A couple tears rolled down Amy's cheeks as she drove towards the McNamara/Troy offices. She couldn't believe that she had gotten up the courage to hug Christian. Or should she say, her father. The news shouldn't have come as much of a shock to her since she had discovered it before the man did, but the truth was still sinking in. Everything was legit. He believed her now. Things were definitely going to change in both of their lives. It was a surprise that the man hadn't pulled back when she hugged him, but it had been on instinct. After all she had been through with her mother and Chris, she needed someone to hold her. She needed to feel loved. Sheltered. Wanted. She knew there was a lot she still had to learn about Christian Troy, but as far as she was concerned, she'd much rather have him as her legal parent than Teresa Gellar.
She didn't know if she'd admit it to him, but while they were sitting in the lobby, she had her doubts. His arrogance and spitefulness was sickening and hurtful at the same time. She had been tempted to get up and walk out of there all together, without looking back, but something inside her heart told her she should stay. This man was definitely a hard one to figure out. Would she ever be able to tell his arrogance from his benevolence? Only time would tell.
The sounds of Aimee Mann's tune, "This Is How It Goes" radiated throughout her car as she drove down the road. Normally, her gaze would be shifting back and forth between the scenery that occupied either sides of the streets she drove down, but today, her gaze was fixated on the black porsche in front of her. Preferably, the man who was driving it. She had sat in her car and watched him drive out of the hospital parking lot before tentatively pulling onto the road behind him. It didn't come as a surprise to her that Christian Troy owned a porsche. As wealthy of a man as he was, she stopped to wonder, exactly how many cars did he have?
Even though she had been here the day before, she still couldn't control the butterflies that formed in her stomach when she pulled her car into the parking structure of the McNamara/Troy establishment. Her heart skipped a beat when Christian stole a glance in his rearview mirror, almost as if he were making sure that she were still following him. She had been obligated to follow him anyway, after having misplaced the directions from the previous day. She could have sworn she had left them in her car, but clearly, she had been wrong. Waiting rather impatiently for him to pull into a parking space, she preoccupied herself with browsing through the tracks on her CD. By the time she looked up, she noticed that he had already parked and exited his vehicle. She cursed at herself--hoping she hadn't frustrated him in waiting for her--and pulled into the empty space beside his car.
She shut off the engine, swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, grabbed her purse, and exited the car. Turning around, she saw him remove his sunglasses and shove them into his pocket before their eyes met. Things were still awkward between them. She could tell he was still adjusting to the situation at hand, but tried as she might to remain cool and collected.
"Did you lose your directions, sweetheart?"
It was a casual question, but something about the smug smile on his face made her think otherwise. A weary sigh escaped her, nodding her head. "Yeah, I guess I did. I wasn't stalking you, if that's what you thought I was doing."
He smirked, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and lead her towards the front of the building. "Whatever would give you that idea? I assumed you merely lost your way."
She was a little suprised by his action, seeing as how he hadn't made any physical contact with her since he offered to hold her hand at the hospital. Sure she had hugged him, but that was of her own intention, not his. Crossing her arms comfortably over her chest, her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. The short time it took them to reach the door of the building, neither one of them said another word to each other. She had hesitated about asking him if she could come with him to work. After what had happened the last time she showed up, she was fretful of what might happen this time around. She did not expect him to openly announce to his co-workers that she was in fact his daughter. That would be wishful thinking. It didn't matter to her. The only approval she wanted was his.
It wasn't as unexpected as before when he opened the door for her. In fact, she was beginning to get use to it. She sent him a small smile before stepping inside the building. He followed in after her. Taking a brief look around the waiting room, she noticed that there was only one person waiting to be seen. A stunning and trim young hispanic woman. She sat comfortably on one of the white leather loveseats against the wall. She looked to be in her early twenties with long dark brown hair and wide brown eyes. Her ample breasts peeked out from beneath the navy blue V-neck blouse she was wearing. Her silk black skirt was short enough that if she uncrossed her sculptured and tanned legs, it would be easy to see her underwear.
