The Rookie has been a successful show for an impressive seven seasons. The show has drawn viewers in with its intense and suspenseful action. However, it also hooks audiences with its interesting characters. People want to see where they’re headed in their personal lives. Fans of the show are eagerly awaiting to see how their journey will pan out.

For Nolan and Bailey, played by Jenna Dewan, their journey has been intense to say the least. Bailey has been struggling with the effects of her abusive ex and her actions caused a rift with Nolan. However, the biggest part of their story has to do with their parental aspirations. Nolan and Bailey’s journey to adoption has been hit with an unfortunate roadblock. But the star of the show has hinted it might not be all bad news for this television couple.

Bailey And Nolan Explore Their Desire To Adopt A Child In Season 7

While there are still some episodes of The Rookie to come before Season 7 ends, Nolan and Bailey’s adoption journey has reached some sort of conclusion. Bailey decided against IVF in the sixth season, so the couple have been trying to adopt a child ever since. After meeting with a social worker to begin the process, their application is denied. The social worker tells Nolan and Bailey that she believes their desire to adopt is genuine and admirable. However, she concludes that there is just too much danger in their lives and, therefore, must turn them down.

While this is heartbreaking news for the couple, it might not be the complete end of their journey to parenthood. Showrunner Alexi Hawley recently spoke to ScreenRant and confirmed that Bailey and Nolan have accepted that it’s just the two of them. First responders are allowed to adopt, but Alexi said the writers wanted to address the reality of the danger they face.

“I think that’s a road, sadly, with a lot of low points for them. But I think that’s also a reality for lots of people. The part, [especially], where they couldn’t have a kid biologically was very recognizable,” he said. “I do think that, at the end of the day, just the sheer volume of near-death experiences that they both have on the daily… obviously, first responders can adopt, so we’re not saying that, but [it’s] the reality of their unique situation. But I think they’ve come through it and, for now at least, have made their peace with [the fact] that it’s just the two of them.”

Bailey Had To Deal With Past Wounds From An Abusive Relationship This Season

Bailey and Nolan have been dealing with some major relationship hurdles in Season 7. For starters, Nolan discovered that Bailey hired an assassin to kill her abusive ex, Jason. After Jason’s death, Bailey met Diana, a woman running a shelter. Diana helped Bailey open up about the entire situation. Jenna Dewan opened up to TV Insider about Bailey’s journey and how it affected her relationship with Nolan.

“I think meeting Diana was a true catalyst for that recognition in herself,” Jenna said. “I think Diana is a mirror for her, and I believe that Bailey has spent her entire life fighting against wanting to look like a victim, and you see that it’s evident in her work, it’s evident in how she protected herself and relationships and never wanting to be vulnerable. And it’s because she is a true victim. And I think that the recognition through Diana, that you are a victim and accepting that you are a victim, ultimately is a catalyst for her to go deeper and to become more vulnerable and heal finally.”

During her talks with Diana, Bailey revealed that she struggled to label how Jason treated her as abuse. After spending many nights away, Bailey eventually returned home to Nolan. When she arrived home, she admitted to Nolan that she had been in denial about everything. Through her discussions with Diana, Bailey realized that Nolan was her best ally. Bailey said that hiring an assassin was a desperate move on her part to find safety.

Nolan felt that Bailey believed he judged her for what she had done and for that, he felt regret. He explained to her that he was just worried about the potential danger she could’ve put herself in. He then apologized to Bailey for making her feel alone and told her she wasn’t. “You’ve loved,” Nolan said to her.

“I think that that coming together and reconnecting scene was really important because I think you have to be vulnerable and it’s so hard when everything feels like it’s on the line and admitting something that you’ve been burying deep down inside your entire life is so hard to do,” Jenna said.

“And when you finally get that moment and you’re like, oh, I hope I’m safe enough to be seen in this way, and then you realize you are and you’re caught and you’re held in love, it’s the most healing thing in the world. So I really love that scene because I thought, wow, I’m so happy for both of them that they feel that safety within each other and can sort of go hand in hand and sort of see what life is going to show them next. But it’s like everything, it causes them to go a little bit deeper and with more trust together.”

