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.”

face turning a slight shade

Karl,” I murmur, my voice soft. “It’s a culmination of every

faced. One disaster isn’t going to

me tonight.”

studies me for a long moment, his brown eyes filled with a

harsh lighting casts shadows on his face, making him look

choosing his words carefully. “It’s not about your

you need to step back and take

of the hospital, the beeping of machines

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

paths were neatly wound around one another.

all mussed together.

me going. When I face challenges, when things

I back down now, even for a night, what message am

myself? To my staff?”

just that… when I saw that

It scared the hell

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

concern, truly. But the best way

is to understand.”

my words. The m

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

condition.”

raise an

back to that restaurant,

tugs at my lips.

us, a stark contrast

in the distance, the gentle hum of traffic a

is parked nearby, and he holds the door open for me, ever the gentleman. “You

asks,

reply

the restaurant is filled with comfortable silence, the

blurs into a cascade of lights

street corner holding

view, I feel a

bustling, a testament to

out front, his gaze fixed

I reply

with purpose, the kitchen

I can see Jake orchestrating the dance, but there’s

tension in his shoulders.

spots me as I enter, relief flooding

I reply with

the exchange, an amused smile on his lips.

would’ve given up, you push

what happens when you find something that really

his head in wonder. “You never cease to