, depending on him as a mentor, and displayed admirable qualities, including compassion and empathy.

Her ability to provide excellent bedside manner made her an even more favorable choice for a doctor.

Though Sarah left after Season 4, fans were surprised by her guest appearance in the Season 10 finale, which aired on Nov. 20, 2024. Now, viewers are wondering why Sarah left Chicago Med in the first place. Here's a look at the troubling reasons that led to her exit.

Sarah Reese left Chicago Med after discovering that Dr. Charles hesitated to save her father, Robert Haywood (Michel Gill), during surgery after learning he was a serial killer, per NBC. This near-fatal hesitation caused significant damage to their relationship, creating tension and emotional turmoil for Sarah. Struggling with the betrayal, she ultimately decided to resign from Gaffney and take a position at a new hospital. Here's how it got to this point.

Sarah's past with her father, Robert, was undeniably troubling. When they reunited after 20 years, he became a patient of Dr. Charles. Robert was struggling with serious health conditions, including heart failure, and was admitted to the hospital where Sarah was a resident. However, this wasn’t a coincidence. Robert knew of his daughter’s connection to the hospital and was using it as a way to get on the transplant list.

Dr. Charles quickly caught on to Robert's manipulative schemes, but privacy laws prevented him from sharing this information with Sarah. To make matters worse, Dr. Charles began noticing disturbing traits in Robert that led him to believe he was struggling with psychopathy. Eventually, Dr. Charles uncovered the chilling truth: Robert was a serial killer who had taken the lives of many innocent women. Pretty wild, right?

This moment was pivotal in the breakdown of Sarah and Dr. Charles's relationship. In Season 3, Robert suffered a heart attack, and Dr. Charles hesitated to perform CPR. Sarah walked in at this exact moment and saw Dr. Charles standing over her father, neglecting to act. The sight of this hesitation prompted Sarah to step in, which ultimately led to her father's survival.

While the evidence of Robert's crimes came to light and he was later imprisoned, the emotional impact on Sarah was significant. Watching a doctor, especially someone she trusted as a mentor, hesitate to save her father, no matter how dangerous he may have been, was incredibly difficult for Sarah. This moment created a rift between them and ultimately led to her decision to leave Gaffney and pursue a new position at another hospital.

When Dr. Reese makes her return during the fall finale on Nov. 20, she has a tense encounter with Dr. Charles, after not speaking to him for six years. Unsurprisingly, the meeting isn’t a pleasant one. Dr. Reese returns to Gaffney to check on a patient of hers, who was brought in for a potential overdose. She requests that the patient be released, but Dr. Charles refuses, as the patient had ingested an entire bottle of aspirin.

The situation quickly escalates, and the two clash. Sarah ultimately calls Dr. Charles an “arrogant son of a b---h” and reveals that she really left Gaffney because he couldn’t accept when he was wrong. Yikes, that was a lot to take in!