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.”

a slight shade of red.

Karl,” I murmur, my voice

One disaster isn’t going to keep me away.

me tonight.”

his brown eyes filled with a

on his face, making him

carefully. “It’s

But sometimes, you need to step back and take care

of the hospital, the beeping

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

our paths were neatly wound around one another. Now, it feels

all mussed together.

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

me through. If I back down now, even for a night, what message am

myself? To my staff?”

his hair. “It’s just that… when I

hell out of me,

my chest. Without thinking, I reach out,

concern,

is to understand.”

words.

Finally, he looks up, a determined glint

condition.”

an

going with you. If you’re going back to

at my

air greets us, a stark contrast to

glittering in the distance, the gentle

parked nearby, and he holds the door open for

he asks,

reply with newfound

is filled with comfortable silence, the kind that

blurs into a cascade

street corner holding

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

bustling, a testament

his gaze

I reply with

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

through the air. I can see

tension in his shoulders.

enter, relief flooding his features. “Boss! You’re

didn’t I?” I

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

given up, you

what happens when you find something that really

wonder. “You