Amy Gellar Troy Chapter 11: We Might As Well Be Strangers, a nip/tuck fanfic

Authors Note: You will need Keane's album, Hopes and Fears for this chapter to really get the full impact of the scene. If you don't have it, that's all right. If you've heard it before, I'm sure you know how the song goes. If it helps, it was in the movie, "Raise Your Voice" in Scene 16. You could hear it there as well, if you don't have the album or even download it online.

Amy laid on her bed, staring up at the ceiling as the sounds of Keane's song, "We Might As Well Be Strangers" drifted out of her stereo speakers. Her heart ached with an isolation she hadn't felt in years, not since her parents got divorced. The feeling felt much like someone was gripping her heart in their bare hands and squeezing the life out of it. The same way it would feel if someone had her by the throat and were cutting off her oxygen. She couldn't believe she was losing her father...again. The pain was twice as worse as it was when her adoptive father left her. She felt disorriented, not being able to comprehend why this was happening. Everything was out of her control. She felt like a tiny child being punished for something they were not responsible for. Their parents having put the blame on them and forced them to stay in their room until they said otherwise.

Her lip trembled with emotion. The tears welled up in her eyes and began rolling down her cheeks. The melancholy lyrics of Keane's track gripped her heart with more anguish than she had began feeling.

I don't know your face no more

Or feel the touch that I adore

I don't know your face no more

It's just the place I'm looking for

We might as well be strangers in another town

We might as well be living in a different world

We might as well

Her heart constricted in her chest, realizing how fitting the lyrics were to her current situation. She sobbed softly, grabbing the fluffy brown teddy bear beside her and hugging it to her chest. For the past fourty five minutes, she had laid there, trying mercilessly to figure out exactly what went wrong. How could this Christian Troy have been named her father? He surely didn't show the same care or tenderness the way a father should. Maybe he had been that way in the past but grew out of it.

She knew that showing up had been a mistake, but she definitely couldn't go on living the life she was living now. This man had seemed so promising. She had had high hopes about him, and for what? Only for him to disregard her the way he would a piece of trash on the side of a highway? That's exactly what she felt like. The flippant and arrogant way in which he spoke to her made her wish she had never set foot in that office to begin with. She felt uncomfortable the moment she stepped inside, and had tried so hard to put on a brave face when he was speaking to her. Her irritation had replaced her emotions, but it took a great amount of courage to get through it without losing her mind.

I don't know your thoughts these days

We're strangers in an empty space

I don't understand your heart

It's easier to be apart

We might as well be strangers in another town

We might as well be strangers in another time

We might as well

The tears streamed down her cheeks as her body shook with emotion. She hated this man for making her feel this much torment, so much pain that a person could take their own life. There was no way she was going to let that happen. Not because of someone she barely knew anything about. "If this guy seems like a major asshole, don't even bother with him. You don't deserve to be feeling like shit all because of some prick who you barely know." Her friend's words echoed back at her in her head. She was right. She had dealt with it once in her life and she was not about to re-live that pain again.

We might as well be strangers

Be strangers

Burying her face in her pillow, she sobbed loudly. She held the teddy bear closer, praying to a higher power to guide her in the right direction. She knew that going in for that DNA test would not be a total waste of time. There could possibly be a chance that the investigator made a mistake. Maybe she had never been his daughter. It was rare, but it was a possibility. She couldn't believe how screwed up her life was. She never wanted this. After she graduated high school, she had planned on going to college, not so sure about getting a degree, but it was better than staying at home all day with her mom and Chris. Recently, she had decided on obtaining a degree in music only to be hit with this. It all felt like a dream. A dream that she wished she could awaken from and get back to her life. She constantly asked herself why she had gone to that investigator in the first place.

For all I know of you now

For all I know

There was a loud knock at her door, her mother's voice following. "Amy! Honey, what's wrong?"

"Go away!" She cried.

The room was quiet as the song ended and the next track came on. She turned her back towards the door and stared out the sliding glass window next to her bed. The sun had already set and dipped into the sea. Darkness was gradually beginning to set in. An orange glow radiated over her meek form. She sniffled, a woeful sigh escaping her. If only she had a boyfriend or had been born into a family with an older brother. She longed for them to hold her and tell her everything would be all right. It was times like these that she wished she had that comforting shoulder to cry on.

Reaching over onto her nightstand, she snatched a tissue from the square kleenex box and wiped the tears from her eyes. She inhaled sharply when her celluar started ringing, playing the tune of Simple Plan's song, "Welcome To My Life." She took hold of the remote for her stereo and lowered the sound. Grabbing her celluar off the nightstand, she checked the caller ID. She swallowed the lump in her throat when she saw the number. It was familiar, but there was no name. She had only two guesses to who it could be. Either it was her adoptive father calling to nag her about letting him back into her life, or...her biological father. Recalling the events of the day, she'd assume it was the latter.

