Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Glee.
Beta Credit goes to the infinitely fabulous jlbassmaster.

The Plan That Actually Worked
Chapter Twelve: Accidents

A week after Rory's birthday and Sam was already busy planning a Valentine's Day surprise. This one, however, had him stumped. After spending all his money on a passport and a ring, he was left with next to nothing. He just stared into the empty envelope that usually contained his savings before tucking it back inside his sock drawer and sighing dramatically.

Kurt appeared in the open doorway to Sam's bedroom.

"What's the matter, Sam?" Kurt asked kindly, entering the room.

"God, I spent all my money on Rory's ring and my passport. I'm not going to have enough to get him anything for Valentine's Day," Sam answered mournfully.

"Sam, you know you don't actually have to buy him anything. He'd be fine with just watching a movie together. That's what Blaine and I are doing," Kurt said, trying to reassure.

"I know, but it's our first Valentine's Day together, and I really want to make it special."

"Sam," Kurt said, playfully. "You could do anything and he'd love it, because he loves you so much."

The blonde smiled widely at Kurt. The slender boy patted Sam on the shoulder and walked out of the room.

-xXxXx-

Rory was toweling his hair dry as he walked into his bedroom. He went over to his dresser and pulled on a pair of boxer briefs. His phone beeped from his nightstand alerting him of a missed message. He'd missed a call from his mother. She'd called nearly every day since his birthday. He padded over to the phone and dialed his voicemail.

His mother's voice was frantic. He could tell she was crying.

"Rory, you need to come home! Immediately! Seamus has been in an accident. Call me as soon as you get this message!"

Rory's breath caught in his throat. He dialed his home phone number urgently; there was no answer. He tried his mother's cell phone, again receiving no answer.

He began to hyperventilate and quickly dialed Sam's number.

All Sam could make out was "Seamus" and "accident" through Rory's panic. He grabbed his coat and drove at warp speed to the Pierce's, letting himself in the front door, and proceeding directly to Rory's room.

He opened the door and saw Rory sitting on the floor with his knees pulled tightly to his chest, hands over his face. The hitching sobs coming from deep inside the Irish boy sounded almost painful. His entire body was trembling convulsively. He quickly wrapped his arm around Rory's bare shoulders and tried to relax his posture.

"Hey, baby," Sam murmured into Rory's ear. "Calm down, baby. Shhh..." He slid his hand along the younger boy's arm soothingly. "Come on, sweetheart, you have to breathe."

Sam was starting to get genuinely worried. It was very obvious that Rory was having a panic attack, and he had no idea how to help him. "Rory, baby, look at me."

He obliged and pulled his hand away from his face. The broken expression on his face was enough to strike physical pain into Sam's heart. Rory began to babble again as he had earlier on the phone with Sam. The blonde tried his best to make out more of the story.

"Voicemail...Seamus...accident...no answer..." he choked out, his voice breaking and hitching in strange places.

Sam was lost, but suddenly, a realization hit him. It started with something about a voicemail. He looked around the room to locate Rory's phone, finding it lying at Rory's side, the back and battery scattered around it as though it had been dropped on the ground in a panic. He quickly pieced the phone back together and dialed Rory's voicemail, squeezing his boyfriend tightly to his side as he made the phone call, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his still damp hair and rocking him gently.

He punched in Rory's voicemail password and listened to the message left by Mrs. Flanagan. Everything clicked together easily after that. Rory had tried to call his mother back and hadn't gotten an answer.

At least he had something to work with now. "Rory, come here," he said quietly, pulling the boy fully into his arms and continuing to rock him comfortingly. Rory rested his head in the crook of Sam's neck and cried, his voice and breathing hysterical. Sam slid his hand across Rory's bare back. "I'm going to find out what's going on, okay? Just calm down. Here," Sam soothed, standing up and lifting Rory off the floor. He carried him across the room and set him gently on his bed. He quickly ran into the adjoining bathroom and got a cup of water.

"Drink," he insisted, holding the cup to Rory's lips. He remembered how his mother would give him a glass of water whenever he was crying the way Rory was. The Irish boy sipped the water, and it actually seemed to help. Even though the tears continued to stream freely down his cheeks, the sobs eventually began to sound less painful before subsiding almost completely.

Sam set the cup on the nightstand and slid onto the bed next to Rory, pulling him into his arms and stroking his fingers across his tear-stained face. "It's going to be okay, baby. I promise. We'll find out what happened and then we'll go from there, okay?" Sam made his voice sound as confident and calming as possible. For the first time, Rory nodded. Sam breathed a sigh of relief that at least the worst of Rory's panic had subsided. He kissed the younger boy on the top of his head, nuzzling his chin into Rory's dark hair.