Amy's gaze shifted to Christian, who was already admiring the young woman with an intent eye. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. The idea of her father checking out other women in front of her made her cringe. She didn't even want to imagine what was going on in his head. It would surely make her want to heave. She cleared her throat to alert him that she was still there. "Uh...da-Christian?"
He peeled his gaze off of the stunning brunette and turned his head back to her, a soft sigh escaping him. "What is it?"
"Um, where am I going to stay while you're...working?"
Before Christian could reply, a familiar looking woman with long, curly brown hair appeared from one of the back rooms and strolled over to the two of them. The same woman she saw him bickering with a couple days ago. "Christian, better late than never. Mrs. Grubman has been requesting you give her a minute of your time as soon as you...how was it she put it? Ah yes, pull yourself away from whatever big breasted bimbo you've found yourself under."
Amy's eyes widened at the woman's words. Her jaw hung open partly as she looked between her father and the woman. Who was Mrs. Grubman? She wasn't so sure she wanted to know.
Christian exchanged a look with Amy before meeting the woman's peevish gaze. He seemed to bite back his frustration. "I'll be right there." The woman looked from Christian to Amy then back to Christian, inquisitiveness crossing her face. A weary sigh escaped him as he looked between Amy and her. "Liz? Amy. Amy? Liz."
Liz gave her a friendly smile. "Hello Amy."
Christian cleared his throat and squared his shoulders before looking down at Amy. "I'll be right back. You can wait here in the lobby or if you prefer, you can wait in my office. I shouldn't be long."
She nodded her head and watched him stride past Liz towards the back room she had appeared from moments ago, noticing the long lingering looks they gave each other as they crossed paths. Were they involved? She couldn't be sure. It might not be something she'd ever say outloud, but this woman didn't exactly seem like the type his eyes would be drawn to. Besides, didn't he say she was a lesbian the first time she had seen them conversing?
There was a brief moment of silence between her and Liz, as if they were waiting for the other one to say something. Then, before she could even prevent the words from leaving her mouth, Amy spoke up. "Um, are you and Christian...?" Her voice trailed off, allowing the woman to figure out where she was going with that sentence.
Liz almost laughed at her question. "Oh no, honey. I am not, nor have I ever been involved with that man. I'm fully obligated to my own sexuality. Any relationship that Christian and I have is strictly business related."
She nodded in understanding, feeling like an idiot for even asking. "Oh ok. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. I know I don't know you...much, but I couldn't help but ask. I'm sorry."
Liz shook her head. "No need to apologize. You're not the first one to mistake the love/hate relationship that Christian and I share." Amy laughed nervously. She practically flinched at the woman's next words. "Forgive me for being rude, honey, but you're a lot younger than most of the women he brings to the office."
Her brows furrowed inquisitively. What was she getting at? Did she actually think she was his latest conquest? The thought repulsed her. "Oh! No, I'm not..." She shook her head stiffly. "No. If you think that we're...well, you know. We're not. I'm his..." She stopped herself from going any further, debating whether or not she should tell her the truth. This man might get irritated with her if she did so without his consent. As much as she was tempted to tell her, she knew she couldn't. Not until he gave her the okay. "Friend. Not a girlfriend."
From the amused smile on the woman's face, she knew that she was not buying that. "I see. Well, just a friendly warning. Christian doesn't exactly have a reputation for long-term commitments. If you two are involved in any way, I wouldn't get too attached to him. Girls your age have a tendency for getting hurt."
Amy sighed wearily, crossing her arms firmly over her chest. "I already figured that out, but I swear to God, we're not having sex or even dating. I mean, I'm way too young for him to even..." Her words trailed off when she saw the intent look on Liz's face. A lump formed in her throat. Exactly how old or young had the women been that he'd slept with? Her stomach lurched at the possibilities. She couldn't even begin to process it. "Oh," she finally said.
"If I were you honey, I'd walk away from it right now before you get in over your head."
She scowled, dropping her gaze to her feet. "Well, I don't really think he's as bad as people say he is. He's...different. At least a little bit. I don't know. I haven't really know him that long. All I know is, he's not all arrogant and inconsiderate."
