It was the Piston Cup final, all of Radiator Springs were there cheering on Lightning McQueen, including his 14-year-old daughter Adene. There was only one corner before the home stretch, and the Piston Cup would be as good as his. As he past the corner, Sally and Adene screamed in excitement jumping around and clapping their hands, in fact they were so caught up in their celebrations; they didn't notice the life changing terror that had just occurred.
"Miss Sally!" Mater was frantically tapping Sally's shoulder.
"What?" Sally asked turning away from her daughter.
"Dad!" Adene shouted, seeing that her father's car had been over turned and a number of people surrounded it. As she went to run to the crowd, she was pulled back by Sally. They watched as an ambulance was brought onto the track. "Mum!" Adene moaned, struggling in her mother's protective grasp, "let go!"
Sally let go of Adene's hand, she immediately ran to the crowd, working frantically to get Lightning from the car. One of them turned to Adene, "I'm afraid you're going to have to leave."
"Please, you have to let me stay," She begged through her tears.
"Who are you?" The man eyed her suspiciously.
"Adene McQueen," She answered, calming herself down a bit. Adene watched as they managed to get her father from the car, he didn't seemed hurt but she could tell that he was unconscious.
"How are you related?" The man asked, as they got him in the back of the ambulance.
"I'm his daughter." Adene said, trying to look over his shoulder.
"Come with me then," He said, getting into the back with Lightning, Adene didn't hesitate to follow him.
--
At the hospital
Adene was anxiously twiddling her thumbs in the waiting room of the Accident and Emergency ward of the hospital when she heard the long awaited 'click' of the nurses shoes on the well polished floor.
She sat on the seat next to Adene and faced her, "You father's fine, but he could still go at any moment. Where's your mother?"
Adene smiled to herself at the nurse's soft, comforting voice, "She couldn't make it."
The nurse put an encouraging hand on Adene's knee, "Do you think you're ready to see him?"
Adene nervously nodded her head; she slowly stood, "Yes. I am."
The nurse stood and tenderly took her hand and led her to Lightning's room.
Once there Adene sighed deeply at the door. "You ready?" The nurse asked her hand on the door knob.
"Yeah," Adene replied in a sigh. Slowly the door opened, she hesitated for a moment before looking around the corner of the door, where she saw her father, a heart monitor next to him irritating Adene with its continuous beat of…
Beep, beep…
"Dad?" She asked, quietly closing the door then walking to his side.
"Sally?" He asked wearily looking around.
Adene chuckled at him, "No, it's Adene."
"Adene?" Lightning asked taking her hand that was intertwined in his hair.
"Dad?" She asked once more.
"Hmm?"
"You're not gonna leave us are you?" Adene asked hopefully.
Lightning thought carefully before answering, "No."
"You'll love us forever, right?"
He chuckled before saying, "Right, especially Mater." Adene chuckled at this to.
"No, seriously," Adene said, her tone grave, "You'll always love me and mum?"
"No matter what happens." Lightning promised, stroking his daughter's hand.
"You really scared us out there today, what happened?" Adene asked.
"Well," He began, "I thought I had passed the last corner, unfortunately I hadn't. Then Chick Hicks clipped me as well, that sent the car out of control, and then everything happened to fast."
Adene lightly hit the bed, "I hate that Chick guy."
Lightning rolled his eyes, "Don't we all."
The two giggled before looking at each other, "Mum couldn't come today," Adene was the first to speak, "She'll come tomorrow."
They were silent for a moment.
"Adene, if I do go you'd finish school with Doc, never drink, and never take drugs, wouldn't you? You'd make sure Doc looked after you, won't you?"
This was a bit of an unexpected question for Adene, "Sure I would, but I don't want Doc as my dad, I want you."
"I know," Lightning said, looking at Adene, tears beginning to build up in his eyes, "but there are some things in life we can't control."
"But you can't go," Adene said, tears rolling down her cheeks, "you've gotta see me win my first Piston."
It was Adene's dream to one day win the Piston Cup, Lightning was all for the idea but Sally thought that one day that she might be involved in a life-threatening accident.
"I love you, dad." Adene said tightening her grasp on her father's hand.
"I'm not going anywhere." Lightning placed his daughters hand over her heart, "I'll always be there."
Adene looked at Lightning's blue eyes lovingly, she took his hand and placed it over her father's heart, "and I'll always be there."
They spent a few minutes saying nothing, before Adene stood and said, "I best be getting back to the guys, I promise to come back tomorrow okay?"
"Okay." Lightning picked up his jacket and handed it to her, "Something to remember me by."
She took it of him, looked at him with a worried expression and lightly kissed his cheek. "Bye dad." She said once by the door, she went to open it but realised that she had gotten no reply, the beat of the heart monitor had gone, it was just a continuous deafening beep.
"Dad?" She asked slowly stepping toward him. Finally realising what was going on she ran to him, "Dad!"
It wasn't long before the room was filled with doctors and nurses. "You have to leave, now." One of the doctors urged her out of the door; she looked over his shoulder and walked out. Adene eagerly put her ear to the door to listen to what was going on, but then she heard the words she had been dreading:
"We've lost him."
In an instant Adene's life had taken a turn for the worst, she fell to the floor and began to sob into her father's jacket, how was she going to tell her mother? For Adene, it felt like her life was meaningless, like someone had taken her heart and beaten it. The only person she had really cared about in the world…
Gone.
The only person who wanted her to follow her dream…
Gone.
Her father and best friend…
Gone.
Adene stood, put her hand to her chest, looked to the sky and called out sorrowfully through her tears of pain, "You're not there."
This story was inspired by Keane's song Bedshaped. Thank you so much for reading it!