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.

I murmur, my voice

going to

me tonight.”

studies me for a long moment, his brown eyes

shadows on his face, making him look older, more

“It’s not about your determination

sometimes, you need to step back and take care

the beeping of machines and hushed conversations, provides

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

wound around one another. Now, it

all mussed together.

the restaurant is what keeps me going. When I face challenges, when things get

If I back down now, even for

myself? To my staff?”

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

the hell out

a pang through my chest. Without thinking, I reach

“I know. And I’m grateful for your concern, truly. But the best way you can support

is to understand.”

for a moment, absorbing my words. The m

looks up, a determined glint in

condition.”

an

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

tugs at my lips.

air greets us,

in the distance, the gentle hum of

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

asks, one last

I reply with newfound

the restaurant is filled with comfortable silence,

The cityscape outside the window blurs into a cascade of lights

corner holding a

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

a testament to my team’s

gaze fixed on

I reply with

is electric. Servers move with purpose,

the air. I

tension in his shoulders.

me as I enter, relief flooding his features.

promised, didn’t I?” I

on his

up,

what happens when you find something that

wonder. “You never