Chicago P.D. delivered a huge development on the Burzek front in Season 7, and this twist promises to be a permanent one barring a tragedy. Burgess became pregnant after they hooked up at the end of the flesh-eating bacteria-filled "Infection" crossover, and she ultimately decided to remain pregnant. Ruzek's involvement has seemingly been minimal, with Burgess preferring to handle it herself. According to Patrick John Flueger, Ruzek has "always loved" Burgess, but that doesn't mean there won't be friction now that she's pregnant with his child.
Patrick John Flueger weighed in on whether Ruzek and Burgess should consider jumping back into a romantic relationship now that they have a baby on the way, saying this:
It’s always been my belief that he’s always loved Burgess, and he did want to marry her, even though she was nervous, and she misunderstood those nerves. And then when she walked away, he was both too insulted and too proud and angry to crawl after her on bended knee and beg her to reconsider. But in his heart of hearts, he always wanted to be with her. So I think that that’s there. I can’t speak for the Burgess character. But right now, it’s just about, for Ruzek anyway, just getting her to let him in.
Despite Ruzek's efforts to be part of the pregnancy process so far, Burgess has been going it alone. Based on Patrick John Flueger's comments to TVLine, his patience with her making decisions without including him may be running thin. After everything they've gone through, up to and including the brief Upton/Ruzek relationship in Season 6 (which will presumably not be revisited), Ruzek still loves her and wants to be with her.
That's not to say that Ruzek won't have a few things to say to Burgess about how she's handling her pregnancy with regard to her job! Patrick John Flueger shared that Ruzek wants Burgess "to take a step back because it’s such a dangerous job," then explained:
Also, because he was so madly in love with her, [he] always is a little more worried about her than the rest of the team. And then you put a baby on top of that, and suddenly, you have panic situations. So that friction will come in in the next episode, too. Just his opinion of her staying on the job and how long she’s staying on the job, and how she’s playing this and his opinion of it, definitely comes into play a lot more.
Considering Halstead nearly just died after being abducted, beaten, and then shot because of his work in Intelligence, not to mention what happened to Burgess and Upton last season and even Burgess injuring herself on the job in Season 7, it's hard to blame Ruzek for worrying about the woman he loves who also happens to be carrying his child!
Of course, Halstead was abducted when he went off-book in a pretty ill-advised way, so Ruzek probably doesn't have to worry about Burgess following the kind of instincts that landed good old Jay in the hospital. Once Voight finds out about the pregnancy (although he won't be the next to learn the truth), he might agree with Ruzek about Burgess riding a desk rather than racing into firefights while pregnant.
Patrick John Flueger revealed a scene in particular that will lead to friction between Burgess and Ruzek:
Yeah, I think that they’ve actually released a clip where we’re walking away from a crime scene, and she and Atwater are walking away together, and he says, 'Why were you and Adam together?' because [Ruzek’s] gone to see the sonogram, and she’s like, 'Well, I’m pregnant.' He’s her very close friend, and so she just kind of lets it slip by accident because it’s her life right now, and then the news kind of spreads that way. But her telling his best friend and partner without him… These are moments that he’d like to be there for, and she continues to do these things by herself, which is a big source of frustration for him.
Apparently, Burgess dropping the pregnancy bombshell on Atwater will be a sore spot for Ruzek! Although Atwater and Burgess are good friends going back to the beginning, he and Ruzek are closer in Intelligence nowadays. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing Atwater's reaction to the latest chapter in the ongoing saga of Burzek, and I'm also curious if he'll start telling the others, since Patrick John Flueger commented that the news "spreads that way." Or will Burgess decide the cat's out of the bag and start letting others know?
How Many Chicago P.D. Romances Are Happening In Season 7 After Upton's Reveal?
Find out when new episodes of Chicago P.D. air Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET as the final hour of the One Chicago block on NBC, following new episodes of Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET.
