Little Country, Little Rock & Roll Chapter 12, a glee fanfic

Chapter 12

Over the next few days, Sadie's health had improved dramatically. After her third day of good report, the doctor agreed to discharge her from the hospital. Everybody was thrilled about Sadie finally being able to come home. The doctors estimated that Sadie might need the use of a wheelchair for atleast 6 months during her recovery and physical therapy. Mercedes and her father prepared the house for her arrival- putting in wheelchair ramps and making the whole house wheelchair accessible. Mercedes was excited about the additions because it also allowed her to do some redecorating, something she had been dying to do for years. Although he hated shopping, Sam offered to help her redecorate, trying to give a more unisex vision to the decorating. Mercedes tended to lean towards a very feminine motif for the house, much to her father's and Sam's dissatisfaction. When she dragged Sam into the Pier 1 Imports to select pillows for the new living room couch, their ideas were definitely at extremes. They bantered with each other as they hugged their favorite throw pillows.

"Purple and pink, Mercedes? With flowers?! Are you kidding me with that? Your dad will feel like he is living in a women's bathroom?" Sam sneered, snatching the pillow from her hand and lightly tapping it on her head, mussing her hair. Mercedes dropped her mouth to form an "O" and grabbed the pillow from his hand and tossed it on a bench.

"For your information, Goldilocks, these colors are both soothing and peaceful, unlike your option of green camouflage." Mercedes grabbing the green and brown pillow from Sam's hand and bounced it on his forehead 4-5 times. "This looks like you are ready to invite Castro over for dinner." Sam shook his head, fighting the smile that was growing on his face. He swiftly pulled the pillow out of her hand, and lifted over her head. She hopped to snatch it from him, but her shortness gave her a disadvantage. Sam giggled watching her continue to jump and miss grabbing the pillow.

"I think it will give the room character and let your dad feel like he still has his balls." Mercedes cupped her hands to her ears, as she made a nauseated face.

"I do not want to think of my dad and his balls? That's nasty."

"You started it." Sam smirked. Mercedes squinted at Sam, as she fought the urge to laugh and then took a deep breath.

"Sam," she said softly and slowly, "I think I know a little something about taste and style. Why don't you just trust me to make the right decision." She smiled sweetly as she batted her eyes at him. Sam could feel his resolve start to melt as her dimple started to show on the side of her face. He leaned into her face closely.

"It won't work, Sugar Lips. Your dad said he wanted my input and I say no." He stated smugly, making Mercedes scowl her face.

"Oh yeah?" Mercedes put her hands on her waist as she marched up to Sam toe to toe, looking up at his glowing green eyes.

"Yeah!" Sam remarked glaring down at her brown almond-shaped eyes, towering over her petite frame.

"You-hoo! Excuse me?" The timid blond saleswoman waved at the couple who were now engaged in a full-on staring match. The middle-aged woman was afraid to interrupt what she thought was a lover's spat, but they were dangerously close to the glass cabinet and she feared one of them would start swinging items off of the shelves.

"Can I help you lovely young people find anything in particular?" she asked humbly. Mercedes turned to the woman and her face softened as she saw the petrified look on her face.

"No, thank you. We're actually just looking. Sorry we were being so loud." The woman smiled sweetly and rounded the corner to the next aisle. Sam pressed his chest against Mercedes' back as he leaned into her ear.

"You were the loud one." He whispered in her ear. Mercedes shivered as his lips brushed against her ear. Sam smiled when he noticed it. Mercedes started moving ahead, when Sam wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Whoa, wait a minute. I think something good was happening right there." He whispered into her ear as he kissed her neck. Mercedes let out a small moan at the sensation of his kisses and the electrical charge running to her hands. She abruptly turned around.

"Maybe we shouldn't. We still have a lot of running around to do today for Nana's homecoming." She was biting her bottom lip as she grabbed two purple pillows and two white ones and walked to the register. Sam let out a sigh as he stood there watching her pay for the items.

Sam couldn't help feeling that Mercedes has been avoiding being affectionate with him. He knew she had been worried about her grandmother, and that her health has been heavy on her mind, but he sensed that it was something more. He almost felt like she was pulling away from him. They were leaving Virginia tomorrow morning to catch up with the tour in New York City. He wondered if she worried about how they would interact with each other once they get back to the tour.

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"Will this be all, Miss?" Another gray hair older woman in front of the cash register asked politely. Mercedes couldn't help wonder if all the employees in the store were elderly grandmothers who were part-timing.

