Crescent City Summer

Chapter 41: Detour

Gabby's phone dinged. She didn't hear it. Sleep had finally found her. For fifteen minutes, this kept going on. Finally, she awoke from her sleep to see her phone lit up in the darkness of the bedroom and heard the ding. She sat up quickly, thinking it could be Desmond. She looked at the text message with sleepy eyes, focusing intently.

"Please wake up and meet me at Audobon Park." The text read.

Gabby tried to get her thoughts together fast after waking from a deep sleep. She sat up, wiped her eyes, and looked at the message again. She looked at who sent it. Her eyes widened, and her heart rate increased.

Shane?

He texted five times in the past fifteen minutes. She read his other messages and tried to understand how he knew she was there unless her mom told his mom. Unbelievable.

"Gab, I'm here in New Orleans. Please wake up; we need to talk." She read the first message.

"Gab, if you are awake, I need to talk; please answer me." The second message was equally as desperate.

"Please don't be asleep." The third message was almost a sign of giving up.

"I need you; please call me." Gabby felt her heart sink into her stomach.

"Please wake up and meet me at Audobon Park." The last message that came in that woke her from her slumber.

Gabby took in a deep breath as her mind raced. She wasn't sure what was happening or how to react.

I should call Desmond.

She debated on this for a few minutes and decided against it. One side knew she had to do it; she needed to see him. He was in New Orleans for a reason. The other side of her knew this could be dangerous.

What do I do?

She jumped out of bed, pacing around the room, deciding what to do. She made up her mind. It had to be done.

Protect me, God. It's five o'clock in the morning in New Orleans.

She changed into a t-shirt and shorts, and tennis shoes and quickly brushed her hair to put it in a ponytail. She found a ballcap of Desmond's and put that on as well. She rushed downstairs to the house's foyer and found the keys to Desmond's BMW. She grabbed them and walked through the front door, locking it behind her. In the garage sat a BMW 4 Series. It was black and insanely beautiful. Desmond drove it before his grandparents bought him the Bugatti. He said he thought of selling it but loved it too much. She unlocked the door and climbed inside, throwing her wallet onto the passenger seat. Immediately she adjusted the mirrors and seat and pulled out of the garage and onto the street. She hadn't received a text again from Shane and wondered if he had given up. She contemplated turning around and ignoring the last text and forgetting this whole thing. During that time, her phone dinged once again. It was Shane.

"Please, Gab. Meet me." He pleaded.

Wait. Don't.

With shaking hands, she responded, feeling mixed emotions as she clicked send.

"On my way." Gabby knew this could be a trap, but he didn't sound good. She still cared about him, always would, no matter what had happened. She needed to know why he was in New Orleans. Why would he come all this way if he knew about Desmond and her getting married?

"I'll be at the bridge." He responded.

She threw her phone back onto the seat and went through the city streets and to Audubon Park. She parked where Desmond had parked that day they were there. She looked around and didn't see a soul. Everything about this felt eerie to her. Her eyes panned everywhere. Her pace quickened as she spotted the bridge. Shane was leaning on the side of the bridge, looking out. The sky was still dark, but dawn was rapidly approaching. She slowed as he looked over to see her walking towards him. He looked sleep deprived and unshaven. Gabby knew something was wrong, and she was why he was in the shape he was in.