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.”

his face turning a slight shade of red.

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

One disaster isn’t going to keep me away. And my employees

me tonight.”

for a long moment, his brown eyes filled with

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

his words carefully. “It’s not

sometimes, you need to step back and take

the hospital, the beeping

a pang of nostalgia. It reminds

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

all mussed together.

is what keeps me going. When I face challenges,

now,

myself? To my staff?”

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

the hell

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

for your concern, truly. But the best

is to understand.”

for a moment, absorbing my words. The m uffled sounds

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

condition.”

raise an

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

tugs at my

greets us,

the distance, the gentle hum of traffic a

door open for

he asks, one last

reply

filled with comfortable silence, the

window blurs into a cascade

street corner

view, I feel a

testament to my

out front, his gaze fixed

reply

Servers move with

of delicious food wafts through the air. I can see

tension in his shoulders.

as I enter, relief flooding his

didn’t I?” I reply

an amused smile on his

given up, you

you find something that really matters to

head in wonder. “You never cease to