GiGi

“I told you everything I know, officer.”

GiGi was being held in an interrogation room at the hospital. Between sobs, she told the investigating officer who had been called to the hospital everything she could remember. Everything except the part where she had started to transform into a panther in the middle of having sex with one of the city’s most beloved celebrity chefs.

The half-truth had been embarrassing enough. She was being intimate with Vann West on his boat. Things got out of hand and she had scratched him with her nails and bit his chest. She had bitten and scratched harder when he had egged her on. And that’s all that the DuChamps family attorney would let her say.

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed. The attorney glared and held up his head. “No more, GiGi. That’s it.” Then he pointed to the officer. “She did not apologize, she committed no crime.”

“Stop!” she cried. “Somebody tell me if he needs blood. Does he need blood, because I can donate! I have a universal blood type!”

“Ms. DuGrey,” the officer said, “I just need you to calm down and tell me one more time. Why did you think it was OK to draw blood from Mr. West? What were you planning to do with the blood sample?”

The attorney stood up and put a hand on GiGi’s shoulder. “Is she under arrest? Because we are done here unless you are going to charge her.”

The officer glared up at the attorney and then looked at GiGi with an expression of not so much anger as concern. “Ma’am, you are free to go. For some reason he will not be pressing charges, against our advice. But I’m going to caution you to be careful of who you get mixed up with in the future. Drugs are not your friend.”

Was this actually happening? Was she getting a D.A.R.E. lecture now when Vann was lying in a hospital bed? Was Vann really not going to press charges?

She didn’t know she could feel so many things all at once: guilt, sadness, remorse, terror, relief and guilt again.

And then, an overwhelming need to see Vann.

As the attorney led her from the room, she made a beeline for the emergency room.

“Not a good idea, Ms. DuGrey.”

“I have to see him.”

“Your uncle gave specific instructions—”

But then the attorney’s voice was cut off by a loud clatter of metal and a man’s voice booming, “Where the FUCK is she?”

It was Vann. He was OK. And he wanted to see her.

Gulp. Better go and face the music.

She freed her arm from the half-hearted grip of the lawyer and bolted toward the sound of Vann’s voice.

“Vann!” she screamed through her sobs.

“GiGi, where the fuck have you…ow! Get that fucking IV away from me, and no I don’t want any fucking Jell-O!”

The crowd around Vann made it seemed that everyone in GiGi’s family, as well as Vann’s people, had descended on the emergency room at the same time.

GiGi’s stomach fell to the floor and she felt like she was going to throw up. This was not how she wanted her truth to come out to Vann. And she was not interested in all of these people discussing her perceived “kinks.”

Rosemary, Aunt Betsy and Uncle Lionel were talking to the attorney in one corner. Ash, Bobby and a few others she vaguely remembered from the engagement party, all surrounded Vann. And there was the mysterious Penny LeFleur, who was apparently still giving Rosemary the cold shoulder. And, oh my god, Ash’s father was there, too. She recognized Jimmy Boudreaux from the locally famous chicken commercials. Good grief, was every New Orleans food celebrity here to behold the woman who tried to murder Vann West in the middle of coitus? Where was Emeril Lagasse? He should probably be here to see this, too, she thought wryly.

Vann had a large bandage on his neck and he was wearing a ridiculous hospital gown. And yet somehow he still resembled a Viking god. His friends all looked like they were trying to get him to calm down so the nurse could stick him with a needle. He was having none of it.

And then, he saw her.

GiGi was prepared for him to start accusing her of assaulting him, to ream her up one side and down the other and declare that he never wanted to see her again. She held her breath and braced herself for the onslaught.

Instead, he pushed Ash and Bobby out of the way. “Babe, are you OK?”

She cried, “How are you asking me that?”

He didn’t answer, but squeezed GiGi so tight her feet lifted off the floor. He planted kisses on both her cheeks and lips and nose and forehead.

“You must be on some good hospital drugs,” she said, laughing and crying through their kisses.

“No, I’m just relieved you’re OK.”

She sniffed. “But your back! Your neck! I can’t believe you still can look at me.”

He set her down and held her face in his hands. “You got it backwards. I only want to look at you, just you, ever again. And anybody that keeps you away from me again is going to get flayed.”

