A Father’s Last Request: The Day a Courtroom Learned to Hope Again

The First and Only Touch

The side door opened, and a young woman stepped in. She was pale but composed, a newborn swaddled close to her chest. The deputies hesitated, but the judge motioned them forward. The handcuffs clicked open. The man’s wrists were marked but gentle as he reached out for the child.

The baby fit in his arms as if they’d always been meant to meet there. “I’m sorry,” the father whispered, his tears falling freely now. “Forgive me for not being there.”

The room held its breath. The judge leaned forward. Then, so suddenly it felt like the world tilted, the baby’s tiny body went still.

The mother gasped. A deputy moved toward them. But the father didn’t panic. His hands, once rough from labor and mistakes, turned steady and sure.

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