"Yes, thank you." She answered, opening her purse for her wallet.

"You and your husband are a very attractive couple." The cashier gave Mercedes a wink as her head gestured to Sam, who was looking at some of the dishware on the shelf. Mercedes felt her face grow warm and she shook her head nervously.

"Oh, he's not my husband. He's just a friend." She corrected quickly. The cashier nodded her head slowly, watching Sam closely.

"Oh Really? You all seem so close. He must be a very good friend." Mercedes looked over at Sam and smiled to herself.

"He is." She said softly.

Mercedes felt the nerves in her hands tingle. She squeezed her hands, trying to calm her pounding heart. This has been happening to her for the past couple of day when she thought of Sam. She wished she could explain the feelings she was having for him. So much has changed since they've been in Virginia. Before they came here, she was positive that all she wanted from him was a casual relationship. But the more time they spent together in Virginia, the more the idea of something casual sounded impossible, as well as stupid. How can you have something casual with someone who was becoming not only your best friend, but your confidante? Over the course of three and a half weeks, Sam has learned more about her than her last boyfriend Devante. Devante. No matter how much Mercedes would like to pretend he never existed, he did and he did his damage. Here was this amazing man in front of her who was clearly opening himself up to her and she was trying to convince herself that their relationship was too good to jeopardize by making it into a romantic relationship. But deep down inside, Mercedes couldn't deny the real truth. She was scared, plain and simple. Scared of wanting someone, scared of needing someone and scared of being let down. She wanted to open her heart to Sam, but she vowed to herself a long time ago not to get to that place again. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." She repeated over and over in her head. Yes, Sam didn't actually fool me that first time, but I can't act like he wouldn't. I have to be smarter.

After paying for the pillows, she and Sam headed to the hospital to visit Sadie. The car ride was awkwardly silent. When they reached the hospital, Sam offered to take her purchases back to the house while Mercedes visited Nana alone for awhile. Sam agreed come by in a few hours to take her to dinner.

"Mercedes?" He grabbed Mercedes' hand before she got out of the car. Mercedes looked down at their hands intertwined and willed her heart to stop pounding rapidly in her chest. Why do I always react to him like this? When she looked up at Sam's face, his face was covered with concern.

"Is everything? You seem kind of upset. Can I help?" His green eyes twinkled as he looked longingly at her. Mercedes' heart melted as she saw the sincerity of his offer.

"I'm ok, Sam." She gave him a small smile. "Just thinking about the tour and how I hate to go back right now, you know?" Sam nodded sadly.

"I know. I really like it here in Virginia. I really like your family too. Your dad and Sadie are really good people."

"They really like you too." Mercedes wanted to say more to him, to open up about her true feelings but something was holding her back. "I have to go Sam. I'll see you later tonight." She kissed him on the cheek and left the car. Sam watched her enter the hospital and sat back in the car. He knew she was lying about the tour but didn't want to force the issue with her right now.

XXXX

"Hey Sadie. You look wonderful today." Mercedes sing-songed as she entered Sadie's room and saw the older woman sitting up in her bed, reading her bible. Sadie's face was bright and alert. She seemed like her old self again, which was such a relief for Mercedes.

"Hey babygirl." Sadie replied. "I was hoping you would come visit me this morning. I am getting a little restless in this bed."

"Tired of reading your bible?" Mercedes sat on the corner of the bed. Sadie reached under her blanket and pulled out a book.

"Nah, child. I've been reading this Fifty Shades of Grey book. It's not bad." Mercedes grabbed the book and tossed it to the side chair.

"Sadie!"

"Babygirl, I'm grown. I like the freaky stuff sometimes, too." Mercedes gasped at Sadie's comment, as Sadie laughed herself silly.

"Come on," Sadie managed to say after laughing. "Want to go for a walk with me to the outside atrium?"

"Sure, Sadie. Let me help you get your slippers." Still a little stunned, Mercedes helped Sadie put on her robe and slippers, and they walked leisurely through the walls.

"Where's my Sammy today?" Mercedes shook her head as she smirked at her grandmother.

"Sadie, your Sammy? Really?" she asked with attitude. Sadie stopped in her tracks and turned to her granddaughter.

"Oh, should I have said your Sammy?" She asked with her eyebrow lifted. Mercedes swallowed hard.

"Sadie, Sammy-I mean, Sam…he's just my friend. That's all." Mercedes led Sadie to a bench in the atrium. Sadie pulled her to the seat on the bench.

