Chicago Fire Recap: Is Stella's Stubborness Sabotaging #Stellaride? Plus, Van Meter's Fate Is Revealed

Wednesday's "Chicago Fire" is forcing me to do something I never thought I'd do: take a man's side. 

Last week, we saw Stella and Severide lose Isaiah after he went to go live with a close family friend. During that difficult transition, Severide was almost totally absent, leaving the brunt of the last-minute parenting to Stella. When he finally came home and found out the news, he resented Stella for not telling him sooner, while Stella resented Severide for being unavailable all day. It ended in a fight, where each partner went out to grieve on their own. 

But with the fight continuing into Wednesday's episode, it's starting to feel a little silly, isn't it? First of all, it's not like Severide was an absent husband who took the day off of work to go bar hopping in Old Town. The man was deeply obsessed with the arson investigation that could have killed him and landed his friend in the hospital! It seems like Stella is struggling to distinguish between the simple mistake of not checking in all day, and the serious misbehavior that would be leaving one's family in the dust.  

Stella pushes me further onto Severide's side when she tells Violet that she and her husband have "been on two different planets ever since Van Meter got hurt." Girl, the man almost lost his own life and Van Meter is still fighting for his. Can't we offer Severide the tiniest bit of slack just this once? Let's be mad at him for being generally annoying and leaving us alone to parent, but let's also acknowledge that he's dealing with a lot. The man is not only grieving the loss of Isaiah, but is also coping with the trauma of a fire emergency. 

And yes, Stella is also dealing with her own intrapersonal challenges. This week, she's haunted by the state of disarray within her family after witnessing the joy of childbirth after a former "Fire" victim has her baby. 

Ultimately, the two only reconnect thanks to Severide. He reaches out by text early in the day, but Stella doesn't really welcome a chat. He finally confronts her, telling her Van Meter had finally regained consciousness, which made him want to be with his family. That prompts Stella to finally share her feelings, and #Stellaride makes up — for now, at least. 

Other items to note from Wednesday's episode: Vasquez is falling deeper into the rabbit-hole that is his father, though we're struggling to really care; and Frost and Novak are officially hooking up!

What's your "Chicago Fire" take: Is Stella being too stubborn? Or is Severide to blame for their relationship distance? Hit the comments with your thoughts!