When Chicago Fire aired, it was a unique show on television. We had a lot of programs that depicted the lives of cops, doctors, and many other professions, but we never got an in-depth look at the lives (albeit fictional) of firefighters.

The characters on Chicago Fire were endearing, especially Gabriela Dawson played by Monica Raymund. Dawson was a strong female character who knew how to hold her own and was never afraid to stand up to authority.

Dawson started as a paramedic and was eventually accepted into the Chicago Fire Academy, and we were able to watch her grow in both her personal and professional life. We watched as she fell in love with Matt Casey and cried when she lost her baby.

We could have watched 10 more seasons of Dawson and Casey going through life together, but at the end of season six, Monica Raymund announced she would not be returning to the beloved show. She broke the news via a handwritten note on Twitter.

Now, just a few weeks before the seventh season of the show premieres, the co-creator of Chicago Fire is opening up about the main character's departure.

"I was shocked by it. She told us in plenty of time to adjust story lines, but I was in denial. In all honesty, I thought she was just negotiating. I wasn't sure what was going on," Derek Haas told Us Weekly.

"I was thrown off. I probably didn't do the best job of writing the ending story line. In my head, she was still gonna come back and in my head, I'm still gonna talk her into it at some point," he added.

But even though Raymund has stepped away from the series, Haas has nothing but nice things to say about her.

"In all honesty, there's nothing Monica can't do. I'm very excited watching this part of her career, but at the same time, if she wants to come back to Firehouse 51, we will accommodate her story line wise and production wise," Haas said.

Are you upset that Gabriela Dawson won't be returning?

[H/T: Fame10]