Christian glanced at his watch for what seemed like the hundreth time since he and Amy had sat down in the lobby of Dade County. Recalling back to the last fourty five minutes, he was astounded by this young woman's fear of hospitals and all things in accordance with them. She could have fooled him after yesterday when she was so willing to get plastic surgery. It was slightly amusing but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel compassionate towards her. If there was any possibility that she WAS his daughter, he made a commitment to himself that he'd always be here for her, no matter what.

At the moment, he had mixed feelings about Amy. The courteous act he had performed for her moments ago had been of his own free will. He hadn't done it to be smug. Far from it actually. He saw the despair that filled her eyes when she saw those needles, and something inside of him had instinctively took over. Maybe it was his paternal instincts. This was a side of himself he rarely showed to anyone, except of course Sean's kids, Annie and Matt, and of course the one child he had loved most...Wilbur. He didn't know if he'd ever get another chance to become a father. It was a long time coming. Or maybe...just an hour away. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, his heart beginning to pound in his chest.

"So, are you as much of a playboy as I think you are?"

He turned his head to look at Amy, his forehead furrowing in thought as he noticed the manner in which she was sitting. Her right leg was crossed over her left, and her arms were crossed comfortably over her chest. For a moment, he couldn't tell if she was mimicking his own form or if that was truly the way she always sat. Shrugging it off as nothing, he cocked a brow her way. A smug smile crept across his face. "Wouldn't you like to know."

She rolled her eyes at his words. "Well, if you really ARE my dad...pretend I never asked you that."

Now that he thought about it, some of the things that they had said to each other were far from the way a father and daughter would converse. His stomach turned as he recalled his first impression of her. If he found out he was her father, he would never forgive himself for the indecent thoughts he had about her. "Consider it done."

She scoffed as she shifted in her seat, her gaze shifting back to him. "Are you always this talkative?"

The question didn't phase him in the least bit. There was a perfectly good reason why he wasn't so talkative with her. He was never really a talkative person to begin with, no matter who he was conversing with. The only exception to that rule was Sean. "Well, that all depends on who I'm talking to. I haven't exactly known you long enough to carry on hours of long and heated conversations. No hard feelings, sweetheart. Besides, there's only one reason why I'm here today. I think I made that perfectly clear earlier."

With another roll of her eyes, she turned her body away from him and focused her gaze on something else in the extensive hospital lobby. "Whatever."

He was partially tempted to talk to her. There was so much he had to learn about this young girl if she was ever to become his daughter. He was tempted to find out more about her life and where she had come from, besides Danielle Fuller. What were her interests? What did she do for a living? What interesting things, if any, had happened in her past? Did she have any talents? Finding the answers to these questions would be great, but if there was the slightest chance that she was nothing but a fraud, all of this would be a waste of his precious time.

The growing silence was more than a little nerve-wracking. Now that he thought about it, he didn't exactly have to dig as deep as he was tempted to. He could simply make casual conversation, no harm done. If one of them didn't say something soon, he was going to crack. A weary sigh escaped him, "so, you still in high school?"

She turned her head and cocked an inquisitive brow his way. "College actually. I finished high school about three years ago."

He nodded his head. "So you're a college girl. I assume you're majoring in something you can make more than a measly minimum wage in?"

She scoffed and shifted in her seat to face forward. "Definitely. In fact, I'm majoring in music. If I ever become famous, you can be damn sure that I'll probably be making millions of dollars. Probably more than you."

He snickered at her last remark, hardly believing that would happen. Then again, he had yet to see this girl's musical abilities. He might not openly admit it, but if he got to know her long enough, that was something he was intrigued to see. "Well, good luck with that. Call me crazy, but I hardly doubt that'll happen anytime soon. Do you know how much money plastic surgeons make in a year? We're talking about more than a pretty penny. At the very least, two hundred thousand dollars. Now I'm sure that's twice as much than you'd get doing...whatever it is that you can do."

She rolled her eyes dramatically and pursed her lips. "Yeah, ok. Whatever you say."

His eyes narrowed in thought as he studied her face. "What exactly is it that you do that obligates you to make assumptions it will take you far? Play the flute?"

This time it was her eyes that narrowed, but in vexation not thought. "For your information, not that you would care, I sing. I'm a damn good singer actually and everyone says I have an amazing voice. So you never know, I could be famous. Oh, and if I do, please remind me to look elsewhere if I want to get breast implants or a nose job."

