Spoilers ahead for Episode 5 of Chicago Med Season 9, called "I Make A Promise, I Will Never Leave You."
Chicago Med returned from a brief break in the 2024 TV schedule with an episode that teamed Goodwin up with Dr. Charles to look into her ex-husband's possible dementia, but she wasn't the only one going through a rough case in "I Make A Promise, I Will Never Leave You." Maggie worked with Hannah on the case of a woman whose miscarriage had been so improperly treated that her life was in danger, and dropped a reference to Vanessa in the process. While she quickly moved on, the moment left me wanting an update on Maggie's daughter.
When there was nothing to do but wait to learn if the woman would survive without having to have her uterus surgically removed, Maggie chatted with the dashing Loren Johnson, played by Henderson Wade. He asked Maggie if she had kids, to which she responded:
One. She's grown.
Maggie went on to share that she and Ben – now her ex – tried to adopt, but it didn't work out for them. All in all, this was a three-word acknowledgment of Vanessa that didn't even drop her name, but it was enough that I was curious about what Maggie's relationship with her biological daughter has been like since Vanessa left Chicago.
Played by Asjha Cooper from Season 6 to the first half of Season 8, Vanessa originally worked well with Crockett (and nearly made a huge mistake with him), but later joined forces with Will to break the law and save some lives. Just one episode after the two doctors faced some fallout for their lawbreaking in Season 8, she received an offer to go to the Philippines and help people in need there. (You can revisit that episode streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.)
That episode aired back in November 2022, and Vanessa hasn't been seen on Med since. Maggie has mentioned her over the seasons since she left, but "I Make A Promise, I Will Never Leave You" was the first moment in Season 9 that really left me wanting more from Vanessa.
Maggie has been going through a lot this season with the split from Ben, and she doesn't seem ready to explore the sparks flying with Loren just yet. She had some support from Hannah and newcomer Zola (played by Grey's Anatomy alum Dahlia Qadri) after her divorce was finalized in this episode, but I have to imagine that some quality time with her daughter would come in handy right about now! In light of her own struggles with her ex-husband, Goodwin might have too much on her plate to devote much time to Maggie, although only time will tell on that.
Find out how Maggie's story continues in Season 9 with new episodes of Chicago Med on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, followed by Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. You can also revisit earlier seasons of all three One Chicago shows streaming via Peacock.