You are the Reason - Act Seven

Thanks once again for all the great feedback! You guys make this process so fun for me and I'm really stoked that I happily surprised so many of you and got you teary in the last act. That makes a writer's heart feel very good! This next act happens soon after the last one as you follow what Dawsey decides to do next in the aftermath of their happy baby news. This is also the penultimate act as the next one will be the last one for this story (plus an epilogue) but not to worry, my next story is already underway and will be ready to go not long after I complete this one. Enjoy! =)

Act Seven

"I'd climb every mountain, and swim every ocean
Just to be with you and fix what I've broken
Oh, cause I need you to see, that you are the reason"

Gabby woke up feeling more content and at peace than she had in quite some time. Matt was sleeping soundly next to her with his left arm draped around her abdomen and their hands tightly clenched together as they rested right near where the baby had been located on their ultrasound. Matt's breathing was also calm and regular so she knew he had slept well too which made her happy since he'd had an even harder time than her over the last few months. She thought back to the previous day when so much had changed for the better for them.


After leaving their doctor appointment, Gabby had wanted to visit with Mary Elizabeth to tell her the good news about the baby but the nuns were out helping at a youth center and wouldn't be back until later that day. Matt had suggested having lunch in the city and then heading back to her apartment to figure out what all they needed to do for the next few months and how to tell everyone at home about the baby.

They were on their way to a restaurant not far from the hospital when they had run into their young friend Jose, his father Miguel, and stranger wearing what looked like a fire chief's uniform who were all on their way to visit some of their friends in the city. The two men from the task force greeted the couple warmly and introduced their friend as Hector Santiago. He and Miguel had grown up together on the island and he was a prominent chief in the San Juan Fire Department.

The group made small talk for a few moments regarding Gabby's work on the task force and the couple's upcoming trip back to Chicago. As Gabby and Matt shared with them how much they had enjoyed their time in Puerto Rico and what they would be doing once they arrived home, Hector grew interested in Matt's experiences as a firefighter captain. It turned out that the SJFD had an ongoing issue with lack of leadership. Several captains and chiefs had left the island after the hurricane and they had no plans to return which had left the FD short on officers at several firehouses. They couldn't find good leaders to help guide their young firefighters through their shifts and Hector thought Matt would be a great addition to their department. He thought they could really use someone with his skills, personable nature, and experience and asked him if he'd be interested in a job with the SJFD.

Matt appreciated the compliment but said that he and Gabby were due to return to Chicago at the end of the week and that he was planning to resume his position at firehouse 51. Hector was disappointed to hear that but understood their desire to go home. The group said their goodbyes and Gabby and Matt continued on to enjoy a quiet lunch together.

After spending time with Mary Elizabeth and the nuns, who couldn't stop smiling and hugging the couple after they gave them their happy baby news, Gabby and Matt had returned to her apartment for the evening. Their conversation was light as they worked on packing up Gabby's things but she could tell something was on Matt's mind. He was washing up some dishes in the sink when Gabby finally decided to ask him what was going on and the conversation had surprised her.

Matt had told her more about how things were going in Chicago and he didn't mince words about how much the latest violence in the city had affected him. He admitted that as much as he loved his job, the constant harrowing calls, the families being torn apart, and the ongoing gang violence had done a number on his emotions. He was struggling to let go of the hard calls, hadn't been sleeping well for week, and admitted that he wasn't sure if her coming home was going to make this feeling go away. The added stress of helping Boden deal with Grissom had also affected Matt's attitude and he had been extremely anxious to get to Puerto Rico for a while to take his mind off things at home. He told her that he couldn't get Hector's job offer to him out of his head and he could see himself enjoying being the leader of a young firehouse and away from the stress in Chicago.

Gabby had watched as her husband's demeaner took a downward turn as he told her about how stressful things were at home and then brighten as he spoke about the job offer. The wheels started turning in her head and she mentioned that the urban planning team that had helped the task force with their construction work had offered her a job helping them get more communities up and running, but she had done the same thing that Matt had just done with the fire chief… turned the job down because she was planning to go home.

What followed after that admission was a long conversation about their solid relationship status and what they thought would be the best place for them to be when their baby was born. They talked for hours about how this decision would affect their friends and families, if they could even afford it financially, how much it would help Matt get past his stress issues from home, and where they would live on the island if they stayed here. The thought of them actually moving to Puerto Rico for a year and continuing to help the island recover made them both feel really content and peaceful. They decided to take things one step at a time and see what types of housing were available before making any other decisions.