So she could sing. He was a bit surprised by this new information. From her radiant beauty, he wouldn't doubt that she had an incredible singing voice. Now he was even more intent on hearing it. Yet again, the thought of her having plastic surgery amused him, but if she was ever to undergo any type of procedure, he highly doubted she'd come to him. He plastered a smug smile on his face. "You couldn't afford my services anyway, sweetheart. Besides, I wouldn't want to be held responsible for a lawsuit if I were to screw up your procedure."

"Good, because I don't trust you anyway."

His brows furrowed at those words. They almost stung in a way. The same way they would if his own daughter said them to him, which, if this test proved positive, she could end up being. He wasn't a person who took any shit from anyone. It was rare that he didn't have a snappy comeback when someone offended him, but this situation was different. Instead of getting confrontational, he simply kept his cool and turned his head away to focus on something else in the room. Anything else.

His gaze fixated on a tall, robust, middle-aged man with light brown hair and brown eyes. A petite young girl with similar features stood before him. She couldn't have been more than seventeen. There was no mistaking that the two were obviously father and daughter. His heart constricted in his chest, noticing the tender exchange between the two. In the next second, the light brown haired man took the girl in his arms in a loving embrace. For a moment, he could almost envison him holding Amy in that way. He pursed his lips to keep his rising emotions at bay. It mystified him that he could turn soft by something as little as this, but deep within his heart, he knew that something big was about to happen. Something that would change his life forever.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

Was she talking to him? Did she actually feel sorry for what she had said? Or was she putting on an act? He shifted his gaze away from the father and daughter pair, and put his focus on a painting across the room. The painting was of the New York skyline. He wondered exactly what would prompt someone to put a painting of New York in the city of Miami. Sighing deeply, he uncrossed his legs and rested his arms on those of the chair he was seated in. He took his gaze off of the painting and met her intent and seemingly guilty gaze. "Are you apologizing hoping to score a free tit job in the future, or because you honestly feel sorry for me?"

Amy narrowed her eyes at him, bringing herself an inch closer as if attempting to interogate him. Good luck. "I meant what I said before about going to someone else, but I thought I'd apologize for saying I didn't trust you." Her tone softened, "after what you did back there, taking a needle before me and holding my hand, I can safely say, I trust you more than most people."

He swallowed the lump in his throat, part of his conscious healing from her last words, but it would take a lot more if she expected him to fully let his guard down. "Well don't be expecting a second act. If you knew me well enough by now, you'd come to the realization that my curteousy is a rarity. It's not particularly a side of myself that I happen to show to those whom I know very little about. Unfortunetly, you still seem to fall into that category."

She practically laughed at his remark. "Well color me surprised," she retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "If you knew ME well enough by now, you'd come to the realization that my bitchy and opinionated mouth rarely shuts up. So forgive me if I'm not all sugar and spice around you. That's just who I am." She faced forward once again, her left leg bouncing up and down with her growing impatience.

Christian crossed his arms firmly over his chest. "Oh believe me, I've figured that one out on my own. You certainly aren't afraid to speak whatever is on your mind. How does a man deal with a torch such as yourself?"

She fell silent at his words, her gaze falling to her lap in disappointment. "If you're asking if I have a boyfriend, would it come as a surprise to you that I don't even have one?"

"As a matter of fact, it does. I would think that a pretty young lady such as yourself would at least have a few steady boyfriends by now." So she was single with no current love interest. Another new bit of information.

"Uh...a FEW boyfriends? Why would I go out with more than one guy at a time? I'm not some kind of player, like I'm so sure that you are. How many girls have you been with anyway? Twenty? Thirty? Fifty?"

He almost laughed at her assumptions. She had no idea. "It's hard to estimate an exact number, sweetheart. I seem to have lost count after the first hundred."

She rolled her eyes dramatically. "I'm sorry I asked."

He leaned a little closer to her, lowering his tone of voice. "I'm sorry I answered."

Her eyes narrowed in vexation. "Are you mocking me?" She exhaled sharply, uncrossed her arms and legs and turned towards him. "God, do you get some kind of kick out of doing that?"

He exhaled a frustrated sigh. Was she always going to be this defensive with him? It wasn't hard to conceive that this trait existed within both of them. From the beginning, there were so many personality traits and a couple mannerisms he noticed about her that he saw in himself. As the minutes ticked by, his fatherhood was becoming more and more probable. "You asked me a question, I answered. In this day and age, I hardly consider that mocking someone."

"Ugh! That's not what I was referring to. I was talking about..." She grunted, shook her head and turned herself away from him, "forget it!"

"You know, you really should try to loosen up a little more, sweetheart. Go to the spa. Get a swedish massage, a manicure, a pedicure, whatever it is that girls your age do to relax. In fact, I happen to know the perfect place where you can get all of that and possibly a lot more." He reached his hand into the side pocket of his suit jacket and came out with a white card, thrusting it her way. A smile played at the corners of his mouth. "You'll thank me for this later."

