The Touch - Rewrite

“Easy now,” I heard Natalie say, her voice distant at first, like it was coming from the end of a long tunnel. “You can put him on the sofa…”

“I’ll hold him. I don’t mind.”

The voice that answered her was deeper, unfamiliar and yet not, carrying something strained beneath it. It softened almost immediately, like the speaker realized how abrupt he sounded. “Sorry, Natalie. It’s just… it’s been ten years…”

“I know, David,” Natalie replied gently.

David.

The name drifted through the fog in my head, catching on something I couldn’t quite reach yet.

“Is he going to be okay, Dad?” another voice asked, younger—closer to my own than it should have been.

“He will be, Kyan,” the man answered, quieter now. “I don’t blame him. I almost passed out myself.”

There was a soft laugh from Natalie, but it sounded tight, emotional.

“Someone should call Lauren,” the man said after a second. I felt a slight shift, like I was being adjusted in someone’s arms. “Her number’s in my contacts—”

“I already called her,” Greg’s voice cut in from somewhere nearby. “She’s grabbing Sarah from school and heading here now. I also called Karen to let her know what’s going on.”

There was a pause.

“Who’s Karen?” the man—David—asked.

“Zacha—” Natalie started, then stopped herself. I could hear the faint hitch in her voice before she corrected it. “Forgive me… this is going to take a little time to get used to. Karen is Zyan’s social worker.”

“What?” The confusion in his voice was immediate, sharp.

“I’ll explain everything once everyone’s here,” Natalie said softly. “I promise. Just… rub his back gently. It helps him wake up. Gives him something to focus on.”

A hand moved against my back then—slow, careful, hesitant at first, like he was afraid I might break under too much pressure. The touch was unfamiliar and familiar all at once, and my body reacted to it before my mind could catch up. I focused on it instinctively, clinging to the sensation as I tried to pull myself out of the darkness.

“He’s been asleep for a while,” the younger voice—Kyan—said, quieter now, laced with concern.

“He’s done this before,” Greg replied. “A few hours, sometimes. With the way his fingers are twitching, I’d say he could wake up any minute. Just… watch out for his right hook if he’s dreaming.” I heard the smile in his voice. “Kid’s got a mean swing. I had a black eye for a week.”

“Is that what happened?” David asked, surprised.

“Yeah,” Greg said with a small chuckle. “Zac—” He stopped himself. “Zyan was having a nightmare. I tried to help, he swung. The guys at work still won’t let it go.”

“He has a lot of nightmares,” Kyan said quietly.

There was a pause before Natalie answered, her voice softer than before. “He’s been through more than you could ever imagine.”

The hand on my back didn’t stop. If anything, it grew steadier, more certain, like whoever it belonged to had decided he wasn’t letting go.

I leaned into it without realizing I was doing it.

The darkness shifted.

My body felt heavy, like I was being pulled in two directions at once—down into the quiet, or up into something too bright, too loud. The warmth beneath me anchored me, the steady rise and fall of someone’s breathing against my cheek grounding me just enough to fight my way back.

Voices blurred together for a moment before separating again.

“I’ve waited a decade for this,” David said quietly. There was something raw in his voice now, something barely held together. “How did you even realize who he was?”

“Ask Natalie,” Greg replied.

There was a faint rustle, like someone shifting in their seat.

“We found out this morning,” Natalie explained. “Karen told us today was his birthday. Greg had already planned to give him the book you sent, so he gave it to him before school. When he went upstairs, I looked through it… the artwork caught my attention first. Then I saw the picture in the back.”

Her voice softened further.

“I recognized you immediately.”

Silence followed, heavy and full.

“We didn’t tell him,” she added after a moment. “We thought… we thought it would be a good surprise.”

“I wasn’t expecting him to pass out,” Greg said lightly, though there was something behind it. “But I probably should have.”

“Does this happen often?” David asked.

“It hasn’t in a while,” Natalie said. “Not since he got sick back in April. He’s been doing better.”

A pause.

“This changes everything, though.”

The words seemed to echo somewhere deep inside me.

Everything.

My eyes finally managed to open, if only barely. The world came into focus slowly, blurred at the edges. The first thing I noticed was the man holding me.

Brown hair.

Green eyes.

Tired, like he hadn’t slept, but steady.

His jaw was dusted with stubble, and there was something in his expression—something I couldn’t name—that made my chest tighten painfully.

He wasn’t looking at me at first. His attention was somewhere else, but when he finally glanced down—

Everything shifted.

His eyes widened just slightly, like he hadn’t been expecting me to wake yet, and then something in his expression broke open. It softened completely, the tension leaving his face all at once as emotion flooded in behind it.

Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes.

I felt myself hesitate, like I was standing on the edge of something I didn’t fully understand yet. My heart started to race, my breath catching as something deep inside me surged forward, demanding to be recognized.

The word came out before I could stop it.

“Daddy?”

It was barely more than a whisper.

For a second, he didn’t speak. He just stared at me, his expression crumbling in the best and worst way all at once.

Then he nodded.

That was all it took.

He pulled me into his arms, tighter this time, like he wasn’t afraid of breaking me anymore. I buried my face into his chest without thinking, and everything I had been holding in for years came apart all at once.

“I’ve waited so long to hear that,” he said, his voice shaking against me. “So long, baby boy…”

His hand moved up to the back of my head, holding me there, grounding me.

“I have to go get Toby,” Natalie said quietly somewhere nearby.

“No, you don’t,” Greg replied just as softly. “Geoff and Gavin already picked him up. I called the school earlier.”

There was a small pause, then Natalie’s voice again, lighter this time. “I knew there was a reason I kept you around.”

I barely registered it.

All I could focus on was him.

The way he held me.

The way his voice sounded.

The way everything inside me finally felt like it had somewhere to land.

His grip loosened slightly, just enough that panic shot through me before I could stop it. My hands grabbed at the front of his shirt, pulling myself closer again, refusing to let that space exist.

“Don’t worry,” he said quickly, his voice soft again. “I’m not going anywhere. I just didn’t want to hurt you.”

I shook my head against him, holding tighter.

“If it were up to me,” he added quietly, “I’d never let go of you again.”

“I’d like that,” I whispered.

He let out a small, broken breath against my hair.

“Me too, Zyan,” he murmured. “Me too.”

The knock at the door cut through everything.

It wasn’t loud, but it was enough to pull me slightly out of the moment, my fingers tightening instinctively in the fabric of my dad’s shirt as if I thought someone might take it all away if I let go.

“I’ll get it,” Natalie said softly.

I barely lifted my head as she moved through the house, the sound of the front door opening carrying faintly into the room. Voices followed—muffled at first—before footsteps grew closer.

“David,” Natalie said as she stepped back into the room, her tone gentle but purposeful. “This is Karen Stevens, Zyan’s social worker. Karen… this is David Montgomery.”

Everything in my body went still.

Karen.

I didn’t turn right away. I already knew that voice.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Montgomery,” Karen said politely, though there was a note of uncertainty behind it. “I just… I need to ask—how are you certain that this is your son?”

The shift was immediate.

I felt it in my dad before I even saw it. The way his arm tightened slightly around me, the way his posture straightened without him thinking about it.

“Are you serious?” he asked, not harsh, but firm in a way that made the room feel smaller. “His identical twin brother is sitting right there.”

There was a pause.

A longer one.

“Oh—” Karen’s voice faltered, and I finally turned just enough to see her. Her eyes moved past me, landing on Kyan, and I watched the realization settle in. “Oh my… I didn’t… I’m sorry. I didn’t realize—”

“His name is Zyan.”

The voice that cut through hers was sharp, immediate.

Kyan.

I twisted slightly, startled by the tone, and found him standing there, his eyes locked onto Karen with a fierceness I hadn’t seen before. His jaw was tight, his hands clenched slightly at his sides like he was holding himself back from saying more.

For a second, no one spoke.

Karen blinked, clearly thrown off by the intensity of it. “Of course,” she said quickly. “I—I apologize.”

“I need to call Judge Roberts,” she added after a moment, her voice shifting into something more professional, more controlled. “If you’ll excuse me.”

She turned and walked toward the kitchen, her steps just a little quicker than before.

The moment she was gone, the tension broke.

Kyan moved.

He didn’t hesitate this time. He crossed the room in a few quick steps, stopping right in front of me. For a second, he just stood there, like he didn’t trust himself to get any closer.

Then his hand lifted.

His fingers brushed against my cheek, light and careful, like he was testing if I was real.

I didn’t pull away.

I couldn’t.

The contact sent something through me—something deeper than anything I could explain—and whatever wall had been holding him together shattered instantly.

He broke.

Tears spilled over as he leaned forward, and before I could react, he collapsed into me. My arms came up around him automatically, holding onto him just as tightly as he held onto me.

Our dad shifted, pulling both of us closer, one arm wrapped around each of us, holding us together like he had been waiting his entire life to do exactly this.

“I told you,” Kyan whispered against me, his voice shaking. “I told you I’d find you.”

My throat tightened painfully.

“I know,” I managed, my own voice breaking. “I’m sorry… I didn’t believe you.”

