Chasing His Kickass Luna Back by Jane Above Story

#Chapter 43: True Passion
Abby

The antiseptic smell of the hospital surrounds me, a cold, clinical scent that seems to hang in the air. I

glance down at my arm, now wrapped in white gauze, the skin beneath it red and angry. The pain

pulses with every heartbeat, but it’s a dull, manageable ache for now.

“Abby, you should be heading home to rest,” the doctor’s firm voice breaks through my thoughts. He’s

an older man, silver hair and a gentle, fatherly demeanor. “That burn needs time to heal, and you need

time to recover.”

“I understand, doctor,” I reply, doing my best to sound appreciative. “Thank you.”

Karl waits just outside the small cubicle, flipping through a magazine. The fluorescent lights highlight

the worry lines on his forehead. He looks up as I emerge, magazine forgotten.

“All set?”

I nod, reaching for my jacket with my uninjured arm. Karl moves quickly to help, his fingers brushing

against mine. The touch is unintentional, but it sends a rush of warmth through me.

“Thanks,” I murmur, avoiding his gaze.

He just nods, his expression serious. “I’ll drive you home.”

But as I step into the corridor, the weight of unfinished business pulls at me. “Not home. Back to the

restaurant.”

He stops in his tracks, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “Are you serious, Abby? After what you’ve just

been through?”

“The night isn’t over,” I reply firmly, pain making my voice sharper than intended. “The restaurant needs

me.”

Karl shakes his head, clearly struggling to comprehend my determination. “Let’s sit for a moment,” he

suggests, guiding me towards a set of chairs in the waiting area. It’s relatively quiet here, a few people

sca ttered about, absorbed in their own world of worry and waiting.

He waits for me to get settled before taking the seat next to me. “Abby, talk to me. Why do you feel the

need to go back there tonight? It’s just one night.”

I turn to face him, biting my lip. “You weren’t there when I opened up the restaurant.”

his face turning a slight shade of red. “No.

I murmur, my voice soft. “It’s

challenge I’ve faced. One disaster isn’t going to

me tonight.”

eyes filled with a mix of

casts shadows on his face, making

carefully. “It’s not

that. But sometimes, you need to

of the hospital, the beeping of machines and hushed conversations, provides

pang of nostalgia. It reminds me

wound around one another. Now, it

all mussed together.

the restaurant is what keeps me going. When I face challenges,

that pulls me through. If I back down now, even for

myself? To my staff?”

hair. “It’s just that… when I saw that fire,

scared the hell out

pang through my chest. Without thinking, I

your concern, truly. But the best

is to understand.”

a moment, absorbing my words. The m uffled sounds of footsteps

a determined

condition.”

an

If you’re going back

smile tugs at

greets us, a stark contrast to the sterile

in the distance, the gentle hum of traffic a

is parked nearby, and he holds the door open for me, ever the gentleman. “You sure

he asks, one last

I reply with

with comfortable silence, the kind that comes with

the window blurs into a cascade of

corner

of my restaurant comes into view, I feel a mixture of anxiety and excitement.

testament to my

his gaze

reply with

the atmosphere is electric. Servers move with purpose, the kitchen hums with activity,

of delicious food wafts through the air. I

tension in his shoulders.

me as I enter, relief flooding his features. “Boss!

promised, didn’t I?” I reply with

amused smile on his lips. “You truly are something else,

would’ve given up, you push

when you

his head in wonder.