Her head slowly turned in his direction, her eyes narrowing at the card in his hand. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not exactly the biggest fan of spas."

His brows arched in surprise. A girl who would turn down a spa day? Was that even possible? Most of the ladies that he knew lived at the spa the same way they lived at the gym. Was she from another planet? He doubted it, but it didn't stop his inquisitive mind. "You're kidding me, right?" It was clear from the look on her face that she was actually serious. He shrugged it off and returned the card to his pocket, "all right. Suit yourself. I was only trying to do you a favor."

She scoffed but didn't say another word. Was she giving him the silent treatment or was she ignoring him? He'd go with the latter. He had a feeling that talking wasn't going to get them anywhere. It may kill time, but it might also kill something else. Something that he had no intention of screwing up. If they were going to develop some sort of close relationship, he had to be as cautious about it as possible.

He stole a glance at his watch with a weary sigh. They had at least another half hour left. The two of them sat there in awkward silence. The tension was high. He wished his celluar phone would ring. He could at least get his mind off of the situation for a while if he had someone else to talk to. Someone like Sean. Then again, he didn't know if his colleague was ready to hear about his potential parental dillemas for the second time.

Suddenly, as if the Lord had answered his prayers, a woman's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Christian Troy to the ER. Christian Troy, please come to the ER."

Christian stole a glance over at Amy, but she did not give him one look. Scrutinizing what he could see of her features, he could have sworn he saw a tear on her cheek. Maybe it was his imagination, but he could feel his heart constricting in his chest as he gingerly pushed himself up to his feet. He tugged on either side of his suit jacket and squared his shoulders. "I guess this is the moment of truth."

He looked over at her. She didn't even acknowledge that he had spoken. He might not have the ability to read people, but at the moment, he was sure he could read her. He sensed anxiousness and sorrow, and it was radiating right in his direction. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he spoke his next words gently, "I'll be back. Don't go anywhere." Without giving her the chance to debate, he turned on his heels and headed off in the opposite direction.

His heart pounded in his chest as he trudged down the broad corridor towards the Emergency Room. His mind wandered aimlessly. A million thoughts raced through his head. Thoughts that he couldn't even begin to process. This was it. He would know once and for all if Amy Gellar was his daughter. He began weighing the alternatives and disadvantages of the results. If the test was positive, he'd finally be able to make up for that void that Wilbur had left in his heart. He'd finally have a family of his own, and a child that would require no such fuss as a newborn baby would. Only the love and support from her father. However, he couldn't imagine what this young woman would be like once the truth had come out. If they couldn't get along now, what would happen once they were declared biological father and daughter?

He couldn't begin to process the possibilites of the results being negative. If they were, these last couple days would have been a complete waste of his time. If she walked out of his life right now, it would take him weeks, maybe months, to get her face out of his head. Of course, he couldn't even fathom that the results were negative. The chances were about five percent. Looking at the facts, there were far too many factors that signified a biological match. He didn't need medical science. He had made his own conclusions.

When he reached the end of the corridor, he turned to the right and stepped inside the Emergency waiting room. He took in a breath to calm his nerves before he shuffled towards the front desk. Here goes nothing. The same nurse who had been there almost two hours ago to sign them in was still present. He set both of his masculine hands down on the counter and looked over at her. The woman was filing a few loose portfolios lying on the desk before her. "Excuse me."

The woman turned to look over her shoulder at him, a friendly smile crossing her lips as she took a step towards him. "Ah yes, Christian Troy?"

He nodded his head with a seemingly forced smile. Until he had his answers, a geunine smile was going to be impossible. "That's me. I was called back here. Have the results from the paternity test come back yet?"

She dropped her eyes to the stack of papers on the desk. He waited uneasily as he watched her search the area around her. The woman grabbed a small, golden colored sheet of paper lying on the top of the stack and looked it over. "Yes, I have the results right here." He swallowed the lump in his throat as she set the piece of paper on the counter before him. A reassuring smile crossed the woman's face, "looks like you're a father."

The words did not register with him at first, until he fixed his gaze on the sheet of paper in front of him. Suddenly, the words echoed back at him in his head. Over and over and over again. He should have been expecting this even before he had stepped into the room. His heart thundrered in his chest as he tried to prevent his emotions from taking hold of him. It was true. It was all true. Everything he had heard. Everything he had thought. Almost every physical and psychological characteristic in Amy, was something she had inherited from him. It all made sense. Recalling back to his first impression of her, he swallowed the lump in his throat and cringed. He had almost mistook her as a potential one night stand. He had felt vile before, but right now, he felt sick. Immoral. She was his daughter. Oh my God, she was his daughter! What on earth had he been thinking! Not only was he kicking himself for inappropriate feelings, but for his lack of respect. He had been smug and he had been spiteful. He felt like an asshole. He hadn't felt this overwhelmed with guilt since Gina had announced she was pregnant. There were so many emotions bottled up inside of him at that point, he practically had to grasp the counter to prevent himself from falling over.

