CHICAGO P.D.’s Patrick John Flueger on the ‘Complicated’ Burzek Dynamic

When CHICAGO P.D.’s Burgess (Marina Squerciati) decided to move forward with her pregnancy, executive producer Rick Eid previewed the series would be leaning “into the Burgess pregnancy and what’s it like to be a female cop and be pregnant…When you’re somebody who’s used to being in the street and on active duty, and then you’re no longer allowed to be an active duty, how do you rationalize that in your head?”

The Wednesday, February 5 hour, “I Was Here,” was an installment he pointed to in particular as one that deals with that balance, as Burgess’ desk duty puts her in the path of a suspicious 9-1-1 call.

Burgess enlists Intelligence’s help to try and get to the bottom of what she heard, but she’s often forced to sit on the sidelines as her colleagues investigate what’s going on.

For father-to-be Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger), he’s still trying to balance being protective of his ex, while also embracing her independence. “I think he’s walking on thin ice with this girl just because of their past,” Flueger says. “He doesn’t want to push too hard and push her away. But at the same time, he doesn’t want to sit back, either.”

“I think he would like her to take a step back because he wants her to be safe, wants to be the baby to be safe,” he continues. “I think with Kim, specifically, he always wants her to be safe, but I don’t think he will undermine her decision making or her ability to do her job. It’s complicated.”

The former couple is taking a big step forward, as they plan to move in together—as friends—to care for their child. But could it lead to rekindled sparks?

“It’s always been my belief—and I don’t know if the writers share the same vision—that he has been in love with her and he wanted to marry her,” Flueger says. “And just because he was nervous [back when they were together], and it was coming out in weird ways, didn’t mean he didn’t actually want to marry her.”

Flueger does acknowledge some fans weren’t thrilled with Ruzek’s initial reaction to the pregnancy (or the news Burgess would be keeping it), but he insists the character really is delighted by the development.

“A friend of mine who loves the show was really upset when she told me she was gonna keep it, I didn’t smile,” he recalls. “When she makes the call, I think that there’s a gulp [for him]. Not because it’s a bad thing, but because I think even if you’re trying to have a baby, and you find out you’re pregnant, there’s a gulp. Once you take that home with you and go to sleep on it, you wake up the next day and realize how happy you are. I think he is incredibly happy and he wants to be a dad—and he wants to do it with her. Now that she’s decided to walk down this path, he wants to walk down it with her, hand in hand.”