What He Wouldn't Give (Unedited Version)

Chapter Twenty-Four: Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace

Chapter 24...Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace

Jeff called up to Eli asking him if he had picked up the tux for his sister's wedding that was at the end of the week. Eli was almost a hundred percent sure that Jeff was his biological father as they looked like a carbon copy of each other, but Jeff wanted to make sure so the two of them would be heading over to the hospital to get a test done to tell if it was true. Eli wasn't really up for heading to the hospital as he always associated them with Luke, but that wasn't a problem anymore as Luke passed away last month.

No one believed Eli about his father and needing the money from the contest to help pay, but after winning the contest people saw leaked photos of Eli attending the funeral and the whole controversy there died immediately. Eli looked at himself in the mirror and saw someone who looked familiar to who he was almost three years ago. His hair was cut by a professional to a medium length where it was out of his eyes and he wore flannels again and he threw on a band shirt. He still had scars from his past that littered his chest, back, and arms. A few on his hands from the broken glass. His body filled out at he ate regularly and rarely skipped meals and going to the gym with Jeff at night was helping his muscular system doing wonders to his physique.

Slipping on his vans he remembered going shopping with Jeff for all new things as things were too small since Eli never shopped and he had a growth spurt. Grabbing the banister Eli propelled himself on a journey down the spiral staircase, which was something to get used to. Jeff looked up from his computer as Eli walked into the immensely gigantic kitchen.

"Ready to see if I'm your father."

"Yeah, but there's a fifty-percent chance I might have a breakdown in the hospital, you know with everything I've been through."

With that the two boys walked into the garage and Eli caught the keys Jeff threw allowing Eli to drive. He rarely drove in the past; however, with his job at the radio station that he has kept for a while was in the city, which meant Eli had to drive to the studio. Jeff reminded Eli about working on his parking since that was rusty and they set off for the hospital to be on time for once to their appointment.

Jeff turned on the radio and Linkin Park's Numb came on, Eli involuntarily shuttered and then shook it off remembering that things were different now. Once Luke was out of the picture things started to look up, but Eli still had a hard time with certain things. People yelling was one of the worst things. Eli had just won the television contest and was having a live performance and backstage people were yelling causing Eli to break down and he had a panic attack, the people looked at the eighteen-year-old and they shut up.

Parking in between two trucks the small sports car looked even smaller, the two men walked side by side into the hospital where they would spend the next couple of hours in before going to pick up their tux's for the wedding. In which Eli had no idea of who Jeff's sister was marrying and wouldn't know until the rehearsal dinner in two days. The doctor told the two before they left that the results would be mailed to Jeff's address in the next couple of days and then they were off to get the tux's fitted and Jeff had to run into his studio quickly.

Eli never liked fitted clothes besides skinny jeans, but the dress shirt was a little too close for comfort as it hugged his body everywhere especially in the neck. A laugh came from a deep voice and Eli flipped him off as if he was a friend and not his father or the person acting like his father. Jeff just bought Eli the shirt in the next size up and made Eli try it on to see if it fit and if it didn't it could be fitted with the tux. The vest that Eli had to wear with the tux was a maroon and the tie was black. It made him look pretty sharp, a sharp dressed man.