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.”

away, his face turning a slight shade of red. “No.

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

isn’t going to keep me away. And my

me tonight.”

moment, his brown eyes

his face, making

carefully. “It’s not about your determination or

sometimes, you need to

of the hospital, the beeping of machines and hushed

feel a pang of nostalgia. It reminds me of the times when life

neatly wound around one another. Now, it feels

all mussed together.

keeps me going. When

now, even for a night, what message am I

myself? To my staff?”

“It’s just that…

scared the hell out of

send a pang through my chest. Without

for your concern, truly.

is to understand.”

absorbing my words. The

determined glint in his eyes. “Fine,

condition.”

raise an

If you’re going back to

tugs at my

greets us, a stark contrast to the sterile environment

lights glittering in the distance, the gentle hum of traffic a constant

the door open for me, ever the gentleman. “You

asks,

I reply with

restaurant is filled with

cityscape outside the window blurs into a cascade

street corner holding a

the familiar outline of my restaurant comes into view, I

bustling, a testament to my team’s

gaze fixed on the entrance.

reply with

with

the air. I can see Jake orchestrating the dance, but

tension in his shoulders.

as I enter, relief flooding his features.

I

on his lips. “You truly are something

up, you push

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

his head in wonder.