He shook his head quickly, pulling back just enough to look at me, his eyes red but steady.

“I’m not mad,” he said. “I could never be mad at you. I just… I needed you to be okay.”

“I am,” I whispered. “I think I am.”

Our dad let out a shaky breath above us, pulling us both in tighter.

“Happy birthday, boys,” he said quietly, his voice thick with emotion. “I love you both so much.”

The words settled over me in a way I wasn’t ready for.

Before I could respond, footsteps approached again. Karen reentered the room, her composure mostly back in place, though her expression had softened.

“I just spoke with Judge Roberts,” she said, her tone professional but warmer than before. “I have some good news.”

Everyone’s attention shifted to her.

“He’s going to have the paperwork sent over to Greg’s office within the next couple of hours to finalize the case,” she continued. “Zachary Brody will officially be recognized as Zyan Montgomery.”

The words hit me harder than I expected.

My name.

My real name.

Greg nodded slightly, already shifting into that focused, work mode I had seen before. “We’ll get everything signed and returned first thing Monday morning.”

“Exactly,” Karen said. “Once that’s done, full custody will be restored.”

My dad’s arm tightened around me again.

“I can’t take him home yet?” he asked, the disappointment in his voice slipping through despite his effort to stay composed.

Karen shook her head gently. “You can take him home tonight if you want. There’s nothing stopping that. This is just the legal side catching up to what’s already been established.”

Relief flooded through him so visibly that I felt it.

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

Karen nodded before stepping closer, lowering herself slightly so she was more at eye level with me. Her expression softened completely now, all professionalism giving way to something more human.

“I’m so sorry,” she said gently. “For everything that’s happened to you. I wish I had been assigned to your case sooner.”

I didn’t know what to say.

“Your previous social worker didn’t handle things the way they should have,” she continued, her voice steady but edged with something firm. “That’s not an excuse. You deserved better than that.”

I swallowed hard, my fingers still loosely gripping my dad’s shirt.

“I’m going to make sure you get justice for what was done to you,” she added quietly. “That matters.”

I nodded slightly.

“Thank you,” I said softly.

She reached out and ruffled my hair gently, the gesture familiar in a way that made my chest tighten again, before standing back up.

“I’ll still be stopping by on Tuesday to check on Toby,” she said, glancing toward Greg and Natalie. “At my usual time.”

“Of course,” Natalie replied.

“Thank you,” Karen added, looking between them. “For everything you’ve done for him.”

Greg gave her a small, understanding smile. “We’ll walk you out.”

As they moved toward the door, I felt the room settle again, quieter now—but not empty.

Not anymore.

I didn’t have time to process everything Karen had said before the front door opened again, louder this time, followed by hurried footsteps echoing through the house.

“Zach!”

Toby’s voice hit me first, full of excitement and urgency, and I turned instinctively toward the sound just as he came running into the room. Geoff and Gavin followed close behind him, but Toby didn’t slow down—didn’t hesitate—until his eyes landed on us.

He stopped so suddenly that Gavin nearly ran into him.

For a moment, Toby didn’t move at all. His eyes shifted from me… to Kyan… and then back again, his small face tightening in confusion as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out right away.

“Why are there two Zach’s?” he finally asked, his voice quieter now, uncertain in a way I hadn’t heard before.

Gavin blinked, his gaze snapping between us as he tried to process it. “Wait… Zach has a twin?”

Greg stepped in gently, placing a hand on Toby’s shoulder. “Hey, buddy,” he said softly. “Why don’t we go into the kitchen for a minute? There’s a lot going on right now, and I’ll explain everything to you.”

Toby didn’t move. His eyes stayed locked on me like he was afraid I might disappear if he looked away.

“I don’t want to go,” he said, his voice trembling.

Greg crouched slightly, meeting his eyes. “I know,” he said gently. “But give me just a minute, okay? I promise I’ll tell you everything.”

After a moment, Toby gave a small, shaky nod, and Greg lifted him into his arms, guiding him toward the kitchen. Gavin lingered just long enough to glance back at me, offering a small, uncertain smile before following. Geoff gave one last look before turning as well.

The room quieted again, but it didn’t feel calm. It felt like something was holding its breath.

I shifted slightly where I sat, still tucked securely against my dad’s chest. Kyan was pressed close against his other side, our shoulders touching, both of us held firmly within our father’s arms. Being this close to him made everything feel sharper somehow. Up close, the differences were there—small things I wouldn’t have noticed from across the room. His hair caught the light a little differently, just a shade lighter than mine. The way he held himself felt more open, less guarded, like he had never needed to brace for something coming next.

I noticed it.

But I didn’t linger on it.

I didn’t want to.