This comment was aimed at his crew, who stood watching the scene just as incredulously as GiGi’s people were doing.

Then Lionel approached out of nowhere. “Excuse me, Mr. West. I was wondering if you and I could discuss how we’re going to keep this out of the papers, in the interest of both parties.” Her uncle Lionel pulled a checkbook out of his breast pocket.

Vann didn’t even look at the old man. Instead he smirked and kept his eyes on his girl. “Put your money away. Only thing you can do for me is agree to come to your own daughter’s wedding.”

Lionel huffed. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. If you think this little flesh wound is gonna make your family look bad in the police blotter, then buckle up. Just wait until the society page of the Times-Picayune find out the wealthiest man in the history of New Orleans ain’t even man enough to show up to the wedding of his daughter. All because she’s marrying his former business rival’s son over some long-forgotten feud.”

GiGi stared wide-eyed from Uncle Lionel to Rosemary to Aunt Betsy to Ash. They all looked like they were waiting for the old man to pounce on Vann with a vengeance. He was old, yes. But her uncle was loud and powerful and charismatic, and he could still make a Teamster’s nuts shrink into his abdominal cavity with one withering look. One doesn’t run the biggest shipping operation on the Mississippi Delta with the demeanor of a pansy-ass.

But Lionel did not yell. He did not stomp his feet. What he did was tuck his checkbook back into his breast pocket, turn, and walked away.

Everyone watched him go. Betsy turned to follow her husband out.

“Mama?” Rosemary said.

Betsy looked back at her daughter and shrugged, whispering “I do not know,” in answer to the unspoken question that was on Rosemary’s mind. Then she scampered to catch up with her husband. As the pair of them made their way down the hall, everyone could hear Lionel murmur, “I hear that daughter has got you helping with the wedding now. Oh, Betsy, how she gets her way with you, every time, is beyond me.”

Betsy replied. “That’s a trait she didn’t lick up off the street, Lionel DuChamps.”

Before they disappeared out the exit doors, everyone saw Lionel reach over and pull Betsy in close, following by Betsy reaching over and slapping old Lionel on the ass.

Rosemary gasped, and Ash remarked, “Looks like the old man’s getting lucky tonight!”

“’Bout damn time,” said Rosemary, to a response of raucous laughter.

GiGi shook her head. “You people are crazy.” She still had tears streaming down her face.

Vann looked deeply concerned about her. “Y’all, thanks for coming, but my GiGi here and I are gonna have a little chat.”

They all reluctantly left the room, but not before Penny shot her a look of death.

“Penny, wait!”

GiGi wrenched herself free of Vann’s grasp and went to Penny, who held up impatiently.

“Penny,” GiGi said, “I don’t know you, so I don’t blame you for being angry with me. I know what this looks like.”

“It looks like several flesh wounds. Deep ones,” Penny said.

GiGi felt the stabbing pain of remorse grow deeper. “I am so sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”

Penny crossed her arms. “Has Vann let you in on our little secret? Because you two may not be such a good fit for each other. Rosemary and Ash are outliers, under the circumstances.”

“Penny!” Vann shouted. “Please. I know you mean well, but you need to go. It is not your place to bring this up. GiGi and I have got this.”

Penny looked shocked. “So, you’ve made a decision.”

Vann and Penny exchanged looks. The sound that came out of Vann was laden with grave warning. “That. Is. None. Of. Your. Business.”

Penny left without another word, but GiGi thought she could see her dabbing at her eye.

GiGi regretfully watched her go. So much for trying to make friends with Vann’s people. This was why GiGi threw herself into her work. She wasn’t good at relationships, platonic or otherwise. Oh, and the whole panther thing.

“Hey,” Vann said, as if reading her thoughts. “Don’t worry about her. She’ll be fine.” He wiped her tears with his thumbs and kissed her mouth tenderly. When he was finished, he said, “So I guess we need to talk, Crazy Cat Lady.”

“Oh Vann. I’m so sorry…”

“Oh no, you don’t. You do not need to apologize for who you are. But listen. We are not going to have this most important conversation while I’m wearing a butt window hospital gown. Let’s go get a whiskey and a steak and we can talk this thing out, OK, angel face?”

“But have they discharged you yet?”

He laughed. I don’t know and I do not care, but let’s get the fuck out of here.”