Tim Minear, what the heck, man?!

Spoilers for 9-1-1 Season 9, Episode 17 ahead.

9-1-1 Season 9, Episode 17, “I Got You Babe,” was an emotional roller coaster that reunited Buck (Oliver Stark) and his biological son Theo, saw Theo’s parents die in a car accident, featured a harrowing ICE raid at the hospital, and ended with Detective Hooks (Josh Stamberg) SHOOTING Athena (Angela Bassett) right before the credits rolled.

Just when we thought Athena’s life and Bassett’s future on 9-1-1 was all we had to worry about for the next week, 9-1-1 aired the preview for Season 9’s finale, which took things to a whole other level and put Eddie’s (Ryan Guzman) life on the line.

So does Eddie die in 9-1-1‘s Season 9 finale?! And is Ryan Guzman leaving 9-1-1?! Here’s why fans a fearing for Eddie’s fate after watching the Season 9, Episode 18 teaser trailer.

Does Eddie Die In 9-1-1‘s Season 9 Finale? Is Ryan Guzman Leaving 9-1-1?

After Eddie and the 118 rushed Athena to the hospital following the shooting, the Season 9 finale teaser revealed that there’s an active shooter in the hospital and the building goes on lockdown. We see a deeply concerned Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Chimney (Kenneth Choi) trying to manage the dangerous situation, but crucially, we see Eddie, covered in blood and clutching his side as he bangs on the button of an elevator. Then we cut to Athena in surgery and the teaser shows a machine flatlining, but it’s not clear exactly who is having a brush with death in that moment.

From the looks of it, Eddie gets shot while the hospital is on lockdown. So now his life and Athena’s life are in danger. So does Eddie die?! Is Ryan Guzman leaving 9-1-1?! Unfortunately, there’s no way to know for sure until we watch the episode, but I’ll give the same argument I gave when considering Athena’s fate.

 I, for one, can’t imagine 9-1-1 killing another core character this soon after Bobby’s death. Doing that to viewers? The 118? CHRISTOPHER?! Buck?! Again, it’s downright diabolical. That said, I and many other fans never imagined the show without Bobby, so never say never on 9-1-1.

Even so, it’s no secret that Guzman adores this show! When chatting with DECIDER ahead of his 100th episode earlier this season, the 9-1-1 star told DECIDER, “I say this all the time. I’m living in gratitude. I wake up almost on a daily now and just thank God. I’m just like, ‘Whatever I did to get this, thank you. And let’s keep it going.'”

It doesn’t sound like Guzman would want to voluntarily depart the series, and based on my last interview with co-creator/showrunner Tim Minear, it doesn’t sound like he would want Eddie to leave either!

Following Season 9, Episode 13, Minear told DECIDER that Guzman’s character will “for sure” have lighter moments ahead. (Clearly, this isn’t one of them!!!! So I’m choosing to assume more lie ahead!)

“I want that for him, because Ryan is really funny. [He and Eddie] both are,” Minear explained. “I really loved it when Eddie did the Risky Business dance, when he had a funny mustache, and even that scene in Episode 12 when he comes in with the mug and says ‘Explain.’ That eyebrow goes up, and he’s hilarious.”

From Eddie’s professional life and fatherhood to a romance and beyond, it’s clear that there are so many more stories to explore for the character, and for Guzman as an actor. Eddie plays a crucial role in the series, Buck would be LOST without him, and Christopher needs his dad! We’ve quite literally seen Eddie survive a bullet before, so I simply have to believe he will pull through this time! That said, I’m still going to stress over Eddie and Athena for a straight week now! Thanks, Tim!