"Babygirl, why are you so simple?" Mercedes frowned and pouted her lips.

"I'm not simple." Sadie patted Mercedes' cheek.

"Yes, you are child. Too simple, actually. That boy is crazy about you. Why else would a handsome little white boy be hanging out with an old black woman for weeks in Virginia? Girl, wake up." Mercedes blushed under Sadie's glare.

"Ok, so he likes me. So what? It's not going to lead to anything."

"Do you love him?" Sadie watched as Mercedes squirmed in her seat.

"Sadie, you know I have a horrible track record when it comes to choosing men. I choose all the wrong ones. I'm a walking disaster."

"You mean because of that Devil person you were dating?"

"Sadie, his name was Devante."

"Devante, Demon, Devil. Whatever. He was the bad, plain and simple." Mercedes laughed at her grandmother. She always did hate Devante. Man I should have listened to her a long time ago, Mercedes thought.

"Well, that's your problem. You keep choosing somebody instead of letting God choose one for you." Mercedes sighed heavily.

"Sadie, God hasn't been very vocal about anyone these days. He's been pretty silent actually." Sadie laughed quietly.

"Babygirl, God doesn't work like that. You have to seek his direction and then look for the signs. Now your problem is that you think you have all the answers and don't wait for God to tell you nothing."

"Sadie, that's not true." Mercedes was rolling her eyes when she saw her grandmother raise her hand like she was going to pop her in the face. She had just enough time to duck before nearly falling off her seat.

"Don't you sass me, girl. I'll knock you into next week." Sadie's eyes were fiery as she lowered her hand back down. "That's your problem too. You're too bossy and think you know everything. Pray about Sam. He's a good man, and you ain't getting no younger." Mercedes started to roll her eyes, but saw Sadie eyeing her closely and changed her mind. She decided to lean over and give her grandmother a kiss on the cheek.

"Sadie, I hope I can be wise like you one day." She mumbled as she leaned her face into her grandmother's.

"You will, babygirl. You just need to…what do you young people say…slow your roll." Mercedes and Sadie laughed as they sat peacefully on the bench.

XXXX

Before Mercedes knew it, Sam was picking her up for dinner. She felt like time had completely gotten away from her. She was having such a great time with Sadie, she hated to see it end. When she leaned into Sadie to give her a kiss on the cheek before leaving, Sadie whispered for her to wait outside while she talked to Sam. Mercedes raised her eyebrows and gave Sadie a stunned look. Please Sadie, don't say anything to him. Please! Mercedes mouthed to Sadie. Sadie tapped Mercedes' arm and told her to leave her and Sam alone. Mercedes closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened them to find Sadie's eyes twinkling. She smiled and turned to Sam.

"Sam, I'm going to go to the gift shop to pick up some magazines for Sadie. Will you keep her company for a minute?" Mercedes asked innocently. Sam smiled broadly as he opened the door for Mercedes.

"Of course. It would be a pleasure." Mercedes walked slowly to the doorway and turned to wave at Sadie, who gave her a wink. Please, Sadie! Mercedes mouthed to Sadie. Sadie waved Mercedes goodbye. Reluctantly, Mercedes walked out the door and Sam took the seat next to Sadie's bed.

"Do you need some water, Ma'am?" Sam asked as he smiled into the elderly woman's face. Sam noticed how, in spite of all the medication and worry, Sadie always seemed peaceful and calm. She reminded him so much of his own mother and grandmother.

"No child, sit your handsome self down." Sam blushed and looked down at his shoes.

"Sammy, I want to thank you for being such a good friend to my grandchild. Having her here with me has been a true blessing."

"It's my pleasure, Ma'am. I knew she needed to be here with you and her father." Sadie reached over and patted Sam's hands.

"You are a good man, Sammy Evans. I don't want you to give up on my little Cede, ok?" Sam tilted his head and looked puzzled.

"What do you mean, Ma'am?"

"Sammy, don't be simple." Sam sat up straight at the elderly woman's straight talk.

"We both know Cede is a handful. Plus she's hard headed, stubborn and bossy. Got all those things from her momma, God rest her soul. But just like her momma, she puts up a hard front to protect her soft heart. Cede is afraid of being hurt again and so she pushes everything away, whether it's good or bad. The right man for her needs to be strong enough to stand up to her. Her bark is a lot worse than her bite." Sammy was silent, as he listened to Sadie's advice. Her words echoed Mercedes' dad's words when they first came to Virginia.

