Dottie was finishing up in her workshop for the night. Her indigo colored jumpsuit and auburn colored hair hair were covered in black spots from all her hard work that day. After Dusty had come back to town from Piston Peak, the Corn Fest was in full swing. She soon had many people coming in their planes needing some repairs. While she was thinking about that, a headache came through. She got an aspirin and popped it in her mouth. Five minutes later, however, she started feeling lightheaded. As soon she did, she felt her body knocking over a few things as she collapsed onto the floor and clutched her chest in pain. A person dressed in a red, white, and black flight suit came rushing in through the door towards her. "Dottie!", the man yelled in surprise. Dottie opened her eyes and saw him looking at her. "Dusty?", she asked. "Sparky!", Dusty yelled. Dottie saw another figure run in, but it was to blurry. Then everything went black.
Dottie opened her eyes again slowly. At first her vision was blurry, but then it came into focus. She realized that she was in the hospital lying on a bed. Around her were Dusty, Chug, Sparky, Mayday, and Skipper. "How long was I out?", she asked them. "Three days.", Dusty answered with a somber expression. Just then the door opened and a doctor came in to address them. "Dottie Hyster?", he asked. Dottie nodded her head. The doctor paused for a moment, with Dottie lifting her head closer to him. But what he said next shattered her. "You suffered a heart attack." Dottie's eyes widened in disbelief. The doctor continued. "In order to continue functioning normally, you must stop doing strenuous activities, such as your job. You will need to stay here for two weeks." Everybody else in the room gasped. Dottie was heartbroken. "I'm so sorry.", the doctor apologized with compassion. "Thank you, doctor.", Skipper said to him. The doctor nodded and exited the room. Dottie put a hand on her mouth. Tears started welling up in her eyes as the realization dawned on her: she couldn't be a mechanic anymore. Sparky immediately got up and rushed to her side, putting a hand on hers and caressing it gently with his thumb. He then ushered the others out of the room. They walked out into hallway, with Mayday closing the door.
"This is all my fault.", Dusty said in guilt, "If I hadn't been so stuck up on racing, she wouldn't have been working as hard. Now that I'm also a firefighter, my plane would need more maintenance than ever." He buried his face in his hands in anguish. "I should've never become an air racer." He abruptly walked away toward the exit. The other three followed close behind him. Once outside, they saw Dusty hailing a cab. Once it left, they hailed another one. They got in and Mayday said to the driver, "Follow that cab." The cab drove off, following Dusty's. Back in the hospital room, Sparky was consoling Dottie, who was still crying. After many years of being tough, she'd finally broken down. "It's okay, Dottie.", he whispered, "I'll be here for you." Dottie was touched by his gesture. She gazed into his steely gray eyes, finding relief and comfort in them. She noticed his hat was off and in his other hand. That revealed his slightly gray and somewhat spiky hair covering his head. His cheeks were perfectly contoured to his face, which was slightly pale yet vibrant. Dottie sat up and the bed, but Sparky pushed her right back down. "You need rest.", he told her, "I'll stay here if you want." This made Dottie smile. She wiped the tears off and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. Sparky blushed a little, and he returned the gesture. "Thank you.", she whispered. "Anytime.", Sparky replied.
Dottie then let go of him and put her feet on the floor. This time Sparky didn't stop her. Instead he helped her stand up. Once upright, Dottie wobbled a little, but she oriented herself with the help of her arms. Sparky was amazed at how Dottie could beat just about anything. He looked at the woman in front of him. Even though she was wearing a hospital gown, he imagined her wearing her jumpsuit. "Is something the matter?", Dottie asked him. Sparky snapped out his trance and shook his head. Dottie could see through his lie and gave him a quizzical look. "Okay.", Sparky relented, "I'll tell you." He put his hands in his jean pockets and shifted his feet a little. Dottie leaned in closer for his next words. He took a deep breath. That's when he finally said it. "I…like…you."