Gabby's heart was so full of love for her husband after all the excitement from the previous day. It was amazing to know that Matt was open to making this big of a change in their life together. He had been saving his construction work earnings to help with however they were going to proceed with adding a child to their family. Now that she was pregnant though, they thought they could use some of those funds to figure out housing in Puerto Rico and hopefully find a comfortable place to settle down for a while.

She smiled as she thought about the fun day of house hunting ahead of them. She felt Matt stir next to her and snuggled into his embrace for a moment before they both eventually got up to start their day. They got ready quickly so they could meet up with local real estate agent, Dennis, who had been referred to them by Miguel (who had been ecstatic to hear that they were considering staying in Puerto Rico). They were nervous about what housing possibilities were out there but also excited to see more of the residential areas of San Juan. Matt had called fire chief Hector to set up a time later that evening for them to talk about the position he had been offered at the San Juan Fire Department but a lot of that discussion was going to depend on how their house search went today.

The couple met Dennis at an outdoor restaurant down the street from Gabby's apartment. Dennis was a pleasant, friendly gentleman who had grown up in Puerto Rico and loved helping new residents find a great home. After the introductions were done and breakfast was ordered, they got down to business setting their parameters for the house search.

"So what sort of things are you looking for in a home here?" He asked the couple. "Give me some of your necessities so I can narrow down my options for you."

"We definitely need at least two bedrooms and two baths although three would be ideal," Gabby began, "And we would really like an open concept in the main living space and kitchen area. I cook a lot so an updated kitchen is really important to me. We would love a finished basement or at least a living room and separate family room for when we have family or friends here visiting. I know we're going to need that space. I would personally like a private bathroom for the master bedroom but that's not a deal breaker if we really fall in love with a house."

"Agreed," Matt said nodding. "We also know that hurricane season is a big deal down here so having a home that's hurricane safe is really important to me. As a firefighter who might be called into service, I want to know that my family is safe if I have to go help others during a crisis. We would also love some outdoor space for entertaining and just for our own relaxation. We both work tough jobs so having that type of space to unwind would be great."

"This all sounds doable so far," Dennis said smiling as their food was brought to the table. He really liked this couple. They knew exactly what they wanted for this home and weren't afraid to ask for it. He turned to them as they all started eating their breakfast, "What type of budget are we working with? Are you hoping to own or rent? I know you mentioned on the phone that this was probably not a permanent home for you and that can make a big difference."

"That's a great question," Matt said as he poured more coffee from the carafe. "We'd discussed just renting for the next year or so, not really knowing how long we're going to be here it seemed to make sense, but after talking it over more, we actually have the means right now so we'd really like to buy a place. We figure we can rent it out during the times that we're in Chicago and then we'll have somewhere to come to for vacations when we need a break from the awful weather at home."

"Yeah," Gabby agreed. "We spoke to some other people who've rented places out to visitors and having that extra income will put less strain on our overall budget. We really don't want to go over $350,000 and we'd love it if we could find something closer to $300,000. We have a lot going on in our lives right now and don't want to max ourselves out right off the bat."

Dennis nodded as he made a few notes on his notepad. Matt gave his wife a small grin before saying, "Yeah, it's really important to keep our budget under control in this process, especially since we'll be living here for at least a year and we'll need some adjustment time before we get going with both of our jobs."

"That's a great budget," Dennis said as he looked up from the notepad. "Fortunately for you, unfortunately for the island, we've had so many people leave after Maria that we have perfectly good houses just sitting around waiting to be snatched up by a new owner. Some of them are a little rough around the edges but most of them are in great shape. Are you opposed to a home that might require a bit of fixing up?"

"I think we could handle that," Matt said wryly while Gabby laughed. "I actually own a construction company in Chicago so updating things wouldn't be a problem although I'd rather not have to do too much if I'm being honest. We're going to have a lot going on once we start getting settled here so finding time to fix things on the house won't be easy. In this instance, I think move in ready is probably better for us."

"Little things we can handle though," Gabby added as she patted her husband's hand. "I mean, if I want white cabinets but we fall in love with a house with dark ones, there's a reason there's paint available everywhere."

Everyone laughed and Dennis closed up his folder. He smiled at the couple, "This is great information. We have a lot of properties available in this area but I have three specific ones in mind that I'd really like to show you today. They all meet your needs and are well within in your budget. Let me go make some phone calls and get things ready and then I'll get in touch with you. I'm happy to drive today if that makes things easier for you two."

