Author's Note: A year and a half ago I made a Tumblr post about wanting a Cars 3 fic where everything was the same except Doc was there. So that's pretty much what this is. Part movie novelization, so some lines will be the same as they are in the film, and part character study, as Doc is the main character here and most of the focus will be on what he's thinking and feeling.
I apologize that this first chapter is mostly exposition, but that will change later. I started with Lightning's crash and worked backward. The title for this is a line from a 1974 Harry Chapin song called Cat's In the Cradle.
It was one of the few times in his life Doc Hudson knew true fear. The kind he could feel all the way through his chassis. As soon as Lightning McQueen hit the wall, it seemed as if time stood still for Doc. Watching Lightning barrel roll over the track was giving Doc flashbacks, but that he could handle. What he was having trouble dealing with was seeing it happen to a car that had become one of his closest friends.
When Lightning finally came to a stop, time resumed, and Doc raced out to where Lightning was. As soon as he got close the medics blocked his path. He angrily protested, informing them that he was Lightning's primary physician as well as his crew chief. Doc wanted, no, needed to assess Lightning's condition for himself. However, it was to no avail. Doc was forced to watch, along with Mater & Sally, as the medical team got Lightning stabilized enough to transport.
Angry tears were threatening to flow, but Doc wouldn't allow it. Keep it together, Hud, he thought to himself. Lightning was out of his control for the time being and right now he had to be strong for everyone else, especially Mater & Sally. He hoped to whomever might be listening that it wouldn't end here.
This season had started much like the ones preceding it. Lightning McQueen was still at the top of his game, with several wins and top 10 finishes. Then partway through the season, everything started to change. A rookie named Jackson Storm seemingly came up out of nowhere, consistently winning race after race. In response to this, every week more and more cars were being replaced by younger racers similar to Storm. The "Next Gens", as they were called by the media. By the end of the season, Lightning was the only veteran racer in the field.
Doc had to hand it to Lightning's sponsor though. The two brothers, Rusty & Dusty, who owned Rust-eze seemed to be loyal to a fault. They could have easily replaced Lightning a while ago, but they stuck with him. The Hornet had to wonder if Lightning realized how lucky he was.
It wasn't as if Lightning lost all his confidence either. If anything, he and Doc trained harder than ever, but it didn't seem to help. Lightning hadn't won a race since Jackson Storm started dominating the track. For the first time since he started racing, Lightning was feeling totally out of place, and he wasn't the only one. Doc felt more and more out of his element as Lightning's discouragement grew. After all, Doc never had to deal with this. He was forced out of racing long before the rookies were ever a real threat to him.
Then something happened during this final race. Lightning briefly found himself in the lead after beating Storm out during a pit stop. Storm had no trouble overtaking him and that seemed to be the end of whatever was left of Lightning's confidence. The shock caused Lightning to slow down while the next few racers passed him. Doc called Lightning's name over the headset to try and snap him out of his reverie, but it was as if Lightning had shut out the rest of the world. Doc heard Lightning's desperation over the headset as he started to chase Storm back down. Doc was still trying to get him to calm down and focus. He knew Lightning was pushing himself too hard, which could lead to a disaster if it kept going that way.
As it happened, Doc couldn't break through the kid's tunnel vision. Lightning ended up losing control and slamming into the wall, which sent him flying, while Doc's world crashed along with him.