"Excuse me, Dr. Troy? Are you ok?"

He snapped out of the daze he had fallen into and looked up, noticing the woman behind the desk staring at him. Concern was written all over her face. He pursed his lips and gently nodded his head. "I'm fine. Thanks." He brought a shaky hand up to his forehead, a migraine already taking form. What was he going to say to his newly found daughter? Would she even accept an apology for his indecent behavior? Or would she walk out on him completely? His heart constricted in his chest the more he thought about it. He had to think of something and soon.

He was ready to head back to the lobby, but stopped short when he turned around. His stomach lurched when he saw the person standing before him. It was none other than...Amy. From the astonished look on her face, it was clear she had heard everything.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. No use bothering to tell her now. The truth had already come out. He wanted to say something to her, but he couldn't possibly think of what. All he could do right now was stare at her. Gazing into her eyes, he was beginning to see her in a different light. This was his daughter, and whether he liked it or not, he was going to have to start treating her with the love and compassion of an endearing father. Maybe he was given a second chance. A second chance to become the father he had tried so hard to be for Wilbur. The fact that she was another gender wasn't going to effect him at all. If this girl had yet to be born, he'd still be preparing for her arrival in the same way a responsible parent would. Maybe she already had parents, but this wasn't going to keep him from being a second father. He'd be an uncle if he had to. He'd done that before.

Amy stammered, attempting to form a sentence. "You...you're my father. M-my real father." She stared back at him expectantly.

He scowled at the apprehensive look on her face. It was almost as if she were frightened by him, seeing him as a wild animal that would pounce on her at any moment. His heart constricted in his chest, not having a clue as to how to respond to her words. Keeping his emotions at bay, he gently nodded his head without a word.

She took a tentative step towards him, her eyes never leaving his face. Inhaling deeply, she lightly nodded. "So, you actually believe me now?"

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he got up the courage to speak. "Yes. I'm-I'm sorry...that I didn't believe you before. I had to make sure this was legitimate."

She crossed her arms over her chest, chewing anxiously on her bottom lip. "So...what now? I mean, where do we go from here?"

He exhaled sharply. His hand came up to rub his forehead, dropping his gaze to the piece of paper he held in his opposite hand. Her guess was as good as his. He gently folded up the sheet of paper and shoved it into the pocket beneath his suit jacket. "I have to go to work." It was the only thought that had come into his head. He didn't know why he had said it. Of course he wanted to spend time with her, but if he was going to be a father to her, he had to take things slow at first. Everything was still sinking in.

"Can I..." She sighed deeply before continuing, "I know I probably shouldn't be asking you this, but do you think I could...come with you? I really don't want to go back home right now. My mom's boyfriend's parents are there and I really don't want to see them." Her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug.

Her parents were divorced, and her mother had a boyfriend. That was another piece to the Amy Gellar puzzle. Or should he consider her a Troy? Amy Troy. The name didn't have such a nice ring to it as her adoptive name. What could he call her? Amy Gellar-Troy? For the time being, he'd just stick with "Amy." What father in their right mind called his daughter by her first AND last name? Another thought occured to him. If her parents were divorced and she lived with her mother, had her adoptive father been abusive to her in any way shape or form? If that were the case, he'd never let that happen again. Not as long as she was his daughter. He'd been through it himself and he would not let it happen to his own child. Ever.

"Forget I asked."

Snapping out of his thoughts, he realized that Amy was talking to him. "No. I'm sorry." Did he want to bring her along? He didn't know if that would be such a good idea. How on earth would he explain her to Sean and the rest of his co-workers? The last time she was there, his colleague got suspicious. The time would come when he'd have to tell him, but he didn't know if now was appropriate. Either way, if she wanted to be near him, in the hopes of spending some kind of father/daughter time, he was not going to turn it down. Looking up, he noticed that she was already on her way out of the emergency room. He didn't hesitate to dash after her. "Wait!"

She stopped in her tracks at the sound of his voice and turned back around, planting her hands on her hips. "What? Look, it's fine. You don't want me to go with you, I can take a hint. I imagine that being seen with your own daughter has got to be a reputation killer. How the hell are you going to explain me to your co-workers?"

