The Most Heartbreaking Moment From Chicago Med Season 5

As a high-pressure hothouse of raw emotions, split-second decision-making, and life-or-death consequences for many of those decisions, "Chicago Med" delivers heartbreaking scenes on a regular basis. In that regard, it's safe to say that Season 5 is no exception. Ever since it was spun off from producer Dick Wolf's "One Chicago" franchise starter, "Chicago Fire," in 2015, every season of the series has offered up reliably gripping, emotion-charged storylines in its primetime Wednesday night slot on NBC.

That said, the painful interludes dealt out on the show don't necessarily fall neatly into the categories one might expect from your average network medical series. From beloved core characters suddenly revealing unexpected and startling personal baggage in their past to emotionally gut-wrenching confrontations between the doctors and nurses on the staff, the series often serves up composure-rattling surprises for loyal fans. With that in mind, what plot development in Season 5 of "Chicago Med" could be considered the most unambiguously heartbreaking moment of all?

From the moment their characters' relationship began to heat up on "Chicago Med," doctors Ava Bekker (Norma Kuhling) and Connor Rhodes (Colin Donnell) were one of the series' most interesting high-profile hookups. From their early adversarial dynamic to their flirty banter to their first kiss in the episode "Folie à Deux," fans quickly became invested in the couple's narrative arc.

But by the premiere episode of Season 5, Bekker's psychological state seemed to be seriously deteriorating. And when Rhodes discovers a shocking secret about Bekker, he rejects her — and she ends up taking her own life in front of him. Adding insult to injury for dedicated viewers, shortly after this, Donnell's Dr. Rhodes left the show entirely. Fans were both jolted and deeply upset.

Protesting on Reddit, u/Realneverwaits81 wrote, "Don't get me into the [way] the writers f***ed [A]va [B]ekker over for the sake of a story line and a Rhodes exit." Redditor u/HollieTho agreed the scene was hard to take, saying, "I honestly thought he was dreaming Ava killing herself ... Connor leaving has me heartbroken." Summing up overall fan reactions to Bekker's death and Donnell's exit on Twitter, @BeingMe_love17 wrote, "OMG WT🤬 Just happened!?! ... this is to [sic] much." So if online angst is anything to go by, the general consensus seems to be that this shocking development stands out as the most heartbreaking moment from Season 5 of "Chicago Med."

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.