"Right, but the face that he might have shown you is entirely different from the face he shows to everyone else. There are many sides to Christian. All I'm saying is that you should think twice about going any further with him."
This woman was simply not getting the bigger picture. It frustrated her so much that she wanted to shout to the whole world that she was his daughter. That is...if her father wasn't in the office. She sighed irritably. "I'm not sleeping with him! We're not involved." Her voice was loud enough that everyone in the lobby turned their heads in her direction, watching the scene with inquisitive eyes. She swallowed the lump in her throat and averted her eyes to the floor. Shit. What had she done now?
Liz's eyes shifted from her to the other occupants in the room and then back to her. "There's no need to draw attention to yourself honey. I think you made your point perfectly clear."
She slowly lifted her eyes back up to the woman, hoping to God that Christian wouldn't walk out and scold her for her sudden outburst. The thought occured to her, but the last thing she wanted was to suffer those consequences. A weary sigh escaped her. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to be seen as one of his conquests. You have no idea how inappropriate that is to me. It's wrong in so many ways. He's..." She shook her head. "It's just wrong."
A smile played at the corners of Liz's mouth. "Well, I think you might be one of the first women to ever turn down Christian Troy. Frankly, he seems to think he's got everyone wrapped around his finger, but clearly, you've got your head in the right place. I like you already."
A light laugh escaped her. "Thanks...Liz." She began inching towards Christian's office. "I think I'm going to go and wait in his office. It was nice meeting you."
"The feeling is mutual."
Amy's eyes scanned over the silver name plates on the doors that laid on either sides of the hall. She stopped at the first door on the left, the name plate reading:
Dr. Christian Troy
M.D., F.A.C.S.
Turning the knob, she slipped inside the room and surveyed her surroundings. Everything looked the same as it did the last time she was there. Strolling over to the two white wing chairs across the room, she collapsed into one of them with a weary sigh. Being here was better than being at home. Sure, things were a little weird and awkward but she could adjust to that in time. She began rocking from side to side in boredom, her thoughts drifting to the encounter she had had with Liz. There was a perfectly logical reason for her to feel uncomfortable with the reference to being one of Christian's one night stands. Maybe she had over-reacted in her outburst. However, she couldn't imagine having to explain herself to every one of his co-workers. If she was lucky, she wouldn't have to.
Her eyes shifted towards the objects and other posh-looking furniture in the room. She was slightly tempted to do a little more investigating and look through his things, but her conscience wasn't in it. Of course she was curious as every other daughter would be about her father. Then again, she couldn't run the risk of him catching her and questioning her motives.
She could take a guess as to what she'd find in his office drawers. Most likely a box full of latex condoms, possibly lubricant, among other sex related objects that he kept hidden from his colleagues. A scoff escaped her at the thought. She wondered if she'd ever get the chance to see more than his office. Would she ever get to see his home? If so, what did it look like? What were the color schemes? What kinds of food did he eat? What--
She was pulled out of her thoughts when the door opened and a familiar looking man stepped inside. The same man she had come into contact with the last time she was here.
His eyes fixed themselves on Christian's desk, almost as if he thought he'd be sitting there. "Christian? Did you schedule--" Realizing he was not there, his eyes roamed to the opposite side of the room where he met Amy's gaze. "Oh. I'm sorry, I was looking for Christian."
She gave him a small smile. "It's ok. I think he went to go help somebody named Mrs. Grubman." Her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug.
He nodded his head. "Of course, why didn't I think of that?" He sent her a friendly smile, starting out of the office. He stopped short and turned his attention back to her. Her brows furrowing in question. "I'm sorry. Have we met before? Weren't you here a few days ago?"
A nervous laugh escaped her. "Yeah, we sort of met. I didn't get your name though. I'm Amy Tr-Gellar." Her eyes widened when she realized that she had almost said "Troy." She had almost called Christian "Dad" and now this? What was happening to her? Was she losing her mind? She needed to stick to keeping things under wraps. At least for now.
He shuffled towards her and extended his hand for her to shake. "Nice to meet you, Amy. I'm Dr. Sean McNamara." He sent her a friendly smile.
