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

I murmur, my voice soft.

faced. One disaster isn’t going to keep

me tonight.”

long moment, his brown eyes filled with

casts shadows on his face, making him look older,

“It’s not about

you need to step

beeping of machines

nostalgia. It reminds me of the

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

all mussed together.

keeps me going. When I face challenges, when things get

that pulls me through. If I back down now, even

myself? To my staff?”

his hair. “It’s just that… when I saw

scared the hell out

kind words send a pang through my chest. Without thinking,

your concern, truly. But the best way you can support me

is to understand.”

for a moment, absorbing my words. The m uffled

he looks up, a determined glint in his

condition.”

raise an eyebrow. “Which

going back

tugs at my

air greets us, a stark contrast to the sterile environment inside.

in the distance, the

parked nearby, and he holds the door

he asks,

reply with newfound

drive back to the restaurant is filled with comfortable silence, the kind

cityscape outside the window blurs into a cascade

corner holding

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

bustling, a testament to my

out front, his gaze fixed on the

reply with

electric. Servers move with purpose, the kitchen

delicious food wafts through the air. I can see

tension in his shoulders.

spots me as I enter, relief flooding his features. “Boss! You’re

didn’t I?” I

his lips. “You truly are something

would’ve given up, you push

“That’s what happens when you find something that

shakes his head in wonder. “You never