Chicago Med season 10 episode 12 recap: Sully dies, Ripley griefs and Doris' career hangs in balance

NBC’s Chicago Med season 10 returned with a new episode titled In The Wake on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, bringing more emotional and dramatic moments. This episode focused on personal struggles as characters faced challenges both at work and in their personal lives. Fans watched as Dr. Mitch Ripley, Sharon Goodwin, and others dealt with difficult situations inside and outside the hospital.

Dr. Mitch Ripley was deeply affected by the death of his childhood best friend, Sully. Even though he tried to keep going, his sadness and guilt made it hard for him to focus.

At the same time, Sharon Goodwin struggled with the emotional effects of a past attack, while a serious medical mistake put a patient’s life in danger. This mistake led to a debate over whether the staff member responsible should lose their job.

Sully’s death had a huge impact on Ripley. He was diagnosed with cancer but waited too long to get treatment, which meant he missed precious time with his loved ones. After he passed away, Ripley felt helpless and guilty, blaming himself for not being able to save his friend. To cope, he started drinking heavily, leading to more chaos in his life.

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Chicago Med season 10 episode 12: Dr. Ripley struggles to navigate his friend's death

Dr. Mitch Ripley was struggling after losing his best friend, Sully, to cancer. He felt guilty and kept thinking he should have done more to help him. To deal with his pain, Ripley started drinking heavily, which created problems in his relationship with his girlfriend, Dr. Hannah Asher.

Since she was in recovery, she couldn’t drink with him, and his behavior pushed her away. One night, Ripley drank so much that he blacked out, lost his phone, and woke up in the hospital’s on-call room, all confused. Even though Asher was worried about him, Ripley went to work while still hungover. He treated a young girl named Abby Campbell, whose parents thought she had appendicitis.

Dr. Ripley (Image via Instagram / nbconechicago)

At first, everything seemed fine, but later, Abby’s condition suddenly passed out, and Ripley couldn’t figure out why. Asher suggested that because he was not thinking clearly, he might have missed something. Ripley got defensive and refused to believe he had put a patient in danger.

However, Ripley wasn’t the one who made the mistake, it was Nurse Doris. She accidentally mixed up the morphine doses for two patients. Abby got an adult dose, which made her crash. Thankfully, doctors gave her Narcan, and she recovered. But Doris’ job was now at risk.

Dr. Lenox wanted to fire her, while Maggie Lockwood defended her, arguing that one mistake shouldn’t ruin 15 years of hard work. Since the hospital was already short-staffed, Maggie even threatened to quit if they fired Doris.

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Chicago Med season 10 episode 12: What happened to Viv?

Viv, who was pregnant, was hurried to the hospital following an incident that initially appeared to be an assault. However, it wasn't long before the doctors realized she hadn't been attacked and that she had tried to take her own life.

Viv was battling postpartum psychosis, a serious mental illness that made her hear voices urging her to hurt herself and her unborn child. This turnaround shook her husband, Will, to the core, as he grappled to make sense of it all.

Jackie, a nurse, was profoundly impacted by Viv's situation, recognizing a reflection of her own past battles. Jackie herself had once relied on self-harm as a way to deal with her inner turmoil and had spent time in a psychiatric facility.

Jackie and Frost (Image via Instagram / nbconechicago)

Though she eventually got better, her marriage fell apart, and her ex even attempted to gain sole custody of their daughter. Witnessing Viv's despair stirred up difficult memories for Jackie, who stepped in to help when Will became too overwhelmed with emotion.

Dr. Charles, the psychiatrist at the hospital, was working with Viv to evaluate her mental well-being. He explained that sometimes, pregnancy can bring on psychosis, which can cloud a mother's judgment. Viv was desperate to see her baby, but Dr. Charles felt it was crucial to do a more thorough evaluation first, just to make sure she wouldn't be a danger to the child. At the same time, Will was seeking a court order to prevent Viv from seeing their child.

Jackie found herself deeply involved in Viv's situation, hoping the judge would make a fair decision. Ultimately, the judge sided with Viv, granting her supervised visits with her baby. This decision gave Jackie a glimmer of hope for her own custody fight.

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Other highlights of Chicago Med season 10 episode 12

Apart from these major storylines, Chicago Med season 10 episode 12 also touched on how Sharon Goodwin was still dealing with the aftermath of her assault. Even though she was back at work, she was experiencing problems like trembling hands and difficulty remembering things.

Chicago Med (Image via Instagram / nbconechicago)

Thinking there might be a physical cause, she went to see Dr. Abrams. He didn't find any neurological problems but suggested she consider therapy. Goodwin was unsure at first but decided to see a therapist away from the hospital to keep her private life separate.

At the same time, Ripley's situation kept getting worse as he tuned out Asher's concerns about his drinking. The episode concluded with him at a bar, where he got into a scuffle that sent the other person to the hospital. Here's the interesting part that same guy will be Ripley's patient in the following episode, which is sure to lead to another charged encounter.

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Fans of the franchise can watch Chicago Med season 10 episode 12 on NBC and Peacock.