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.”

looks away, his face turning a slight

murmur, my voice

I’ve faced. One disaster isn’t going

me tonight.”

moment, his brown eyes

casts shadows on his face, making him

starts, choosing his words carefully. “It’s not about your determination

sometimes, you need to step

familiar hum of the hospital, the beeping of machines

to our conversation. I feel a pang of nostalgia. It reminds me of the

paths were neatly wound around one another. Now, it

all mussed together.

what keeps me going. When I face challenges, when things

now, even

myself? To my staff?”

that… when

the hell

chest. Without thinking, I reach

on his. “I know. And I’m grateful for your concern, truly. But

is to understand.”

words. The m uffled sounds of footsteps

he looks up, a determined

condition.”

an

going back to

smile tugs at

night air greets us, a stark contrast to the sterile

distance, the

and he holds the door

asks, one last

I reply with newfound

back to the restaurant is filled with comfortable silence, the kind

The cityscape outside the window blurs into a cascade of lights and shadows, each

street corner holding

outline of my restaurant comes into view, I

bustling, a testament

front, his gaze fixed

reply with a

move with purpose,

through the air. I can see Jake orchestrating the

tension in his shoulders.

me as I enter, relief flooding his

didn’t I?” I

an amused smile on his lips. “You truly are something

would’ve given up, you

happens when you find something that really

in wonder.