The Touch Volume 1
"The Void"
By: Myke D
Part 2: Connections
Chapter 10: Celebrations
It was the following Friday, and I was finally able to go home with my family. Natalie and Greg had loaded me and Toby up in the car and told us to occupy the travel time with our phones. Toby watched the latest Avenger's movie, while I spent the time watching the scenery pass by. The past week had been spent with my family dropping by almost every day just to visit with me. The only times they didn't visit were the days that Greg and Natalie took me to Lakeland instead. Toby began to get along well with the idea of me finding my family, and I was right that it helped him cement the idea in his head once he learned that Greg and Natalie were adopting him.
Kyan and I talked on the phone every night before we went to bed, and it got to the point that Natalie even took my phone away from me for an hour one evening so we could have dinner.
"Geoff is going to find it hysterical that we actually had to pry the phone out of your hand, Zyan." My foster dad teased me with a bright laugh. "You've come a long way in the past six months."
I toned down my usage of the phone after that to keep Natalie and Greg from getting angry with me. I had already put them through more than they deserved, and I didn't feel like I could ever make it up to them. They had treated me like I was their own son. We had only been on the road about twenty minutes when Greg's cellphone began to ring.
"Hello?" Greg answered the call by hitting a button on the steering wheel.
"Hey, Greg. It's Lauren." I smiled at the sound of my mother's voice.
"Hey, Lauren." Greg greeted my mother. "We are about halfway there..."
"That's not why I'm calling actually," she interrupted him with a chuckle. "I was wondering if you could stop by the store and grab a couple packs of bottled water? My caterer apparently forgot things like beverages."
Natalie and Greg both laughed as I tried to figure out why my parents would need a caterer.
"It's not a problem at all, Lauren." Natalie said as she took over the call for Greg. He turned his attention to finding a grocery store. "Is there anything else we need to get?"
There was a slight pause as I heard someone trying to talk in the background before my mother groaned and chuckled.
"Kyan says that as long as you bring Toby and Zyan, nothing else matters."
Natalie smiled back at me.
"Well, we've got Toby at least." Greg said. "I don't know who this other kid is we picked up, but he says he belongs to you."
"Hey!" I whined.
Greg and my mother laughed.
"It's a good thing I like you, Greg." My mother teased the man. "I know plenty of places to hide the body."
"There's a store," Natalie said as she pointed out the window. "Are you sure that water is all you need, Lauren?"
"Yes, dear." My mother replied. "I'll have David pay you guys back when you get here."
"That won't be necessary, Lauren." Natalie said with a smile. "We'll see you in a little bit."
"Everybody is starting to show up, so don't take too long."
"We won't," Greg assured her.
"I love you, mom." I said suddenly. I don't know why I said it, but I heard my mom sigh happily for a moment.
"I love you too, Zyan." She replied before the call ended.
Natalie turned around and squeezed my knee gently.
"You really have changed, so much, Zyan." My foster mom complimented me. "I'm very proud of how you've been handling everything."
I blushed at Natalie's compliment and smiled.
"Thanks, Natalie."
After we stopped at the store, it was only a ten-minute ride to my mom and dad's house. Natalie spent the time telling me about a few houses her and Greg had found in the area already in order to help me keep my nerves from getting the best of me. My parents had mentioned that they were going to have a few people over for a small party, but that still didn't tell me why they needed a caterer.
"We're here, Zyan." Greg said as he turned into the driveway. He stopped at the gate and waited as the guard came outside of a small brick building next to the gate to greet us.
"Good morning," the guard said with a smile on his face. He had on a black polo shirt with black slacks. It wasn't the same older man that had been positioned here on our prior visits.
"Hi," Greg returned the greeting. "We're Greg and Natalie Harris."
The guard checked the clipboard that he had in his hand before he smiled at us.
"Aww, yes." He said. "There you are. Mr. Montgomery instructed me to have you park in front of the garage. He cleared a spot for you."
"Thank you, sir." Greg said before the guard opened the gate to let us through.
I glanced out the windshield and gasped when I saw that the driveway was lined with cars leading up to the three-story house. The cement driveway had small pine trees on either side of it that looked like they would be beautiful with lights on them any time of year. The driveway circled around a gazebo that was covered in vines so thick that you couldn't even see through them, before it finally led to the garage at the side of the house. Kyan was standing there with a wide smile on his face as he bounced on his feet waiting for Greg to park the car.
My ears were assaulted with loud music coming from the backyard the moment I opened my car door. Natalie glanced back at me in time to see me wince. My reaction didn't phase Kyan as he reached into the car and grabbed my arm. He pulled me out of my seat and hugged me tightly.
"I'm so glad you're here, finally!" Kyan said.
"Me, too." I sighed.
