Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Glee.
Beta Credit: jlbassmaster

This was actually one of my favorite chapters to write. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. :)

The Plan That Actually Worked
Chapter Thirteen: Hospitals

Rory had been sitting in the hospital waiting room for over six hours. His nerves were shot, causing him to jump at every sound. The doctors insisted that visiting hours were over, but Rory couldn't bring himself to go home, so he sat and waited for the doctors to let him back in the room. Even though Seamus isn't conscious yet, Rory can't leave him alone. If he woke up, he'd be so scared. He knows how much his little brother hates hospitals.

When Seamus had to get his tonsils removed when he was four, he'd cried his eyes out, clinging to the front of Rory's shirt as the nurses assured him that he wouldn't feel a thing. A stern, overweight nurse turned around and the light glinted off an IV needle. Seamus whimpered, terrifed at the needle and pressed himself closer to Rory. Even at age ten, he'd been fiercely protective of his baby brother.

"Don't let her stick me, Rory!" he'd sobbed. "I'm scared!"

The nurses stepped forward to pry the little boy's fingers from his brother's shirt, but Rory squeezed him tighter. Determined not to let that nurse and her needle anywherre near his little brother, he'd panicked and scooped Seamus up into his arms before turning to run toward the door. The nurses weren't able to stop him before he made it to the hallway.

Unfortunately, in his hurry, he'd forgotten to look where he was going and ran smack into his mother. Her shocked expression quickly shifted to anger as she realized what was happening. She picked Seamus up from the ground and shot a leveling glance at Rory before carrying her youngest son back to his hospital room. He'd gotten four whacks with the belt for that stunt.

As soon as Seamus had come out of his surgery, Rory had been by his side.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop them from taking you," Rory said, looking at his feet, disappointed that he'd let his brother down.

"It's okay, Rory," Seamus rasped, his throat sore from the operation.

"Here, I got you this." Rory reached into his pocket and pulled out a stone. "I know you like rocks and this one sorta looks like a heart, so I picked it up." He offered the rock to his brother who took it and smiled brightly.

"Thank you, Rory! I love it! It's beautiful!"

Seamus leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his big brother. Rory hugged him back tightly.

That's why, right now, it was almost painful to be so far away from Seamus. Rory wanted nothing more than to run into his little brother's room and hold his hand. He knew there was nothing he could do to make him better, but he needed to be doing something. Sitting alone in a waiting room was going to drive him insane quickly.

His mother had disappeared after getting a phone call. She'd been cryptic about her reason for leaving, but Rory didn't have the strength to question it. It was only now that he wondered where she'd gone. She said she'd be back in about a half an hour, and that was an hour ago. He sent her a quick text message asking where she was and sighed.

Rory glanced down at his hand and inspected the ring on his finger. He spun it idly with his thumb. It brought him a degree of comfort to know that Sam would be waiting for him when he went back to Lima. It seemed as though the only constant thing in his life was Sam. He looked at his watch and calculated what time it would be in America. It was late, but he needed to hear Sam's voice. He took a deep breath and dialed the number.

As soon as he hit the button to place the call, he heard the distant sound of a phone ringing echoing through the hallway. Rory tapped his foot as he waited for Sam to pick answer. The sound that rang through the hallway was getting closer. Rory's head snapped up; he recognized that ringtone. It was the ringtone that was set for whenever he called...

He threw himself out of the chair and ran to the open door to look into the hallway to spot the muscular blonde walking quickly toward him, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he saw Rory. The brunette ran to close the gap between himself and Sam, launching himself into his boyfriend's strong arms.

"Sam! Oh my God!" he cried, snaking his arms around Sam's neck and kissing him urgently. "What are you doing here? How did you...?"

"Don't worry about it, baby. I'm here and that's what matters right now, okay?'

Rory nodded seriously before a frantic squeak flew out of his mouth and he had to kiss Sam again.

Mrs. Flanagan cleared her throat nearby causing Rory to quickly break the kiss and look at her, wiping his mouth guiltily, blushing. He couldn't hide the smirk on his face if he'd tried. "Sorry, mammy," he said, looking down at his feet. Rory's mother giggled under her breath, shaking her head.

Even though there was so much uncertainty over nearly every aspect of his life, now that Sam was there, Rory knew that, one way or another, he was going to be able to handle it; he was going to be okay.

-xXxXx-

Rory had fallen asleep against Sam's side, so Sam put his arm around Rory's shoulders and pulled him impossibly closer, pressing a kiss to the top of his hair.

