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.”

turning a slight shade of

Karl,” I murmur, my voice soft. “It’s a culmination of every dream

disaster isn’t going to keep me away. And

me tonight.”

long moment, his brown eyes filled with a mix of admiration

harsh lighting casts shadows on his face, making him look

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

that. But sometimes, you need to step back and take care of

the beeping of machines and

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

were neatly wound around one another. Now,

all mussed together.

When I face challenges, when things

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

myself? To my staff?”

running a hand through his hair. “It’s just that… when I saw that fire, when I saw you

the hell

my chest. Without thinking, I reach out, placing

grateful for your concern, truly. But the best way

is to understand.”

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

Finally, he looks up, a determined glint

condition.”

raise an eyebrow. “Which

going with you. If you’re going back to that restaurant, I’m staying by

tugs at my

the hospital, the night air greets us, a stark contrast to the sterile

in the distance, the gentle hum of traffic

door open for me, ever the

he asks,

I reply with

back to the restaurant is filled with

the window blurs into a cascade of lights and

corner holding a

outline of my restaurant comes into view, I

a testament to my team’s

his gaze fixed on

reply with a

the atmosphere is electric. Servers move with

delicious food wafts through the air. I can see Jake orchestrating

tension in his shoulders.

as I enter, relief

promised, didn’t I?” I reply

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

would’ve given up, you push

what happens when you find something

shakes his head in wonder.