"Perfect," Matt said as Gabby nodded. Dennis finished his coffee, gave his payment to the waitress, and excused himself to get things set up for them. Gabby and Matt finished eating while chatting about their choices in house décor and their plans for the weekend. They received a text from Dennis as they were finishing up their coffee and went outside to wait for him.

The house search didn't start out great. The first two houses that Matt and Gabby saw didn't really suit their needs. One of them was way too spread out for Gabby's liking, especially the kitchen and living room which were nearly on opposite sides of the main floor, and the other felt too cramped within its floor plan and wasn't quite an open concept. They weren't bad houses…just not what they were hoping for out of their home.

As they approached the third house, Gabby's attention went right to the lovely landscaping and brightness of the front porch. The house was situated just outside of San Juan and up on a hill but it wasn't a far drive to get to the city. Matt appreciated that this wasn't a cookie cutter home and had a lot of original features on the outside including a nice porch and brightly colored shutters.

"This house is a 4-bedroom 3 bath, two story home," Dennis said as he took the couple up the walkway. "The owner of this house actually used this as a rental property for many years but he's interested in selling it now because he doesn't need the extra income anymore with all his kids now out of the house. It's been kept in impeccable shape and has all the protection you would need from hurricane type weather."

"Sounds good so far," Matt said as he noticed a cute swing on the porch. "Since this was a rental, does it come furnished?"

"Yes, it does," Dennis said smiling. "The owner furnished it for renting and doesn't need any of that back once he sells the property. Are you ready to see it?"

Matt and Gabby nodded and followed Dennis into the house. The entryway led right into the main living area which was very simply but tastefully decorated. A spacious kitchen was off to the left and Gabby lit up at seeing updated appliances and a large island. The house had an open feel without feeling overwhelming large which the couple appreciated after that first large house. They walked around the island and into the living area when Gabby's eyes lit up at the sight of the view. There was a deck off the living room and when they went outside, they saw that they had an amazing view of the water. There was some comfortable looking deck furniture all ready there along with a nice sized grill that made Matt smile. They could imagine spending lots of time on that deck just watching the waves and having a drink together.

They went back into the house to check out the rest of the main floor. The master bedroom and bath along with another bedroom and bathroom were off to one side while a dining area and the stairs to the lower level were on the other side. The master bedroom had an amazing in suite bathroom and the room itself was peaceful with an amazing view of the water and its own door to the deck. Everything was up to date in both bathrooms and the other bedroom was a decent size.

They walked down the stairs to see the lower level and found a great sized family room along with two more bedrooms and the third bathroom. The family room was more casual than the living room and had a bar area that included a small fridge, sink, and microwave. The two bedrooms were nice sized and once again, the bathroom was up to date. There was also a beautiful view of the water and greenery in the backyard which gave the room a homey and comfortable touch.

Matt and Gabby were very impressed with the house. They went out onto the deck to talk in private and decided that they were interested in putting an offer in but they were nervous about the cost. Everything was so nice that they were afraid this one was going to push their budget or go over it altogether. As Dennis joined them on the deck, he saw that they were very interested but also noticed their anxiety about the price. He put their minds at ease right away by letting them know that the home was listed for $334,000 which was well within their budget.

Gabby and Matt were thrilled and immediately said that they wanted to put in an offer. This house was perfect for them and their growing family and with it all ready having a rental history, there wouldn't be much for them to do if they wanted to rent it out when they weren't in Puerto Rico. The group headed over to Dennis' office to draw up the paperwork and once that was all complete, the tough part began for them…waiting to see if their offer was accepted by the owner.

Gabby went to meet with the urban planning director about the position she had been offered several weeks ago while Matt met up with Chief Santiago about his offer to help run one of his firehouses in San Juan (which also turned into an offer for Matt to teach a class or two at their fire academy). Both meetings went extremely well and when the couple met up again for dinner, they were both ready to accept the job offers as long as their house offer went through.

They were enjoying some dessert after a long, amazing dinner when Matt's phone beeped with a text message. Both of them looked up with surprise, they weren't expecting an answer to their offer this quickly, and Matt picked up his phone to check the message. Gabby held her breath while he read through his messages and then Matt's face broke into a huge smile. He reached for her hand as he gave her the news, "We got the house!"

END OF ACT SEVEN