"Rory couldn't ask for a better boyfriend, Sam," Mrs. Flanagan said quietly, reaching over to take Sam's hand. "I'm so glad he found you."

"I'm glad he found me, too. I love him, Mrs. Flanagan," Sam said plainly. It seemed important to say the words aloud. He was sure that she knew, but he'd never said it to her in so many words before. "I love him, and I'll never let anything hurt him. I swear. That's why I couldn't let him come over by himself. I couldn't imagine leaving him to face his father alone." Sam's voice was low and serious.

Mrs. Flanagan nodded sadly and patted Sam's hand. "Thank you."

"Does he know that Rory's back?" Sam asked, struggling to keep his voice even, to not let his hatred for Rory's father seep into his tone.

"No," she said simply, her own voice tense. "His father left for work this morning after the doctors said there'd been no change in Seamus' condition. Nothing keeps him from his job, but he's going to be here soon. He gets off work in an hour, and he said he's coming directly here." She brought her hand to her mouth and began anxiously chewing on her thumbnail. Sam reached forward and took her hand, pulling it away from her face.

"It will be okay, Mrs. Flanagan," Sam promised. "I'm here. He won't get near Rory."

Tears began sliding down the woman's cheek as she was suddenly overcome with emotion. She covered her face with her hands.

"What's the matter?" Sam asked, putting his free hand on her shoulder.

"I've tried so hard to tell him that Rory is still the same. That he's always been this way. The only difference is that now we know, but he won't listen. He's still our son, our baby," she sobbed brokenly. "I just don't understand how he can hate his own son. Rory is beautiful and kind. He always has been. How could anyone possibly hate him?" Sam had to struggle to make out the words through her tears.

Sam's gaze shifted to the boy sleeping peacefully against his shoulder. He stroked his fingers across his cheek.

"Mrs. Flanagan, Rory is so much stronger than you know. He knows that you and Seamus love him more than anything else in the world, and that's enough for him. He told me that one day, he hopes that his father will accept him, but until then, he's okay."

"You've helped him so much, Sam," she said, her voice a bit stronger. She looked up into Sam's eyes. "I don't think he could have made it through all this without you."

Sam nodded seriously, but he couldn't find his voice. He knew that her words were more than likely true, but he couldn't bring himself to think about the implications of them.

She cleared her throat and stood up quickly. "Well, I'm going to go get a cup of coffee," she said, clearly trying to change the subject by abruptly ending the conversation. Sam was thankful. He couldn't bear to think about Rory 'not making it through' anymore. Rory was warm and relaxed against his side and that's what mattered right now. Sam nodded, giving her a small, forced smile as she departed the room.

He leaned down to press another kiss against the top of Rory's head before leaning into the side of the chair and drifting off into an uncomfortable sleep.

-xXxXx-

A sudden jolt to Rory's chair woke him up and very nearly sent him tumbling to the floor. The only thing that saved him was Sam tightening his hold around him at the last second. He looked up quickly to see the source of his sudden awakening and met the furious eyes of his father.

"What the hell are you doing here, boy?"

Sam shifted protectively in front of Rory. "Don't talk to him like that," he warned. "He's here to see Seamus. Leave him alone."

The man ignored Sam and continued to attack Rory. "I told you that I never wanted to see you again. You're a pervert and I don't want you anywhere near my son," he spat.

The set of Rory's jaw made it clear that he was trying very hard not to cry, determined not to give his father the satisfaction of knowing how deeply his words cut. He swallowed against the lump in his throat and spoke. "I'm not going anywhere. Seamus needs me right now."

Sam squeezed his hand, proud that he'd stood up for himself.

His father reached forward with his fist raised, making an attempt to grab Rory by the arm and wrench him out of the chair, but Sam jumped between them, shoving the man and causing him to stumble back a few steps. "Do not touch him," Sam growled through gritted teeth. Though the words were hushed, the rough darkness to Sam's words was enough to send a chill down Rory's spine. "You'll hit him, but I bet you wouldn't try to hit me."

The man hesitated, his fist still raised aggressively, for a moment before dropping it in a huff and storming out of the room. Sam took a calming breath, wondering if he realizes how close that confrontation was to a fight, before turning around to face Rory. His face was frozen in a mask of shock.

Sam sat down beside him, pulling him back into his arms and cradling his head against his chest. "Baby," he soothed. "It's okay."

Rory buried his face in Sam's shirt as the tears began to fall. Sam rocked him gently but said nothing. Because, really, what is there to say? He just slid his hand across Rory's back as he cried himself out against his chest. Thankfully, his father didn't come back for round two and Rory eventually fell back to sleep. Sam just held his boyfriend close and watched him sleep.