"Sadie," Sam hesitated to ask the question burning in his mind, but decided to go for broke. "Do you think I am the right man for Mercedes? " Sadie smiled sweetly at Sam.

"Sammy, I really like you. You have a kind and gentle heart. But don't be a punk when it comes to my granddaughter."

Sam's brows frowned at Sadie.

"I'm not a punk, Sadie?" Sam argued quietly.

"Oh yeah? So did you tell her you love her yet?" Sam swallowed hard.

"No? That's what I thought. How do you expect her to brave about you when you're scared too? That's all I'm saying." Sam smiled and nodded his head at Sadie, feeling embarrassed at being called out by the senior Jones.

"Just pray about Sam. It doesn't matter whether I think you are the right man for her. You pray and then act. Ain't no point of praying if you don't act on it too. Ok? Now give me a hug." Sam chuckled as he embraced Sadie and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you for the advice, Ma'am. I will heed it. I promise." Sam whispered to her. Sam left the room to find Mercedes sitting on the bench outside of the room, wringing her hands. She nearly jumped when she saw Sam exit the room.

"How did it go? What did she say?" She asked anxiously. Sam smirked at her impatience and shrugged his shoulders.

"This and that." He replied nonchalantly. Mercedes balled her fist and punched him in the arm.

"You're not going to tell me? Come on, Sam!" She fumed. Sam shook his head and he walked toward the exit.

"Nope. Private. Sorry." Mercedes followed after him, trying desperately to pry some information from him.

XXXX

Sadie was released from the hospital the next day and was able to return home that morning. After making sure she was settled completely, Mercedes had a teary goodbye with her family, promising to visit as soon as possible. Sadie made Mercedes promise to bring Sam back soon as well. Mercedes' life moved in overdrive from the minute she and Sam got in car to go to the airport. Sebastian was adamant that she perform tonight in New York and was bombarding her with what needed to happen for the rest of the week. Even Sam was flooded by calls. Besides Tina wanting to know how Mercedes was doing, Matt Rutherford wanted to talk to him ASAP about a possible job offer from Blue Cadillac Label and to meet with Billy Ray Cyrus. Sam and Mercedes barely had enough time to catch their breath once their plane landed in New York. Their limo took them straight to the Trump International Hotel & Tower, where Mercedes had to meet with Sebastian and Adele, and then run to sound check.

Sam agreed to meet with Matt Rutherford that afternoon before he went to sound check. He walked into the hotel's bar and saw Matt sitting at a table near the corner. When Matt saw Sam heading for the table, he stood and extended his hand with a wide smile.

"Hey man, great news for you." Sam nervously shook Matt's hand as they sat down. Sam was afraid to get his hope high from Matt's phone call, but now the butterflies in his stomach were going crazy.

"Really? So what's the verdict?" Sam asked, trying hard to keep his voice from trembling.

"Ok, so Billy Ray is a huge fan of your work. He seriously was shocked that you were still available." Sam fist pumped his hand in the air.

"But…" Sam face dropped when he heard that word come out of Matt's mouth.

"But what Matt?" Mat put a hand on Sam's shoulder trying to calm him down.

"Nothing bad, man. Billy Ray just wanted to hear some of your newer stuff that's all. You have been working on some new stuff, right?" Sam's mind blanked. New stuff? Are you serious? I've been scratching down some stuff here and there but nothing fully except… my song about Mercedes.

"I got one song. But it's not really ready yet." Matt winced and took a sip of his drink.

"This is the thing. Billy Ray is coming to the concert tonight. Sebastian agreed to change Mercedes' song list to allow you to sing one of your songs for Billy Ray." Sam's eyes bulged.

"What! Matt, I'm not auditioning to be a singer." Sam panicked, while Matt nodded.

"I know, I know. But Billy needs to hear music played for him to get it. He needs a performance to get into it." Sam felt the sweat tricking down his face. Oh my freaking God! I can't sing in front of a crowd! And I definitely can't sing this song in front of everybody!

"I know this sucks, man. But don't kill the messenger. I'm just doing my job, you know." Matt shrugged his shoulder as he got up to leave. He wished Sam luck and promised to check in with him after the concert.

Sam sat at the table stunned. There was no way he was going to be able to write a new song before tonight. He had to sing the song he wrote for Mercedes. He suddenly thought about Sadie's words of advice to him. Maybe it's time I stop being a punk and just take a leap. Shit! Sam rubbed his face, praying he would be able to get through this performance.