Kyan pulled me around towards the back of the car as Greg popped the trunk. My brother immediately started loading his arms up with my bags of belongings while Greg grabbed the cases of water. Toby and I grabbed whatever Kyan didn't before Natalie closed the trunk and followed along behind us towards the side door. I forced myself to ignore the loud music and focused on the fact that I was finally home.
My dad held the door open for us, and he was quick to relieve Greg of one of the cases of water once we were all inside.
"We can put these in the kitchen, Greg." My father said with a smile. "Follow me."
The room we were in had a washer and dryer off to one side with a rack above them that was filled with different types of laundry supplies. My dad pushed open the next door and we were all in the kitchen. I froze in my spot at the sight of all of the people crowding the room and Natalie bumped into me from behind.
"Are you okay, Zyan?" Natalie asked me quietly.
"T... T... Th..."
Natalie didn't let me finish before she hugged me tightly. I glanced towards the door to see that we were alone in the laundry room.
"It'll be okay, Zyan." Natalie reassured me as she rubbed my back. "Just remember to breathe. Okay?"
The door opened a moment later and my father entered the room with a worried expression on his face.
"Is everything alright?" He asked softly. "Greg said you were right behind him..."
"He just needs to take a few breaths, David." Natalie told my father with a brief smile. "I don't think he was expecting there to be this many people here."
"Oh," my father said as his eyes widened suddenly. "I didn't even think..."
"I'll be fine," I interrupted her as I forced myself to smile. "I just..."
My father hugged me and kissed my cheek as he picked me up into his arms.
"I'll do whatever it takes to make you feel comfortable, baby boy." My father told me.
"Don't let go," I whispered.
Natalie and my dad both laughed at my comment.
"Just leave his stuff here," my dad said. "I'll send Kyan to take it upstairs."
I laid my head against my father's shoulder and sighed deeply as he carried me from the laundry room with Natalie beside us. The kitchen was noisy with conversation, but it all dropped off the moment my father entered the room with me in his arms. My father chuckled lightly. I held on to him tightly as I felt everybody's attention turn to my dad. I turned my head slightly and saw my mother leaning up against the counter talking a dark-haired woman beside her. My mother smiled when she saw me, and quickly came over to where my father was standing with me.
"I believe the guest of honor has finally arrived," my mother said before she kissed my cheek. I blushed as I heard several people laugh quietly. "The buffet has been finished if everybody would be willing to go outside... We'll make introductions during dinner."
My dad kissed the top of my head as my mother herded everyone out the backdoor. When it was just the three of us still inside, my mother turned towards my father and held her hands out. I quickly leaned into her and let her hold me for a moment.
"I could get used to this," my mother said softly as she breathed in deeply. "You smell like strawberries, baby boy."
"You smell like flowers," I said softly as I nuzzled into her neck. I sniffled slightly as a few tears fell down my cheeks, but I didn't lose the delicate grip that I had on my emotions.
"I'm happy too, baby boy." My mother sighed.
"Let's go ahead and get the introductions out of the way, Lauren." My father suggested. "That way we can spend some time with our son."
"I agree," my mother said lightly. "Zyan, in a few minutes, your father and I are going to introduce you to everyone." I felt myself freeze up. "I know it seems scary, baby, but you don't have to worry about anything. Your father and I will do all of the talking. All you have to do is be your beautiful self. Okay?"
I nodded hesitantly before my mother kissed my cheek and handed me back to my dad.
"Just breathe, Zyan." My father said as I nuzzled into his neck and held onto him tightly.
"I'll try," I stammered as I felt him start to walk towards the backdoor.
My mother didn't open the door until the music stopped for a moment, and when she did, the backyard fell silent. My mother held the door as my father stepped through and started walking towards a stage that had been set up on the other side of the yard. There was a small area in front of the stage that was being used for a dance floor with tables surrounding it. I glanced to my left to see five long tables filled with food on the patio. My father chuckled as the sound of my stomach growling reached his ears.
"We'll be quick, buddy." He reassured me. "I promise."
I began to tremble slightly when I felt my father begin to climb the steps of the stage where a band had been playing just a moment before.
"Ladies and gentlemen," I heard a deep voice echo across the yard. "Lauren and David Montgomery."
Several people cheered loudly, and I cringed as my father patted my back.
"Thank you," I heard him say over my shoulder. "Good afternoon, everyone. As you can tell, Lauren and I received some very good news lately. News that we've been waiting for a decade to hear. Last week, I was bugging my lawyer to go over some finer points of my contract with me on his day off. After some begging on my part, Mr. Harris finally agreed to meet me at his office as long as he could bring his foster son along with him. I of course agreed, and even said I would bring my own son along that way they could hopefully become friends with each other." There was some chuckling from the audience, but I refused to look up. "Needless to say, Kyan and I got the shock of our lives when we walked into Greg's office and found Zyan there." There was some low murmuring at my father's statement. "Ladies and gentlemen, after ten years, it's my pleasure to reintroduce my son Zyan Montgomery to all of you."
