After that jaw-dropping cliffhanger that revealed that Dr. Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram) is actually pregnant and it appears Dr. Dean Archer (Steven Weber) could be the father, we had to ask Chicago Med executive producer and showrunner Allen MacDonald to describe in five words these two’s journey this season. His answer: “complicated.” And he repeated it five times.

That’s certainly a good way to describe the dynamics at play on the NBC medical drama, returning for its 11th season on Wednesday, October 1. Asher’s relationship with Dr. Mitch Ripley (Luke Mitchell) fell apart while he was going through some things, eventually hitting rock bottom, being suspended, and then saving a woman and her child in a well.

That woman, Sadie (Holly Curran), came back in the finale, showing up at his door, suggesting that just as Asher may have moved on with Archer — it’s unclear just what happened as the two continued to grow close, with her saying they needed to talk at the end of the finale — Ripley could be as well.

“I think after meeting in the well episode, Ripley and Sadie did a lot of thinking about reaching out to each other. I think Ripley avoided it because you can’t assume a bond forged in a heightened traumatic situation will make a great relationship — please see the 1994 movie Speed as an example,” says MacDonald. “I think Sadie worried about the same thing but finally said to herself, ‘I felt something real and I can’t just leave that on the table.’ So she showed up at Ripley’s door… and I think going into Season 11, Ripley’s really glad she did.”

All of that certainly makes “complicated” a very good way to describe what to expect when the drama returns. What are you hoping to see from these four characters in Season 11? Let us know in the comments section below.

Chicago Med, Season 11 Premiere, Wednesday, October 1, 8/7c, NBC