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 shade of

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

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

me tonight.”

me for a long moment, his brown eyes filled with

on his

carefully. “It’s not about your determination or

to step back and

beeping of machines and hushed conversations, provides

pang of nostalgia.

wound around one another. Now, it feels like a tangle,

all mussed together.

going. When I face

now, even for a night, what message am I sending

myself? To my staff?”

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

scared the hell out of

through my chest. Without thinking, I reach out, placing a

your concern, truly. But the best way you

is to understand.”

words. The m uffled sounds

us. Finally, he looks up, a determined glint in his

condition.”

raise an

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

at

we leave the hospital, the night air greets us, a stark contrast to the

in the distance, the

parked nearby, and he holds the door open for me, ever

he asks, one last

reply with

drive back to the restaurant is filled with comfortable silence, the kind that comes with

the window blurs into a

corner holding

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

bustling, a testament to

out front, his gaze fixed on

I reply with

Servers move with purpose, the

I can see Jake orchestrating the

tension in his shoulders.

I enter, relief flooding

didn’t I?” I

watches the exchange, an amused smile on his lips.

would’ve given up, you push

chuckle. “That’s what happens when you find something that

wonder.