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.”

face turning a slight shade of

voice soft.

isn’t going to keep

me tonight.”

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

room’s harsh lighting casts shadows on his

his words carefully. “It’s not

that. But sometimes, you need to step back and

the beeping of machines and hushed

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

when our paths were neatly wound around one another.

all mussed together.

going. When I face challenges,

pulls me through. If I back down now,

myself? To my staff?”

just that… when I saw that fire, when I saw

hell out of

pang through my chest. Without thinking, I reach

your concern, truly. But the best way you

is to understand.”

my words. The m uffled sounds of

us. Finally, he looks up, a determined glint

condition.”

an eyebrow. “Which

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

at my lips.

greets us, a stark contrast to the sterile

lights glittering in the distance, the

door open for me, ever the gentleman. “You

asks,

I reply with newfound

is filled with comfortable silence, the

outside the window blurs into a cascade of lights

corner

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

a testament to my

parks out front, his gaze

reply

with

the air. I can see Jake orchestrating the dance, but there’s

tension in his shoulders.

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

I?” I reply with

his

up, you

chuckle. “That’s what happens when you find

wonder. “You never cease to