Was she a mind reader? Her intuitiveness might have been a trait from her mother. Probably not from him. "I don't mind you coming along. Just as long as you don't get yourself into mischief. I do have a job to do. I don't want to be worrying about what you're doing in my absence."

She cocked an inquisitive brow his way. "I'm not going to get into any trouble so you don't have to worry. I'd go to the mall to look around for a couple hours, but I don't have any money to spend, and window shopping isn't as exciting as having money in your pocket."

No money? This time, it was HE who got inquisitive. His brows furrowed. "I'm guessing you're un-employed."

A woeful sigh escaped her. "Unfortunetly, yes."

He took another step towards her, sending a sympathetic smile her way. If this were any other situation, and she were a friend instead of his daughter, he would toss a fifty dollar bill her way just to get her out of his hair. However, this was a different situation entirely. He actually wanted to be in her presence. He wanted to know everything there was to know about her. "Well, you're more than welcome to come along. I have to warn you though, it could get pretty boring. I have to work, sweetheart. We might not have much time to chat."

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's ok. I'll find something to do."

He didn't have such a good feeling about this after all. He didn't want to find her tinkering around in one of the exam rooms breaking expensive equipment. What was he thinking? Of course she wouldn't do that. She seemed mature and responsible enough to know right from wrong. If she hated him that much, he wouldn't put it past him. She might be capable of doing something like that. However, his instincts told him it was probably all in his subconscious mind.

Nodding his head, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys. "I assume you came here in your own car."

Amy nodded her head, stealing a glance in the direction of the parking lot. "Yeah. My car is over there," she pointed.

"All right. I'll meet you there." He turned on his heels to start off towards his car, but her voice stopped him.

"Da-Christian?"

That was the first time she had ever said his name. He wasn't that effected by it, but now that he thought about it, perhaps "dad" might have been more suitable. His heart jumped in his chest, knowing she had been on the brink of calling him "dad" but stopped herself. No one had ever called him "dad" before. It felt weird, but only because it was so new to him. Sure, he had been a father, but he hadn't been with Wilbur long enough for the child to call him that. He didn't know exactly how he would have responded if she'd actually said it. Then again, he didn't know if he felt comfortable with his own daughter calling him by his first name either. It would have to do...for now anyway.

"Yes?"

She hesitated before stepping towards him. The next thing he knew, she wrapped her arms around his waist and held him in a loving embrace. Much in the same way he had seen that father/daughter couple hold each other in the lobby. He hadn't expected this at all, but it felt good. It felt right. It made him feel whole, much in a way he never thought he would feel again. His emotions began rising to the surface, as he soon found his own arms enveloping her petite frame. He rested his chin on top of her head, a soft sigh escaping him. As much as he wanted to keep his emotions in check, he couldn't prevent the single tear from rolling down his cheek. Feeling her tremble in his arms, it only made him bring her closer. Ever since he envisioned becoming a father, nothing could make him feel more complete than to hold his own child in his arms. This was no exception.

A moment later--that felt more like an eternity--Amy pulled back with a sniffle. He didn't notice the tears in her eyes until she looked up at him. He swallowed the lump in his throat, his heart going out to her. Neither one of them could speak a word to each other. All they could do was stand there half a foot apart, gazing back into the other's eyes. Both of them were timid about how the other might feel about this exchange of affection. Christian had no idea why she had chosen to hug him, but he didn't care. He wouldn't pull back if she chose to do it again.

Amy wiped a stray tear from her eye with another sniffle. "I'm sorry. Should I not have...? Did I make you feel uncomfortable doing that?"

He shook his head. "No. Not at all. You don't have to apologize for anything."

She nodded, brushing a few loose strands of hair out of her face. A deep sigh escaped her. "So I guess...we should go, huh? You gotta work, right?"

He gave her a solemn nod of his head, fiddling with the keys in his hand. "Yes. I'll uh...I'll meet you there." She nodded in approval. He gave her a small smile, pivoted on his heels and strolled towards his vehicle.

His heart still beat a little faster in his chest at the hug she had given him. It was more a feeling of anticipation than panic. Anticipation of the parental duties he would once again be performing. This girl already had a family. He knew that, but nothing was going to stop him from spending time with his daughter. If her negligent biological mother wasn't going to show her any love or affection, by God he'd be a far better parent than her. He never thought the Lord would give him a second chance at fatherhood. After Wilbur had been taken away from him, he thought it would be years until he had his own family...until now.

Slipping behind the wheel of his silver Porsche, he turned the key into the ignition and started the car. He had a daughter. He couldn't believe it. He had a daughter! This was merely the beginning for Christian Troy.