Her brows arched in surprise at his last name. She knew her instincts had been right the first time she laid eyes on him. "Sorry, did you say McNamara?" He nodded his head. "You're Matt's dad, aren't you?"
Sean smirked, his brows arching expectantly. "Yes, I am. Are you a friend of his?"
She shrugged her shoulders with a nod. "Sort of. Actually, he's a friend of a friend of a friend." She laughed lightly. "My best friend, Courtney, knows him through her friend Gretchen."
He nodded in understanding. "Ah yes, Gretchen. I assume you're referring to Gretchen Stentson, John and Sophie's daughter. She's my niece, such a sweet girl. A little rebellious at times." He smiled sheepishly.
Amy giggled. "Yeah. I don't know her that well, but I just met Matt a day ago. He never told me his dad was a plastic surgeon or should I say, one of the best in the city. I mean, from what I heard anyway." She smirked.
Sean's cheeks flushed, glancing down at his feet. "Well, I don't run this business alone. I couldn't do what I'm doing without my partner, Christian Troy, but I assume you already met him."
She chewed on her bottom lip apprehensively, fiddling with her fingers absentmindedly. "Erm, yeah. I haven't really know him that long either, but already...I feel like I've known him all my life." After the words had left her mouth, she wondered if she should have said them at all. She cringed when she saw the questioning look on Sean's face. "I mean..." She sighed softly, "I don't really know how to explain it."
"Are you a patient? A friend?" His brows furrowed and then arched expectantly, as if he wanted to say more but was holding back.
"Um..." Her gazed drifted downward, staring at her lap. She pursed her lips, her emotions beginning to rise to the surface. There was no reason why she should be getting emotional over this again. The truth had come out. It was done. Maybe it was Christian's hesitancy which was causing her pessimistic feelings. The thoughts still lingered in her head. What if he turned his back on her at any given moment and left her alone? All of this could be over in a split second if she wasn't careful. No. She couldn't think that way. Everything would be fine. This was all in her head.
"Are you all right?"
A tear managed to escape the corner of her eye, but she quickly brushed it away before he could see it. A deep sigh escaped her before she looked up and nodded her head. "Yeah, sorry." She took in a breath to compose herself and rested her head against the chair. Should she tell him or should she lie the same way she lied to Liz? She swallowed the lump in her throat. If he was Christian's partner, she had a feeling he'd find out sooner rather than later. How long could he keep this from his colleague anyway? "It's kind of hard to explain exactly what I am...to Christian."
Sean placed his hands on his hips, his inquisitiveness growing. "Why is that? That is, if you don't mind me asking."
"Well, it's because..." Her voice trailed off, trying mercilessly to feign some kind of lie before this man made his own assumptions the way Liz had. The words were about to escape her lips when a familiar voice sounded over Sean's shoulder.
"She's my daughter."
Both Sean and Amy turned their heads in the direction of the voice to see Christian standing in the doorway. His eyes shifted between the two of them. A hint of emotion reflected in his eyes as she met his gaze. He managed to send her a small smile before strutting in her direction, exchanging a look with Sean as he passed him.
Sean's expression transformed from bewilderment to astonishment and back to bewilderment. His forehead wrinkled in thought, shaking his head. "I don't understand."
She looked up at Christian when he stopped and stood next to her, hoping that he would explain things so she would no longer have to. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she crossed her right leg over the left and crossed her arms over her chest.
Christian exchanged a look with Amy before looking over at his partner. He sighed softly. "It's a long story that I can't even begin to explain, but it's the truth." He glanced down at Amy, pursing his lips. Almost as if he were trying to hold in his emotions. "Amy is my daughter. The evidence has recently been brought to my attention, from a number of sources, and a paternity test was all I needed to put my assumptions to rest. As hard as it may be to believe, it looks like I'm a father again."
She blinked back her astonishment at the word "again." What was he talking about? Again? Did he have another child before her? Was there something he hadn't told her? Her heart constricted in her chest at the thought. There was still so much she needed to know about him, but this news was far from confusing.
