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.”

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

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

faced. One disaster isn’t going to keep me

me tonight.”

a long moment, his brown eyes filled with a mix of admiration and concern.

lighting casts shadows on his face,

he starts, choosing his words carefully. “It’s not

you need to

the beeping of machines and hushed

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

were neatly wound around one another.

all mussed together.

keeps me going. When I face

that pulls me through. If I back down now, even for a night, what message am I

myself? To my staff?”

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

the hell

pang through my chest. Without thinking, I

And I’m grateful for your concern,

is to understand.”

silent for a moment, absorbing my words. The m uffled sounds of footsteps and

us. Finally, he looks up, a determined glint in his

condition.”

raise an eyebrow. “Which

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

smile tugs at

leave the hospital, the night air greets us, a stark contrast to the

in the distance,

holds the door open for me, ever the

he asks, one last

reply with

back to the restaurant is filled with comfortable silence, the kind that comes with

cityscape outside the window blurs into a cascade of

corner

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

a testament to my

parks out front, his gaze fixed on the

reply with a

is electric. Servers move with purpose, the kitchen hums with activity, and

wafts through the air. I can see Jake

tension in his shoulders.

enter, relief flooding his features.

promised, didn’t I?” I reply

amused smile on his lips. “You

would’ve given up, you push

happens when you find

his head in wonder. “You