it's you... || Karl Jacobs ✔️

| its you... || eli |

extra chapter
"Keep Breathing"

One call can change the course of everyone's lives. One call can make or break a person's spirit. One call can end everything you've ever known.

It was a Thursday morning, Katelyn would never forget it.

"Katie baby, your phone's ringing." Karl whispered, waking her up gently. She groaned, before answering the call, not looking at the called ID.

"Katelyn? Is this Katelyn?" She heard her father's voice speak. His voice was hard, monotone. One she recognized easily. She shot up, hands shaking and breath quickening.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah this is she." She spoke, trying to sound normal. She stood up and started to pace, Karl now sitting up in worry. He threw on a hoodie to cover his unclothed torso, Katelyn wearing his t-shirt from the night prior.

"Katelyn, i have Eli here. Social services said your mother got sick and cant take care of him for the time being. They immediately took him here since im obviously next of kin. He wants to be with you instead, for obvious reasons, do you-"

"Put him on the phone, Steven." She said, anger lacing her tone as tears welled in her eyes.

"Kat? Kat? Katie? Are you there? Please tell me he called you." Eli said frantically. She could hear the panic in his voice. She hated it, she hated that he remembered. She hated that their own blood did that to him.

"I'll be there in half an hour, baby. Just wait for me okay? Can you do that? I'll be there soon."

"I just want you right now." He said, voice cracking.

"I know buddy, i know. Im leaving now okay? Call me if you need me, you have my number memorized still?"

"Yeah. I love you, Kat."

"I love you too, baby." She said, hanging up. She threw on shorts and put her hair in a messy bun, forgetting to inform karl, but he rolled with the punches.

He got dressed and followed her downstairs, putting on his pants along the way. He fell down the stairs by going too fast. She immediately looking to the stairs to see Karl at the bottom of them giggling.

"Ow." He said with a laugh. She laughed before helping him up.

"Youre a dork." She said, taking a moment to calm down.

"Well, im glad youre not freaking out anymore. Can you fill me in on the way to wherever were going?" Karl asked kissing her head softly as he slipped on his shoes. She nodded, grabbing her keys and walking to the car.

The car was silent at first, not even music playing as she hit 90 miles oer hour on the highway.

"My love, my world, can you tell me why youre trying to kill us today?" He said, grabbing the handle on the roof of the car, just in case.

"My dad has Eli. My mom is sick and cant take care of him right now. I got put down as a legal guardian when she got full custody, but since he's legal parent, he went there instead. Now i have to go see my fucking father and stupid son of a bitch step mother." She said, somehow increasing speed. The lengths she would go for Eli were great.

They got there im fifteen minutes. She parked in the driveway and took a breath, grabbing Karl's hand to calm down.

"I'll be right there, Katelyn. Everything is gonna be fine." He said softly. She nodded, getting out of the car and walking towards the house. Karl kept his hand on her lower back, just so he could give some support.

Katelyn knocked on the door, anxiety running high in her veins. She knocked on the door, her stupid step-which of a mother answering.

"Katelyn, what a nice surprise. Elijah isn't actually he-"

"Its fucking Eli and you try and lie to me again and i'll fucking hurt you."

"Youre threatening me on my property."

"My father's property you broke bitch."

"Still whoring around I see." He said, looking Karl up and down.

"She's not a whore, call her that again and i'll call the cops on you for harassment and physical abuse." Eli said, walking out the door with a suitcase in hand. He walked to Karl and hugged him tightly, Karl picking him up to help comfort him.

"You wont do shit, Elijah, get back in the house and stop acting like a three year old."

"Im getting him in the car, are you gonna be okay for a few minutes." Karl asked, looking at her and grabbing the keys from her gently. She nodded, ruffling Eli's hair slightly with a smile.

"I need to talk to my father." She said, walking into the house. She shouldered Theresa and walked into the livingroom where she figured he would be.

"Hey, im good to keep him right? I don't need to make any visitation rights by any means? Not that either of us desperately want to see you, but i figure if he asks i'll make the trip if you want to as well." She said, leaning on the door frame.

"Oh, i mean if he wants to i have no problems meeting up for lunch somewhere where you live now. Im sure he wont want to, nor will you seeing as what i did was terrible, but if he's willing so am i." Her father said with a small smile. She missed it, but she wasnt about to get caught up in reminiscing her childhood with a man who barely resembles her father.

"I'll talk to him, get back to you. If he wants to i'll get in touch, if not this is goodbye from us for good. I'll get in touch when im getting married so you can decline the offer to walk me down the aisle." She said with a sigh. She saluted him before pushing off of the doorway.

"You were my little girl once, Katelyn."

"And you were my favorite person in the whole world once, Dad. Then you went and married a bitch who treated us like shit while you just watched for three years. Forgive me for not wanting to get my hopes up for the man i once loved. Poor Eli doesnt even remember your good side, sometimes i think thats for better so it won't hurt as badly as growing up with someone who just cant show his love like he once did. So yeah dad, shit happens, but you let it happen and there is nobody else to blame." She replied, simply explaining her side of the story.

"Youre father and I arent terrible katelyn."

"Yeah, and im single." She said sarcastically, shouldering past her again to leave the house. Theresa grabbed ahold of her wrist and katelyn got vivid flashbacks.

"Okay, i dont hit females but if you dont let go of my girlfriend i will call the fucking cops and i wont fucking hesitate." Karl spat, anger lacing his tone. She let go with an eye roll. Karl rolled his eyes back and walked Katelyn outside, making sure to slam the door on his way out.

"Are you okay, Kat?"

"Yeah, i just talked to dad for a minute about visitation situation. If you'd like to see him i'll make sure its just him but i made it clear that if you don't want to, i wasnt reaching out until my wedding." She said with a smile, hiding her panic attack as she drove. Karl held her shaking hand the entire way home while Eli played music.