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

my voice soft.

disaster isn’t going to keep me

me tonight.”

me for a long moment, his brown eyes filled with a mix of

room’s harsh lighting casts shadows on his face, making him

“It’s

to step back and

hospital, the beeping of machines and hushed conversations,

of nostalgia. It reminds me of the times when life

one another. Now, it

all mussed together.

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

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

myself? To my staff?”

“It’s just that… when I saw that fire, when I

scared the hell

chest. Without thinking,

your concern, truly. But the best way you can support

is to understand.”

for a moment, absorbing my words. The

us. Finally, he looks up, a determined glint in his eyes. “Fine, but on

condition.”

an

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

at

air greets us, a stark contrast

lights glittering in the distance, the gentle hum of traffic

door open for me,

asks, one last

reply

back to the restaurant is filled with comfortable silence, the

cityscape outside the window blurs into a cascade of

street corner

comes into view, I feel a mixture of

bustling, a testament to my

front, his gaze fixed on the entrance.

reply

atmosphere is electric. Servers move with

air. I can see Jake orchestrating the

tension in his shoulders.

as I enter, relief flooding

didn’t I?” I reply

smile on his lips. “You truly are

up, you

you find something that really matters

shakes his head in wonder. “You never cease to amaze