My father rubbed my back and I felt him step back from the microphone as everyone began to cheer again. I winced at the piercing sound before my father convinced me to look up at him. His green eyes were filled with tears, and I glanced over to see that my mother was crying, too. Without even thinking about it, I turned to see that the yard was full of people, and all of them were focused on me. I blushed deeply and buried my face in my dad's neck again. My father chuckled lightly as he stepped back up towards the microphone.
"He's definitely the shy one of our bunch," my dad said causing several people to laugh. "Zyan has been living with my lawyer as his foster son for a little over six months, and we could have had him back in our lives sooner if I would have just shown my lawyer a picture of Kyan." After another round of laughter my father held up his hand to silence everyone for a moment. "Ten years is a very long time for a family to be broken apart like ours has been, and we honestly owe every single one of you a debt of gratitude for helping us through our darkest years. So, join us as we celebrate this momentous occasion."
"I love you, daddy." I whispered as everyone started applauding again.
"I love you too, Zyan." MY father said with a sniffle as he held me tighter. I heard his voice over the speakers, but it didn't bother me to hear people respond to his comment with noises of adoration. My father chuckled. "I'm never going to get enough of this."
There were a few laughs as my father stepped aside and the band leader stepped back up to the microphone.
The music took on a softer tone as we stepped off of the stage, and my father carried me back towards the tables. We were stopped multiple times by people congratulating my mother and father, but I refused to look up at any of them. All I could do was hope for it to end quickly before I lost my control over my emotions. My stomach growled again, and my father effectively ended the current conversation he was having with a state senator so he could get me something to eat.
"Don't let the boy starve, David!" The senator chuckled as he pushed my father away. "He's all skin and bones as it is."
My father chuckled and patted my back.
"Thanks for being understanding, Tom."
I took a quick glance to see that most of the observers had returned to their own conversations, which helped me relax a little. I hated being the center of attention.
"You're doing very well," my father praised me after his publicist had stopped us near the buffet tables to try and discuss the release date for my dad's next book. The man seemed upset when my dad reminded the man that the day wasn't about business, but he left us alone.
"I'm barely hanging on," I told him softly. "There's a lot of people."
"Would you rather eat inside?" My mother asked from beside us as she squeezed my ankle. "I can fix you a plate, baby boy."
"I'll be okay," I sighed.
"Are you sure, buddy?" My dad asked in concern. "I don't want you to push yourself just for us."
I nodded and stared at the different foods as we approached the tables that were loaded with different types of foods.
"We're going to have leftovers for a year," my mother said with a laugh as she grabbed two plates.
"I'm going to have to put you down for a minute, Zyan." MY dad teased me as he poked me in my side.
"Okay," I said regretfully as he placed me back on the ground.
My mother and father led me towards the head table once we had our food and motioned for me to sit between them. I glanced up to see that Kyan, Sarah, and Toby were sitting across from us with Natalie and Greg. I picked at the food my parents had chosen for me as I listened to the conversations going on around us. Apparently, my aunt and uncle were sitting to my father's other side, and were distracting him with news about a new movie that the man was going to star in. Natalie was chatting with my mother about the schools in the area, while Toby told Greg all about a dog that was in the house in one of the rooms.
"It's Aunt Abby's Jack Russel, Zyan." Kyan told me with a grin when he saw me listening to Toby curiously. "He's super obnoxious."
I nodded and thought about what it would be like to have my own dog. Even if it couldn't be a dog, I just wanted my own pet. Once again, Kyan seemed to pick up on where my thoughts had drifted.
"They've discussed it," Kyan said with a smile. "There were more important things to worry about at the time."
"That's actually something that I needed to talk to the both of you about," Natalie said as she addressed my parents with a brief smile. "Do you remember what I told you about the program?"
"Does it really help?" My mother asked curiously.
They were being completely vague, and I narrowed my eyes. My father ruffled my hair with a chuckle.
"Relax, Zyan." He said. "It's nothing bad, we're just keeping the conversation a little more private due to the surroundings."
"It does help, Lauren." Natalie reassured my mother. "I can schedule a meeting for the three of you for Monday so you can check it out, if you want..."
My mother glanced down at me and smiled before she nodded to Natalie.
"I'll do whatever it takes to help him get better," my mother stated firmly.
"What are you talking about?" I asked nervously.
My mother leaned over and kissed my cheek.
"We're discussing getting you a dog, Zyan." She whispered in my ear. "Just don't get too excited, baby. This puppy is going to have a purpose to serve."
"What purpose?"
"To help you calm down whenever you're experiencing a panic attack," my mother said softly before she kissed my cheek again.
"Oh," I said sadly, wishing I hadn't even brought the subject up.
"This is a good thing, Zyan." I heard Natalie say. "Trust us."