Instead, I leaned slightly into both of them, grounding myself in the warmth and steadiness of their presence. Kyan shifted beside me, and after a moment, his hand found mine where it rested between us. His fingers curled around mine without hesitation, his grip firm and reassuring, like this was something he had been waiting to do.

“I’ve been waiting a lifetime for this, Zyan,” he said quietly, just for me.

My throat tightened, and I nodded slightly. “Me too.”

For a brief second, everything felt still.

Then it shattered.

“I don’t want him to go!”

Toby’s voice broke through the house, loud and desperate, and my chest tightened before I even saw him.

A second later, he came running back into the room, tears already streaming down his face. Greg called after him from somewhere behind, but Toby didn’t stop. He ran straight toward me and climbed into my lap without hesitation, wedging himself between me and our dad as his arms wrapped tightly around me.

“I don’t want you to go, Zach,” he sobbed, his voice breaking apart. “You’re my brother…”

The words hit hard enough to steal the air from my lungs.

My arms came up around him instantly, pulling him close, holding him tighter than I ever had before. I pressed my cheek against the top of his head as my own tears started falling again, my chest tightening painfully as I tried to steady him.

“I’m right here,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I’m right here, Toby. I’m not going anywhere right now. I promise.”

“I don’t want you to leave,” he cried again, gripping my shirt tighter, his small hands shaking against me.

“I know,” I said softly, even though it didn’t feel like enough. “I know…”

He clung to me like I was the only thing keeping him together, and I held him just as tightly, one hand rubbing his back slowly the way Natalie always did for me. His crying came in waves, each one shaking through his whole body, and I stayed with him through all of it, not letting go for even a second.

Behind him, I could feel my dad’s arm still wrapped around both of us, steady and protective, holding everything together as best as he could. Kyan stayed close at my side, his hand still holding mine, his grip tightening slightly every time Toby’s sobs hit harder.

Time blurred around us.

All that mattered was Toby.

His cries slowly weakened, breaking into smaller, uneven breaths. His grip loosened little by little, his body growing heavier against me as the exhaustion took over.

Eventually, he went still.

He had cried himself to sleep in my arms.

I didn’t move.

I just held him there, my arms still wrapped around him, like letting go too soon might somehow undo everything.

Natalie stepped in quietly after a moment, her voice soft and careful. “I’ve got him.”

I hesitated, my arms tightening slightly around Toby without meaning to.

Then I nodded.

Carefully, I let her take him from me. He stirred faintly but didn’t wake, his face still pressed against her shoulder as she held him close.

“I’ll lay him down for a bit,” she said gently.

“Okay,” I whispered.

As she carried him out of the room, the space he left behind felt too big.

Without thinking, I leaned back into my dad again, and Kyan stayed close at my side, his hand still holding onto mine as if neither of us was ready to let go.

Natalie returned a few minutes later, settling back into her chair with a quiet breath. “Sorry about that,” she said softly. “Toby and Zyan… they’ve gotten really close.”

“I understand,” our dad replied just as quietly. “That little guy seems like the kind of kid people don’t have a choice but to love.”

“You’re not wrong,” Greg said as he stepped back into the room, a faint smile on his face. “Give it a day. He’ll have you wrapped around his finger.”

“I believe it,” our dad said, a small smile touching his voice.

Geoff lingered near the doorway, his expression more thoughtful now as he looked toward Greg. “Are you sure you’re still okay with Gavin staying the week?” he asked quietly. “With everything going on now?”

Greg didn’t hesitate. “Now more than ever,” he said. “Toby’s going to need him.”

Geoff nodded slowly, accepting that.

A sharp knock at the door broke through the moment.

Greg glanced toward it, then back at us briefly before heading that way. “That’s probably them,” he said.

Everything in me tightened again.

“That’s probably your mother,” my father said quietly, though there was something unsteady beneath his words as he shifted and stood, still holding me securely in his arms. “She’s going to want to see you right away.”

My grip tightened instinctively in the front of his shirt, and he adjusted me without hesitation, like letting go wasn’t even an option. “It’s okay,” he added softly. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here.”

I nodded against him, even though my chest felt tight again. Kyan stayed close at his side, just beside us, his presence steady and grounding as his hand found mine again without needing to look. I held onto him just as tightly while Greg crossed the room and opened the front door.

“Greg?” a woman’s voice called out from the doorway, slightly breathless. “What’s going on? You said to get here as fast as I could—I almost—”

She stepped inside and stopped.

At first, her eyes landed on Greg, searching for answers, but something about the room must have felt wrong because her attention shifted past him, scanning more slowly now, more cautiously. Her gaze passed over Natalie, then moved further in—

Until it caught on my father.