She wasn't exactly in the mood to talk to anyone, especially if it was him, but she didn't really have a choice. Sniffling deeply, she pressed the button to take the call and held the phone to her ear. "What?"

"It's Christian Troy, sweetheart. Do you always answer the phone in that bitter tone?"

Her eyes narrowed at the voice, her heart constricting in her chest at his choice of words. She was tempted to call him an "asshole" but she feared that would only make matters worse. She shifted on the bed, turning her body back towards the window, watching the waves crash against the shore of the beach in the distance. "What do you want?"

"What do I want? Now is that any way to speak to the man who could possibly be your father? For one thing, I never asked you to walk into my office today claiming to be my daughter. Fortunately after tomorrow, the two of us can put this melodrama behind us and forget it ever happened."

Her lip quivered with on coming tears, but she held them at bay. "I had a birth certificate! Ok? I had proof! Why are you acting this way to me? You don't even know me, and yes, I don't know you, but the least you could do is try being nice to me. That's all I ask."

There was a moment of silence from Christian's end, and for a split second, she actually thought he was going to apologize to her. It didn't happen. His voice continued on in the same impudent tone as before. "I don't think we need to discuss this any further. The only reason I called was to inform you of one thing and one thing only. The DNA test is scheduled for tomorrow at noon. I will be waiting in front of the ER at a quarter to twelve. Try not to be late."

A tear escaped the corner of her eye and rolled down her cheek, her jaw dropping at the word "noon." "Wait! Why noon? Why can't you make it later on in the day?"

"I told you. I'm a plastic surgeon sweetheart, and whether you like it or not, I have business to attend to. I'm not about to waste anymore of my time on something that for all I know could be...a lost cause."

Her brows furrowed inquisitively at his last words. They almost seemed heartfelt. Almost.

He continued when she didn't say anything, that same smug tone returning. "What's wrong sweetheart? Is noon too early for you to wake up on a Saturday?"

She sighed wearily, shifting on the bed to lie flat on her back and stare up at the ceiling. "So what if it is? I'm fully entitled to sleep-in on a Saturday."

"I'm not changing the appointment. It's noon. You either take it or leave it," he paused to take a breath, "but if you plan on changing your mind, you better let me know. Frankly I won't be surprised in the least bit if you do. The truth will come out eventually and when it does, I'm sure you'll think twice about pulling another stunt like this again."

His words felt like a stab to the heart. She felt as though someone had knocked the wind out of her entirely. The tears streamed down her cheeks as she hugged her teddy bear tighter to her chest. She buried her face in the furry object, trying mercifully to prevent him from hearing her. Sniffling into the object, she cleared her throat and spoke into the phone. "Fine, I'll be there."

"On time. I'm not waiting more than five minutes after. If you get here any later than that, I'll already be gone."

"Fine!" She cried, the tears welling up in her eyes as she did so.

"I suppose I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, and just a bit of advice. The next time you answer the phone, it wouldn't kill you to be a little courteous. In the modern day, we answer with a simple 'hello' rather than a bitter 'what?' Just a helpful bit of wisdom on my part."

Her emotions vanished leaving her with irritation. "Whatever, bye." Before the man could bid her his own good-bye, she hung up and tossed her celluar back on the nightstand. She covered her face with her hands, snarling audibly. She fisted clumps of her hair, tugging at it in frustration. There was so much fury inside of her, she wanted to scream. She wanted to hit something...or someone. Why was this man having this effect on her? Why did he have to be such an arrogant prick? Suddenly, that offer from Courtney kicking his nuts in didn't sound half bad. She'd do it herself if she had the courage to actually take the man on.

Pushing herself up to a seated position, she leaned her back against the wood headboard. She shut her eyes, willing herself to take a few calming deep breaths. Suddenly, going in for this DNA test was the last thing she wanted to do. Of course, things could be worse. He could have been threatening and loud-mouthed like her adoptive father. It was impossible for her to believe that there was any good in Christian Troy. However, deep down inside she had a feeling she could be wrong about him. Maybe there was still hope. She questioned that long pause on his end of the phone. What was that all about? Did he start to actually show some sort of emotion. It might be a longshot on her part, but she could have sworn she saw a slight bit of emotion on his face earlier today when she came into his office.

She moved away from the wall and curled up on her bed, a woeful sigh escaping her as the soft and soothing music continued to drift out of her stereo. There was no telling exactly what would happen at the hospital tomorrow. All she could do was believe that a higher power would take care of everything. She wished that for once... God would make things better in her life, not worse. She contemplated the thought as she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.