I nodded meekly and stared at my plate sadly. I had lost my appetite as my spirits dropped considerably. I felt my hands beginning to tremble as tear slipped down my cheek. All I knew, was that all of this was because I was broken. The familiar lump formed in my throat as my entire body began to tremble.
No, no, no, I thought bitterly as I realized that I wasn't going to be able to keep control any longer. You're so fucking worthless, Zac... Jesus, you can't even get your own fucking name right. You're worthless... Everybody has to give up everything just to help you. You'll never deserve to be loved...
I was suddenly surrounded by the smell of my mother's perfume as I felt the world tilt sideways on me...
You're such a fucking disappointment, I scolded myself as the darkness took hold on me again.
The old man was in my vision this time, and he smiled at me.
"It's a lot to get used to, young one." He said with a brief smile. "You have many people that care for you, and it's overwhelming your senses with everything else that's going on."
I nodded meekly at the man.
"You just have to remember to breathe, Zyan." The man's lips moved, but the voice was different. He sounded more like my father than he did the other night when Kyan had been in the dream with me. "Relax and breathe. It's the only way. Open your eyes, buddy."
I groaned as I felt the darkness lift, and my eyes fluttered open to find myself in the kitchen of my parent's house. My dad had me in his arms as he rubbed my chest and my mother was sitting beside us with tears in her eyes.
"I think he's coming around," my father said with a nervous smile.
My mother quickly slipped her arms around me and pulled me into her arms. She cried quietly as she held me.
"I was so scared," my mother said with a sniffle. "One moment you were staring down at your plate, and the next thing I knew, you were falling into me completely unconscious."
"I'm sorry, mommy." I whispered.
"Oh, baby boy. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for," she reassured me. She giggled lightly then. "Now, what brought this on, beautiful?"
I frowned and buried my face in her chest as more tears started to fall down my cheeks.
"He thinks he's worthless," I heard Kyan say from behind me. There was anger in his voice as he nearly spat out the words. "He thinks he's a disappointment..."
My mother held me tighter as she gasped.
"I would never consider you to be worthless or a disappointment, Zyan." My mother cried as she tried to reassure me by rubbing my back. "Nobody thinks that about you."
"The monster did," I whispered without even thinking about it.
My mother leaned back and looked at me in confusion.
"Monster?"
I nodded sadly and sniffled. I cringed when I felt the back of my shirt being lifted.
"Lauren..." My father gasped softly.
My mother pulled me towards her and glanced over my shoulder. I tried to pull my shirt down before she saw it, but my father grabbed my hand.
"Oh, shit." Kyan muttered from somewhere behind me.
"Come on, Kyan." I heard Greg say. "Why don't we step outside for a minute?"
"But..."
"Later, Kyan." Greg said firmly.
A moment later, I heard the backdoor open and close again. My father pulled me into his arms.
"Let me take off your shirt for a minute, buddy." He said calmly. There was a hint of fury in his tone, but I could tell that it wasn't directed at me. I froze as he grabbed the hem of my shirt. "Natalie?"
"Relax, Zyan." Natalie said as she crouched down beside us. "They're not going to judge you."
My mom reached forward and brushed a tear from my cheek as I sniffled.
"How could anybody ever do this to you?" She asked sadly.
My dad pulled my shirt over my head and my mother gasped. Her hand was trembling as she reached out to touch the scars on my chest and stomach. My dad touched the scars that ran across my back. Then, my parents hugged me tightly between them.
"We'll never let anybody hurt you again, Zyan." My father whispered softly. "We swear to it."
"Don't ever be ashamed of your scars, baby boy." My mother said. "They prove that you're a survivor."
I nodded slightly as they both continued to hug me tightly. My dad slipped my shirt back onto my body when they finally separated.
"So," my mother said as she turned her attention to Natalie for a moment. "Is this what the therapy dog will help with?"
"Hopefully," Natalie said with a brief smile.
I frowned again. My mother immediately hugged me tightly.
"I'm broken..." I whispered.
"We love you anyways, Zyan." My father assured me. "It just makes you even more special than what you already are."
Once I had managed to get my emotions under control again, my father asked me if I was still hungry. MY stomach growled in response and the three adults with me laughed. My father scooped me up into his arms again as my mother and Natalie headed for the backdoor.
"How does Kyan know what I'm thinking?" I asked my father as quietly as I could.
My father chuckled and kissed my cheek soundly.
"I promise that once you are ready, I will explain everything to you..."
I looked at him curiously for a moment before I let the subject drop.
"Okay, daddy." I whispered as I nuzzled into his arms. "Just don't put me down..."
"I'll never put you down again if I have any say in the matter, baby boy."
*********Thanks again for reading "The Touch". If you wish to be notified of this or any of my other stories, please feel free to email me and let me know. – storymyke@outlook.com
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