-xXxXx-

Sam had been sharing a cup of coffee with Rory when Mrs. Flanagan came running into the room.

"What's going on, mam?" Rory asked, standing up, his voice concerned.

"He's awake!" she gushed. "I told him you were here, and he wants to see you. You too, Sam." Her voice was bright and her eyes sparkled with excitement, a smile stretching across her relieved face. Sam couldn't help but return it. He hadn't noticed before, but Rory had his mother's smile. He took Rory's hand and allowed himself to be dragged down the hallway.

Rory paused outside the door and turned to look at Sam. He rocked forward on the balls of his feet to press a quick kiss to the blonde's lips before pushing the door open, bringing into view a slender brunette boy sitting, propped up, in the hospital bed, his leg encased in plaster and elevated on two pillows. In person, the family resemblance was even more striking than it had been via webcam. His blue eyes lit up as he spotted Rory in the doorway.

"Rory!" he cried, opening his arms to invite his brother in for a hug. Rory crossed the small room in a few short strides and wrapped his arms around his little brother. Mrs. Flanagan came to stand next to Sam, placing her hand against the small of his back and smiling as her two sons embraced.

"Seamus, what happened? How did you fall?" Rory asked in a rush. He'd been holding in all his questions since he'd first received the phone call from his mother and now they came flying out before he could stop them.

The younger boy's eyes flitted across his mother and Sam anxiously. Mrs. Flanagan took the hint that Seamus wanted to speak to Rory privately and excused herself from the room. Sam came to stand by Rory's side.

"I don't remember much about falling, but I remember sitting in my room working on my homework when da came in and started yelling. I didn't do anything, but he pulled out the belt and I ran. He chased me out of my room, and I looked behind me and I guess I tripped."

Rory inhaled a sharp breath and balled his hands into tight fists at his sides. The rage that was suddenly radiating from Rory was very nearly tangible. His eyes were sparkling with fury and a look of vindication, as though he'd known the answer all along. Sam stood frozen at his side, completely unsure what to do. Seamus shifted awkwardly at the change.

"R-Rory?" he asked, trying to meet his brother's eyes and reaching out to take his hand.

Rory shook his head quickly to try and dispel his fury, or at least make the attempt to school his expression into something less angry. He looked down at his brother lying in the hospital bed and found the strength to calm himself down. He needed to be there for Seamus right now.

He smiled and turned his head to look at Seamus. "I'm sorry," he said with a forced brightness. Seamus returned the smile and launched into a story about he'd gotten in trouble at school for dropping a Cherry Bomb down the toilet in the boy's lavatory.

Rory smiled and laughed in all the right places, but Sam could still see the tension in his shoulders. He reached forward and grabbed Rory's hand. Rory took his hand and squeezed back with a tightness that betrayed his calm exterior. When Seamus turned his head to look out the window, Rory shot a glance at Sam that caused a shiver to slide down his spine. He'd never seen that sort of pure hatred in Rory's eyes. Sam knew that as soon as Rory was away from his little brother that all hell was going to break loose.

Seamus contined to babble on about everything that Rory had missed while he was in America, asking for little input from his brother until they were interrupted by a doctor knocking on the door.

"We're going to take you down for another x-ray now that you're awake," she said cheerfully. Seamus nodded, smiling.

"Those machines are cool!" he offered excitedly.

Instead of smiling, Rory was struck again by his anger. Seamus never hurt anyone. He was always cheerful and funny. It was his father's fault that he was in the hospital, his fault that the kind boy was injured. Sam bit his lip anxiously. He knew that soon, Seamus would be taken away and Rory was going to explode. The moment came too soon.

"Alright, boys," the nurse said. "You can come back in later. I'm going to take Seamus down to Radiology."

Sam took Rory's hand and nodded. Seamus smiled at them as they walked out of the room, and only Sam was able to return it.

They'd no more than stepped into the hallway when Rory dropped Sam's hand and lurched forward to connect his fist to the wall. Sam flinched at the force behind the punch but didn't intervene. He mentally made a note to inspect Rory's hand later, because there was no way that he hadn't just broken his hand.

Rory turned to face Sam, opening his mouth to speak. He was interrupted before he began by a voice coming from right behind him.

"What are you doing here, boy? I thought I told you to stay away from here."

A feral growl tore out of Rory's throat as he spun on a dime to face his father. Sam reached out to grab Rory's arm and restrain him, but didn't catch him in time. And with a resounding crack, Rory's fist connected with his father's nose.