Virgin River season 7 ending, explained (and what's next for Mel and Jack)

It's been a long time coming, but Virgin River season 7 has finally arrived on Netflix and dropped the next batch of small-town drama on our watch lists. Following an epic sixth season that featured Mel and Jack's wedding and left us with a bunch of cliffhangers to consider during the time away, we have all the answers to our questions... but we also have plenty of new questions after season 7.

Jumping off from the season 6 finale, Mel and Jack are left to seriously ponder the possibility of adopting Marley's baby, though the choice comes with some baggage and might not be there's to make in the end. Meanwhile, Doc's fight against the medical board to reinstate his license puts strain on his relationship with Hope in the midst of her own fight to defend Virgin River's legacy.

Virgin River season 7 covered a lot of ground, including the latest ups and downs in Brie's continued love triangle between Brady and Mike, which at long lost receives both a resolution and an unexpected twist in the finale. Wondering where our favorite characters ended up by the end of season 7 and what's in store for Mel and Jack in season 8? Let's dive into all the major spoilers!

WARNING: Major spoilers ahead from Virgin River season 7 ahead.

What happens to Mel and Jack's baby?

After Marley offered for Mel and Jack to adopt her baby, they hit a number of rough patches toward that destination. Marley struggled to connect with Jack, but once they seemed to hit it off, Marley's ex and father of her baby Eamon showed up to win her back. Suddenly, the couple gets back together, leaving Mel and Jack to step back and allow the couple to decide if the want to be a family.

In the end, even though Marley and Eamon do get back together, they realize that having a baby won't solve the problems in their relationship and know that their baby belongs to Mel and Jack. During Founder's Day, Marley has stomach pains and Mel discovers that she has polyhydramnios, which is an excess of amniotic fluid that usually means something's wrong with the baby.

Doc turns to Dr. Hayes for help with his equipment to perform an ultrasound on Marley, which he allows Mel to do. They discover that the baby has superoinferior ventricles, a rare congenital heart defect where two ventricles are positioned above rather than beside each other, preventing his body to effectively pump blood to the rest of his body. The surgery will take place in Los Angeles.

When they arrive at the hospital for the delivery and heart surgery, Mel's met with her old friend and crush Dr. Eli Kelly (Austin Nichols) from her days in Nurses Beyond Borders. He explains the procedure, which sounds scary. Mel delivers her son, who's quickly taken away and rushed into an ambulance. Mel and Jack join him and hold hands and brace for what's next in season 8.

Brady gets in a life-threatening accident on his way to Brie

Once again, Brady had quite the rollercoaster ride of a season. Between confronting Lark for scheming him out of his money to working alongside Kaia as a volunteer firefighter against a dangerous wildfire, he's been through hell and back all over again. But he never once fell out of love with Brie! Finally, the fan-favorite couple ends up together, happily in love.

Despite Brie continuing to be close with Mike, working with him on Charmaine's case helped give the former couple closure. (Mike kissed her long after their breakup, but it was clear they were over.) Brady considered joining Cal Fire, which would have taken him out of Virgin River, but he wants to be with Brie. Once they're finally together, Brady rides his motorcycle to her house, but on the way, he crashes his bike. His fate is left up in the air, but he will definitely be pretty banged up.

Hope kicks Doc out after an argument about the clinic

Through thick and thin, Doc and Hope have always been the loving center of Virgin River, but they hit quite the rough patch in season 7. While Doc fought to save his clinic and career, Hope battle with those in her town to prevent its legacy from being overrun by corporations. In the end, Doc gets his license back, but he wonders if Grace Valley shouldn't have a place in Virgin River.

His reconsideration occurs after he teams up with Dr. Hayes to help Mel and Jack's baby. Clearly, he's warmed up to his former enemy and realizes that they could work well together. This admission hurts Hope since she worked so hard to prevent Grace Valley from overtaking his clinic and their town. Doc didn't have the discussion with her. She takes herself out of the conversation and kicks him out.

It's unclear how long their marital rift will continue into Virgin River season 8, but it's curious that she runs to her ex-husband Roland, first to confront but to unexpectedly get closure. She brings him her father's urn, leaving all the men who hurt her together. But Roland explains the situation about McCrea Timber and how her father selling it saved it from going under. They both protected her from taking on a hopeless fight. Roland joins Hope as she spreads her father's ashes in the river.