Back in October 2025, we learned that John Patrick Flueger would take a leave of absence from Chicago PD. The personal reason was never mentioned, but it meant that the show had to write out Ruzek for a short time.
At first, there wasn’t a reason for it, but eventually, Burgess explained that Ruzek was helping his dad, who suffers from dementia. As Ruzek returned on Chicago PD Season 13 Episode 14, it came with an update about his absence, and it sets up for a heartbreaking storyline to come.
Ruzek Has Been Helping His Dad on Chicago PD
The start of Chicago PD Season 13 Episode 14 opened with Ruzek and Burgess in bed. Burgess noted that she hadn’t heard Ruzek come in that night, and he explains that it was a hard one with his dad.
The dementia is taking everything who his dad is, and Ruzek spent the whole night being a stranger to this man he has always looked up to. It turns out that Ruzek’s dad likely only has months rather than years left, and this is where the heartbreaking arc comes in.
Dementia is a disease that strips someone of who they once were. It steals memories, and that’s hard on everyone. Ruzek’s dad doesn’t even know who his own son is, and that means Ruzek can’t share a lot about his life.
Home Life and Work Don’t Slow Down on Chicago PD
On top of dealing with his dad, Ruzek also needs to deal with everything going on at home and work. While talking about his dad, he gets a call from one of the schools Makayla is applying to confirming the address. It turns out that Makayla hasn’t applied to any of the schools just yet, and Ruzek tries to bring that up with Burgess.
She quickly snaps, making it clear that running the house in his absence hasn’t been easy. It’s unfair of her to snap like that, especially considering everything Ruzek has been dealing with, and she does stop herself and apologize. It’s something that they’ll need to work on, though, as Burgess can’t keep doing that.
The case of the week isn’t an easy one for Burgess, either. She takes a rookie under her wing, only for this rookie to kill a cop — accidentally, but it still hurts.
There are even questions at home for both parents. Makayla eventually applies to the schools, but in her application, she talks about how she would love to turn back time to be with her birth parents. She would also like her birth parents to meet her current parents, and there it is a heartfelt message from a girl who has been through so much in her life. However, it does bring up the question of whether she wants to go to these schools or not.
Burgess and Ruzek have always known what’s right for them, but what’s right for Makayla? It’s the difficult part of being a parent, but this could open up so many fulfilling storylines on Chicago PD if the writers are willing to commit.
Chicago PD airs on Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.