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Sam just finished his soundcheck with the band for his song that night when Mercedes walked on stage. She ran to Sam and gave him a huge bear hug. Sam felt calmer just feeling her arms around him. He didn't realize how much her touch soothed him till that very moment.

"Oh my God, Sam! Sebastian told me about you singing tonight for Billy Ray Cyrus! That's amazing! I am so happy for you." Mercedes was practically jumping up and down like a little kid. Sam couldn't help but laugh at her genuine excitement for him.

"You don't mind me cutting into your diva time." He joked with her as he put down his guitar. She raised her eyebrow at him.

"Are you kidding me? I will give you two spots if you need it." Sam arched his eyebrows in surprise.

"Really? You would do that for me." Mercedes laid her hand on his chest. She could tell he was nervous and it hurt her deeply to see him doubting himself.

"Of course. You deserve this more than anybody and I believe in you." She spoke so sincerely, Sam had to grind his teeth to stop himself from tackling her to the floor and kissing her senseless. He was overwhelmed by how much he was feeling for her at that very moment. Mercedes felt the urge to kiss him too. She wanted desperately to kiss all his fears away.

"I've got to go and change. So I'll see out here on the stage later, ok?" Mercedes yelled as she sprinted toward her dressing room. Sam walked to the corner of the stage and closed his eyes. Lord, if this is the woman for me, please give me the courage to do this. Help me to be brave, 'cuz I am petrified. Amen. Sam opened his eyes and hoped God heard his heart.

XXXX

The crowd roared as Mercedes finished her cover of "I Will Always Love You." She put her hands to her lips and kissed out to the audience.

"Thank you so much everybody. You are an amazing crowd. I have a special surprise for y'all today. My very, very special friend is going to sing a song for you tonight that he wrote. So y'all sit down, squat down or lie down but make yourselves at home 'cause here's the one and only Sam Evans!" Mercedes screamed as Sam walked on stage and kissed her on the cheek. Mercedes walked to the back of the stage and watched behind the curtains, as Sam sat on the stool in the middle of the stage.

"Hi, Y'all. I am Sam Evans and I am honored to be in front of you tonight. I have a special song I want to sing to you tonight inspired by a special woman in my life. She is my icecream partner." Sam turned his head and his eyes found Mercedes at the back of the stage as she stood frozen and in shock. "Who also managed to steal my heart. So here goes." Mercedes bit her bottom lip as the light of stage dimmed.

No if, and's, but's or maybe's
So you wanna be her baby
I can read your face like a book
Yeah it looks easy to love her but believe me brother
It's harder than it looks

She's as pretty as a picture
Every bit as funny as she is smart
Got a smile that'll hold you together
And a touch that'll tear you apart
When she's yours she brings the sunshine
When she's gone the world goes dark
Yeah she's heaven on the eyes
But boy she's hell on the heart

Yeah she's good when she's bad
She's cute when she's mad
And she does all the wrong things right
Yeah boy it's a fact when they're made like that
You ain't ever gonna sleep at night

Once you feel her touch and you've felt that rush
It's gonna mess up your head
But here's the kicker son
Your old ticker's gonna beat you half to death

The crowd kept applauding as Sam waved goodbye and exited the stage. When he saw that Mercedes wasn't in the backstage area, he went to her dressing room. He knocked on the door and heard her whisper a faint response. When he walked into the room, Mercedes was facing her dressing room table with her back toward him. Sam felt his anxiety rising in his chest. He didn't know how to read her response, until she turned to face him. Her face was drenched with tears, while she bit her bottom lip. The minute he saw her face, Sam felt his whole strong persona fall to the floor. He walked to her and cupped her face in his hands.

"I love you Mercedes. I love you with my whole heart." Tears ran the side of Sam's face as his lips trembled. Mercedes laughed as she nodded her head.

"I love you too Sam. I am so in love with you." Sam crushed his lips on hers and kissed her with every ounce of power he possessed.

****Sorry for the delay on writing this chapter, y'all. I was so uninspired. But then I found out "Bram" is over and I was over the moon! The song by Sam is Hell on the Heart by the wonderful Eric Church. Love, love, love this song and thought of Samcedes immediately. Hope you all liked this update. I threw in a quote from one of my favorite movies, Walk the Line. Please review and let me know what you think! Tootles!