"T-Thank you, Sam," Rory stuttered out, his voice thick and exhausted. His breathing was still erratic and hitching.

"Don't thank me, baby," Sam answered softly, kissing his boyfriend's hair again. "Just relax, okay?"

Rory nodded tiredly and wilted against Sam's side.

Sam lowered him down until he was mostly reclining, his head still resting against Sam's chest. Sam let his own head fall back against the headboard. He hoped that Rory would just fall asleep at his side. It looked as though he was going to get his wish as the Irish boy's eyes had slid closed. Sam continued to run his hand across Rory's bare skin calmingly, glad that exhaustion had won out over panic. Rory's body stopped trembling and began to relax beneath Sam's hand.

Sam waited until he heard soft snores coming from Rory before picking up the phone he'd tossed onto the bed and dialing Rory's mother's number. Finally, she answered.

"Rory? Why didn't you answer your phone?" Mrs. Flanagan chastised frantically.

"Ma'am, this isn't Rory. This is Sam. Rory was in the shower. He tried to call you back, but you didn't answer. What happened?" Sam tried to speak in a hushed, even tone as not to wake Rory.

"Where's Rory?" she asked insistently, panic barely concealed in her voice.

"He's right here, but I'm not sure he could talk right now," he answered. "I just got him calmed down. He fell asleep."

"His brother is in hospital," she said quickly. "He fell down the stairs. He hit his head and they think his leg is broken. He hasn't woken up yet. There's swelling on his brain."

"Oh my God, do they think he's going to be okay?" Sam asked seriously.

He heard Mrs. Flanagan's voice catch as a sob threatened to break free from her throat. "They don't know. I just want my Rory here."

"He needs to be there," Sam stated earnestly. He glanced down at the sleeping boy in his arms. "Don't worry about Rory, Mrs. Flanagan. I'll take care of everything."

"Thank you, Sam," she replied breathlessly.

"Don't thank me." His voice was thoughtful as the contemplated what he had to do in order to get Rory home. "Just go take care of Seamus. Rory will be home soon."

"You are an angel, Sam," Mrs. Flanagan said, her voice thick with emotion before disconnecting the call.

Sam slid out of Rory's grasp and set the phone on the nightstand before climbing out of the bed. Rory stirred for a second before relaxing again. Sam kissed him gently on the forehead, covering his mostly naked body with a blanket to stop him from getting a chill. Sam wasn't going to be gone long. He was sure he'd be back well before Rory had slept off his exhaustion.

He tiptoed to the door and shut it quietly behind him as he set to fulfilling his promise to Mrs. Flanagan.

-xXxXx-

"Sam," Rory said incredulously, looking over the ticket that Sam had put into his hand. "Where did you get the money for this?"

"Don't worry about it. All that matters is that you get to go home to see your brother. He needs you right now."

Sam had already packed a bag for Rory. It was waiting when he'd woken up. The blonde calmly explained what had happened to Seamus and why he needed to fly home. Rory nodded and Sam pulled him into his arms as a few stray tears slid down his cheeks. He was better in control of his emotions now that he at least knew what had happened to his little brother.

"Come on," Sam said, shouldering the bag he'd packed for Rory and taking his hand. "You're going to miss your flight if we don't hurry."

Rory just continued to stare with a confused expression on his face as he followed his boyfriend out to the driveway and climbed into a truck that wasn't Sam's.

"Where's your truck, Sammy?" he asked, climbing into the open passenger's side door. "Isn't this Finn's?"

Sam ran his fingers through his hair nervously. "Uh, yeah. My truck's in the shop," he lied quickly. "Finn let me borrow his to take you to the airport."

"Oh," Rory said, satisfied. "Well, that was nice of him. I know how much he loves his truck."

Sam felt terrible for lying to Rory, but he figured that the ends justified the means. Truthfully, he'd taken his laptop to the pawn shop but hadn't gotten enough money from selling it to buy a plane ticket. The broker had looked over the counter and eyed his truck parked outside. It had been easier than Sam would have ever dreamed to accept his offer. He'd emerged from the shop with enough money to send Rory to Ireland plus a bit of extra cash to tuck inside his luggage in case there was an emergency.

Sam towed Rory quickly to the security gate. He checked his watch before pulling the younger boy into his arms.

"I'm going to miss you so much," Sam murmured into Rory's ear. "Call me every spare second you get, okay?"

"Okay, Sammy," Rory replied, his voice thick. Sam knew he was on the verge of tears again. "I'm going to miss you, too." His breath hitched, and Sam squeezed him tighter.

"Don't cry, baby," Sam comforted, sliding a hand across Rory's back. "You'll be back soon. Remember, you've got an open-ended ticket, so you can come back whenever you want to."