Jenna also talked about what is remaining for Bailey and Nolan in the future. “Time heals like everyone else,” she said. “And I think learning to be more honest with each other, learning to accept help from each other, and knowing that they really are there for each other. And I think the personal taking accountability on both sides of this, that was interesting for me because initially you read this stuff and you have your own opinion of who you think is in the right, but at the end you realize, oh, we all have a part in it always.”

Jenna continued, “We always all have a part in it. And the great thing about both of them is that they continue throughout the episodes coming up to keep taking accountability for their side of things, and that creates more healing. It creates them to understand, wow, we’ve really been through the fire and back and we still love each other, and there’s a lot of trust in that.”

“At the same time, there’s always new things for us to tackle and it’s never boring from Nolan and Bailey ever. And so there’s something about that excitement and that unpredictability that really works for both of them and as a couple,” she added.

Jenna Said There Would Be ‘Stability’ Coming For Bailey And Nolan

Bailey and Nolan have shown incredible strength as a couple. They have been tested many times, especially in Season 7. However, Jenna revealed her thoughts on whether they’re just strong people or if their journey has made them strong.

“I think after going through everything they’ve been through, it’s make it or break it, and they’ve made it,” she said. “And so I think ultimately you’re stronger for that. And I do think there’s a different level of vulnerability and trust that comes after this with a bit of a healing period. It’s not overnight, you don’t flip a switch, but I do know that they approach it more hand in hand and realizing, oh, we’re really there for each other.”

There was a poignant scene where Nolan spoke to Tim about knowing when a relationship is over. Bailey clearly wanted Nolan to fix what was troubling their relationship. However, one can’t help but wonder if Bailey felt, on some level, that her issues with her past would be the beginning of the end for them as a couple.

“I think she was hoping he would fix it like she wanted, and I think at the end of the day, she knows Nolan’s heart and I think she realizes that they both have a bit in this, a part in this,” Jenna reflected. “And I think she was hoping he would do the right thing, but knowing he’s a really good person, I believe you assume that that will happen. But at the same time, she knows that what she did is in direct odds to Nolan’s moral compass and even his entire job. So I think she was absolutely nervous.”

Now that Jason is dead, one would assume Bailey feels a sense of safety. However, according to Jenna, it’s much more complicated than that. “I would say there’s relief in the sense that the physical threat of Jason is gone, and that is someone who has haunted her and been a torture and a torment in her life for years,” she said. “So the physical safety feels different.”

Jenna continued, “However, the psychological safety is not there overnight. So I think that there’s complicated feelings to that. I think how it went down is complicated for her to contend with, whether she is in the right or in the wrong, or however you want to look at it, it’s complicated how anything like that goes down. And I think she feels complicated, but at the same time, a lot of relief because he was a terrible influence in her life, a terrible person and had a lot of control over her. So there is some freedom and relief mixed with moral complexity.”

Bailey is certainly exploring a lot of vulnerability this season, and it has shown audiences a new side of her. She is certainly a risk-taking character and one that seeks adventure. However, this new period of growth might signal a new shift in Bailey’s personality in the future.

“I do think there’s a softening to Bailey that has been happening, but I think happens more so,” Jenna explained. “She’s always adventurous. She’s always wanting to live life on the edge. There’s always a sense of, what else can I accomplish and do? I think there’s a real adrenaline junkie in her, and I don’t think she would do normalcy very well, but I think there’s a softening and an acceptance in her, and I think there’s a stability she feels with Nolan in she’s never felt before, and leaning into that a little bit this season.”

And when it comes to the future for Bailey and Nolan as a couple, Jenna said things will be getting more stable going forward. This is something that can allow fans to collectively breathe a sigh of relief.

“There’s a lot of complicated stories coming up where I’m really involved in my EMT and sort of getting to be on the job and on the field, so to speak, which I really enjoy,” she said. “Just Jenna as an actress, I really enjoy those days because it’s fun for me and getting to be with the actual firefighters that day play on our show and getting to do fun action and stuff like that. And then I would say there’s a lot more leaning into the stability with Nolan and really in the repair mode and also after such a beginning of a season that was so destabilizing, there’s a lot of stabilizing to come.”