Sean looked from Christian to Amy then back to Christian. For a moment, it looked as though he were trying to process what new information had been given to him. Finally, he gently nodded his head in understanding, giving his colleague a small smile. "That's great."
Christian sighed wearily and looked down at her, a scowl crossing his face. She could tell he sensed what she was feeling and the questions she had in her mind for him. "Would you excuse us for a minute?" Without giving her a chance to reply, he headed towards the door.
She was not about to let him get away so fast without an explaination. The minute he started for the door, she was up on her feet in an instant. "Wait! Christian?" Her heart constricted in her chest once again, noticing a bit of frustration on his face when he stopped and turned around. She stole a glance at a still inquisitive Sean.
Christian lowered his voice to a tone that only she would hear, his gaze softening slightly as he met eyes with her. "What is it?"
She kept her voice at the same tone. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she prayed he wouldn't snap at her for questioning him on this. "What exactly did you mean when you said 'again?' Was there another..." She scowled and dropped her gaze to her feet, not having the courage to finish that sentence. She shook her head. "Nevermind, I shouldn't have asked." Her heart almost jumped out of her chest when she felt him place his hands gently on her shoulders.
"That, again, is another long story. Trust me, it's more complicated than you think, but if you assume that I have another child...well you're wrong. I don't. Not anymore anyway. Listen, it's obvious that we're going to need more time to get everything out in the open. I was thinking, why don't we go out to dinner tonight? We can find out more about each other, and put all of the secrets and lies aside. What do you say to that?"
Her pessimistic feelings were gradually beginning to fade, along with her worries, but she still wasn't entirely sure about this until she had all the facts. What exactly happened before she came along? When had he been a father? Where was this child now? She was sure she'd find out come tonight. Dinner actually sounded like a great idea. It would give them a chance to talk and really get to know everything about each other. She smiled softly and nodded her head. "Okay. That's a great idea. We could do that. Where are we going to go?"
He smiled smugly, shifting his weight from his right foot to his left. "Wherever you want to go. I'll let you pick the restaurant, my treat."
"Okay," she nodded with a smirk. His next action caught her completely by storm. It succeeded in not only warming her heart, but putting whatever doubts she had to rest. Leaning in, he placed a paternal kiss to her forehead. As overwhelmed by his action as she was, she couldn't stop the single tear that rolled down her cheek. She stole a quick glance at Sean who was watching the scene before him in fondness. "You didn't have to do that," she whispered to Christian.
He brought one of his hands up to wipe the tear away with the pad of his thumb. "I wanted to. Besides, Sean and I are as close as brothers. I don't mind him being around to see this. You're my daughter, not my one night stand." She cocked a brow his way at his choice of words. He sighed irritably, rolling his eyes. "All right, maybe that was a bad choice of words. The point is, I don't have to hide this part of myself from someone like Sean. Now I need to speak with him in private for a moment. You stay here."
She gently nodded her head, forcing a small smile. Slowly but surely, she was seeing the good in this man and it made her want to spend even more time with him. She could hardly wait until their dinner tonight, despite how anxious she knew she'd be. It would take some time for her to truly open up to him and feel comfortable in his presence, but they had to start somewhere. He smiled softly at her before pivoting on her heels and stepping towards his partner. Amy exchanged a small smile with Sean, "it was nice meeting you, Dr. McNamara."
He nodded his head, "yes, it was nice meeting you too Amy. Please, feel free to help yourself to a snack in the employee lounge. I don't mind and I'm sure that Christian wouldn't mind either." He exchanged a look with his colleague who nodded in agreement.
"Go right ahead, but try not to wander off." Christian added, his voice taking on a firm tone.
A smile played at the corners of her mouth as she watched he and Sean exit the room. As time went on, he was becoming more and more like a father to her astoundment. From his paternal signs of affection, to his firm and ethical tone of voice, she had high hopes for the first time ever in her life. She wasn't particularly an optimistic person, but maybe Christian was the father she SHOULD have had. They seemed to be more alike in personality than the other two men who'd tried being a father to her. So maybe Christian was smug. Maybe he was arrogant. Maybe he was a full-fledged playboy, but she didn't care. She could get use to that...with time. It was all a matter of time.