She froze.

Not completely understanding yet, not fully seeing it, but something in her expression changed. Confusion came first, her brows pulling together slightly as she took another hesitant step forward, like getting closer would somehow make everything clearer. My father didn’t move. He just held me, one arm secure around my back, the other steady beneath me.

Her eyes dropped.

And landed on me.

The reaction didn’t come all at once. It built in pieces. Her lips parted, but instead of words, only small, broken sounds came out, like her voice couldn’t keep up with what she was seeing.

“Ah—… I—… th-that’s—”

She shook her head faintly, her breathing beginning to quicken as her gaze flicked upward again—

And then she saw Kyan standing beside us.

Everything stopped.

Her entire body seemed to lock in place as her eyes moved rapidly between us, trying to reconcile what she was seeing. One boy in my father’s arms. One standing beside him. Identical in a way that couldn’t be explained away.

“This…” she tried again, her voice fragile and uneven. “No… that’s… that’s not—”

“Mom?” Sarah’s voice came from behind her, confused and uncertain as she stepped into the house. At first, she barely looked at me, her attention more on the woman in front of her—but then she saw Kyan. Then me. Her expression shifted instantly, confusion giving way to stunned silence.

“What’s going on?” she asked, her voice tightening as her eyes moved between us.

Lauren—because that was still the only name I had for her—made another small, broken sound, her hand lifting slightly like she might reach out, but stopping halfway, like she didn’t know what she was reaching for.

“Lauren,” Natalie said gently, stepping forward and placing a steady hand on her arm. “Why don’t you sit down for a second?”

Lauren didn’t argue. She didn’t really respond at all. She let Natalie guide her to the couch, her steps slow and unsteady, like she wasn’t fully aware of them. Her eyes never left me—not once—as she lowered herself onto the cushion, her hands gripping the edge tightly.

My father glanced toward Greg, his voice low but edged with emotion. “You didn’t tell her?”

Greg shook his head slightly, calm but firm. “I didn’t think over the phone was the best idea.”

Lauren let out a shaky breath, her gaze still locked on me with something fragile and desperate behind it. “Is this real?” she whispered. “David… am I… am I dreaming again?”

“No,” Natalie said softly, her hand still resting on Lauren’s shoulder. “This is real.”

The word settled into the room, heavy and unavoidable.

Real.

My chest tightened as I looked at her—really looked at her. The shape of her face, the way her eyes searched mine like she was trying to find something she had lost a long time ago. Something inside me shifted, something deeper than thought or logic.

The word slipped out before I could stop it.

“Mommy?”

It was quiet. Fragile.

But it broke her completely.

Her breath caught sharply, her entire body jerking forward slightly as whatever had been holding her together finally gave way. “Oh my God,” she whispered as tears filled her eyes.

My dad stepped forward and lowered me carefully into her lap, but the second I was close enough, her arms wrapped around me tightly, pulling me into her chest like she was afraid I might disappear.

And just like that, she wasn’t Lauren anymore.

She was my mom.

“I can’t believe it,” she sobbed, her voice shaking as she held me. “I can’t believe you’re really here… I can’t believe I’m holding you…”

I clung to her just as tightly, my fingers gripping the back of her shirt as my own tears fell freely now. She smelled different—softer—but something about it felt right in a way I couldn’t explain.

“I missed you,” I whispered.

“I missed you too,” she said immediately, her voice breaking harder. “Every single day… every single day…”

My father’s hand rested gently on my back, steady and grounding, while Kyan stayed close at my side. His hand found mine again, holding on just as tightly.

For a few moments, nothing else existed.

Then Sarah spoke again, her voice quieter, more thoughtful as she stared between me and Kyan. “Wait… this is what Tracey was going on about.”

Kyan turned his head slightly. “What?”

“A couple months ago,” she said, stepping closer, “she kept telling me she saw you at the store she works at. She said you were with some woman, and the whole time she was calling you ‘Zach.’ I told her she was wrong.”

She let out a small breath. “Guess she wasn’t.”

Kyan glanced at me briefly before looking back at her. “Maybe you should start listening to your friends.”

Sarah gave a small, nervous laugh. “Yeah… maybe I should have.”

The room grew quiet again, heavier now. My mom’s arms were still wrapped tightly around me, her breathing uneven as she tried to steady herself, and I didn’t pull away. I didn’t want to.

Then a sharp knock echoed through the house, cutting cleanly through the fragile calm that had just started to form. My mom flinched slightly as she held onto me, her grip tightening without thinking, and I felt my own chest tense in response.

Across the room, Greg turned his head toward the front door.