Sam had shelled out the extra money to assure that Rory would be able to come back to Lima on a moment's notice in case something happened. A twinge of pain panged inside Sam as he thought about the idea of Rory being around his father. Sam had wanted to accompany Rory on his trip back home, but he just couldn't scrape up enough money.

"I know, Sammy. I love you so much," Rory said, swallowing thickly against the lump in his throat and tightening his hold around Sam, resting his head on the blonde's shoulder.

"I love you, too, sweetheart," Sam said quietly. The moment seemed too intimate to speak above a whisper.

Rory pulled away and looked at Sam, a tear sliding down his cheek. Sam brushed it away with his thumb and pressed a soft kiss to Rory's lips. He lifted the carry-on bag from where it sat on the floor and put the strap over Rory's shoulder. The Irish boy watched with a lost expression. Sam could see that tears was threatening to escape from his blue eyes, so he put his hands on either side of the younger boy's face, holding him firmly, and kissed him lovingly. He slid his thumb across the apple of Rory's cheek.

"Don't cry baby. It's going to be okay," Sam tried to smile reassuringly, hoping that Rory wouldn't notice how forced it seemed. Sam had to be strong right now, for Rory's sake. "Just call me when you land in New York, alright?"

"Okay, Sammy," Rory said, his voice bordering on being a pained whimper. "I love you."

Sam wrapped his arms around Rory again and kissed him chastely on his small lips. "I love you, too, Rory."

Sam watched the plane take off from the observation deck before walking numbly back to Finn's truck. He was scared beyond all explanation of what was going to happen between Rory and his father. He fought tears all the way back home.

-xXxXx-

"What's the matter, kid?" Burt asked as Sam came through the front door, his cheeks tear-stained.

"I had to...I had to take Rory to the airport. His brother was in an accident and they don't know how he's going to make out. I'm so scared..." Sam said, dropping onto the couch as though his legs couldn't support him anymore.

"What are you scared of? I'm sure Rory will make it home alright." Burt said, trying to be comforting through his confusion.

"It's what's waiting for him at home that I'm scared of. His father is-" Sam tried to find the right word, finally giving up and settling for something less articulate. "His father is not a good person."

"What do you mean 'not a good person'?" Burt sat up in his easy chair, looking pointedly at Sam, his face abruptly serious.

A strange bond had been forged between Burt and Rory. He loved the way that the Irish boy always bounced around the house cheerfully. Rory was always quick with a helpful suggestion or a joke. Plus, no one else in the house would watch NASCAR with him except Rory, who couldn't get enough.

Sam sighed deeply and steeled himself to reveal a secret that wasn't really his to tell. "Rory's father says that he's not welcome in his house anymore." Sam's voice shifted from sadness to bitter fury. "He said that he didn't want Rory 'infecting Seamus with his disease'," he spat out, his hands balling into tight fists. Sam took a deep breath and continued, his voice thick with concern. "I'm so scared that his father is going to hurt him. I wanted to go with him, but I couldn't get enough money to send us both or-"

"You bought his plane ticket?" Burt asked, shocked.

"I promised his mom that I'd take care of him," Sam said, shrugging dismissively. "I'm just keeping my promise."

"How did you get the money? I thought you spent all your money on that ring you bought for him."

"I, uh, sold some things," Sam hedged. He hadn't exactly wanted Burt to know how he'd paid for the ticket. "It's alright, though. He's going home to be with his brother. That's all that matters."

Burt shook his head in disbelief. "You are a damn good man, Sam. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Burt," Sam said, blushing at the commendation.

Burt sighed and slapped his hands against his thighs. "Alright, here's what's going to happen. I'm going to buy you a plane ticket and-"

"No, Burt. I couldn't ask you to do that," Sam said quickly. Burt threw his hands in front of him to silence Sam.

"You're going to work off the cost at the garage. I need all the help I can get. You need to be with that boyfriend of yours right now. Here." Burt reached into his wallet and took out a credit card and placed it into Sam's hand. "Go on. Get to where you need to be, kid," Burt said, smiling.

"Thank you so much! You have no idea how much I appreciate this!" Sam said, launching himself off the couch and running to his bedroom. He arranged his flight and packed a bag at the same time.

He made a final phone call before getting in the car with Burt to ride to the airport for the second time that day.

"Hello?" A confused voice answered.

"Mrs. Flanagan, this is Sam Evans, Rory's boyfriend. Rory is on a plane headed home right now. I hope it's alright, but I can't let him go alone. I'm on my way to catch a plane right now."

Her voice sounded relieved. "Thank you, Sam," she breathed. "Of course you are always welcome here."

"Thank you, Mrs. Flanagan. Could you do me a favor, though?"

"Of course, dear, anything," she said easily.

"Don't tell Rory."

A/N: Reviews always make my whole day! :)