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 red. “No.

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

disaster isn’t going to keep me

me tonight.”

eyes filled with a mix of admiration and

on his face, making him

words carefully. “It’s not about your determination

need to step back and take

familiar hum of the hospital, the beeping of machines

I feel a pang of nostalgia. It

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

all mussed together.

what keeps me going. When I face challenges, when things get tough, it’s

back down now, even for a

myself? To my staff?”

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

the hell out of me,

through my chest. Without

know. And I’m grateful for your concern, truly. But the

is to understand.”

for a moment, absorbing my words. The

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

condition.”

an

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

smile tugs at my

night air greets us,

distance,

holds the door open for

he asks, one

reply with

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

window blurs into a cascade of lights and shadows,

street corner holding a

view, I feel a mixture of anxiety

bustling, a testament to my team’s

his gaze

reply with

the atmosphere is electric. Servers move with purpose, the kitchen hums

through the air. I can see Jake orchestrating the

tension in his shoulders.

as I enter, relief

I reply

exchange, an amused smile on his lips. “You

given up, you push

what happens when you

shakes his head in wonder.