I know it hasn't been that long, but the Internet in my phone is about to go and I don't know when I can get more. So, I'll finish off the Ride part now. Again, there are two chapters. Enjoy.

Chapter 9- Lost

We never saw Megan and her family again. We never heard from them again either. Though, I do think of them every now and then and wonder how Megan was going.

Still, when we came back from the trip, I think all of us felt a lot more relaxed and refreshed. I know I did. The last couple of weeks I'd had had really improved my mood, so things didn't seem so terrible. Unfortunately, as was the way all year, whenever things seemed to pick up for us, it all came crashing down once again.

"Fudgie?" I heard a voice whisper in my ear gently. It was Luigi.

"Mmm... What?" I muttered sleepily.

"Come on, Fudgie. We need to go over to Flo's", he informed me gently.

That was the first time Luigi had woken me up to go over to Flo's ever since the accident. I was puzzled, but not concerned. At least, not until I realised that it was only 6:04 on an August morning. What was going on?

"How come I have to wake up now?" I wondered.

"Finn and Holley are here", my father answered. "They have something very serious to tell us."

Well, that didn't sound good. "What?"

"I don't know", Luigi replied. "We have to go over to Flo's and find out."

My heart was pounding as Luigi dressed me and wheeled me in the direction of Flo's. I knew there was something very wrong, but I didn't know what.

When we arrived at Flo's, I knew that there was someone missing. Luigi had said Finn and Holley were in town; I hadn't given that much thought at all. However, I noticed that Sammy was missing. Oh, God! I hoped she...

"Where's Sammy?" I ventured finally.

Everything was quiet for what felt like a long time.

"That's why we're here", Finn broke the silence awkwardly.

My heart was practically flying out of my chest.

"Uh-oh!" Lightning knew something was very wrong too. "What happened?"

"Sammy wasn't quite well for a while", Finn explained. "After a long time- after she found an... an unusual lump we were finally able to convince her to go to a doctor..."

"Oh, no!" Flo gasped.

"It turns out... It turns out Sammy has breast cancer", Holley finished.

I was in shock. Sammy- my sister!- had breast cancer? Cancer of all things?! It couldn't be real. It just didn't feel real. All I could do was break down and cry.

"How is she?!" Luigi wanted to know. He took my hand.

"She's in hospital in London", Finn answered and I think he was struggling not to cry himself, "and she's about to start chemotherapy. All we can do is hope for the best."

"She... She won't... die, will she?" I asked, even though I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer.

"I don't know", Finn replied honestly. "I just don't know."

I didn't think. I couldn't think. I just started rolling my wheelchair away from Flo's, trying to get away from everyone and everything.

I heard Luigi calling my name. "Where are you going?!"

"Just let her go", Lightning responded. "I think she just wants to be alone right now."

Lightning understood. I was thankful for that.

This was the first time I'd ever had to wheel myself on my own. I was surprised to get as far as I did. Sure, I had to stop to take a couple of breaks every now and then, but I made it to Tail Light Caverns. I guess part of the reason I got so far was because I wasn't thinking about what I was doing. I was thinking about Sammy. I was shocked and saddened by what had happened and afraid for her health. Why was it that every single time I thought things couldn't get any worse, they did?

I parked my wheelchair inside the caverns to shelter from the rain that had just started. I felt a sense of comfort as I watched it falling down in sheets, my mind still on Sammy. I still didn't know how to respond to her horrible cancer, apart from being shocked and sad, of course. I just knew it was a little more complicated than that because-

BOOM! I was pulled from my thoughts as I heard a clap of thunder. The rain picked up a little and I felt myself grow colder. Maybe I should move in a little. So, I did. I continued to roll through the caverns. It wasn't much warmer in there, but at least I was dry. I just hoped I could find my way back.

It was a dime that did it. It was a beautiful, shiny dime that was gleaming on the cavern floor.

"I'm rich!" I cried as a joke. Still, I was excited at the prospect of finding money, no matter how much.

For some dumb reason, I thought I could try to pick it up. I guess it was because it was on the heads side up and I could do with all the good luck I could get. You'd think that's what the dime gave me, but instead, it was just the opposite. As I was bending down, I found myself on the ground, rolling down a small ditch.

"Owww!" I moaned.

I tried to get up. I had never been able to stand up since the day of the accident. I hadn't even been ready to start physical therapy yet. It hurt and I couldn't even move an inch! I wasn't able to do it. Of course, I wasn't able to do it. Now, I was stuck here. At least, until someone came by to save me.

Time went by differently while I was stranded there. I remember falling asleep as I often did. I remember convincing myself that somebody would come soon, so I listened carefully for any engines or voices, but I couldn't hear anything. Even so, that didn't stop me from calling out in case someone heard me.

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLP!" I hollered, only to my echoes. "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLP!"

There was still no answer. So, I started to cry.

I felt cold and scared and alone, being stranded there, but when I fell asleep, I realised that I wasn't alone at all.

"What have you done, kiddo?" I heard Doc ask me.

I laughed along with him. "I'm glad you're here!"

"Yeah, well, I didn't come alone, kiddo", he informed me. "Someone else is here to help me make sure you're all right."

"Really? Who?" I wondered.

A young woman appeared from the shadows.

"Sammy!" I exclaimed.

"Here." She pulled off her jacket. "I think you need this more than I do."

"Thanks, Sammy", I muttered drowsily. Her jacket was a thick black leather jacket, so it felt really nice and warm.

"No problem."

There was just one thing I had to know. "You... You're not dead, are you?"

"Of course not!" Sammy assured me with a laugh. "What? Do you think I need to be dead to be with you in spirit?"

"Guess not..." Still, it seemed like people often were.

I felt a little better when I woke up. I couldn't see Doc or Sammy anymore, but I knew they were there. Plus, I swear I felt a little warmer, thanks to Sammy's jacket. Maybe I was going crazy or something, I don't know.

Like I said, time went by differently in the caverns. It felt long. I guess that's because I was cold and hungry and thirsty (thank God I was right near a hole in the cave ceiling and I could drink water that way!). On top of that, I couldn't have my medication while I was stranded in there, which meant I was in so much pain. God! It just kept coursing through my body and it was horrible!'

"Nobody's coming!" I wept. There wasn't anybody there, but I felt like I was talking to Sammy and Doc. "I'm gonna be stuck here forever!"

"Don't lose hope!" they kept telling me on several occasions. "They'll find you."

"How do you know?!" I demanded. "How do you know they'll find me?"

"Because they will never stop looking until they find you!" Doc and Sammy insisted. "They're your family. And you never give up on family!"

I hoped not.

"Your family are all looking for you", Doc insisted.

"That's right", Sammy agreed. "RJ's here now. He's helping everyone look for you."

I sighed. "I just wanna go home."

"Try to take your mind somewhere else", Doc suggested.

"Okay..." I closed my eyes and tried to imagine myself as a racer.

Pretty soon, I forgot all about the caverns and whether or not anybody would ever find me. All I was thinking about was being up on Lightning's roof, feeling that rush of moving two hundred miles an hour and hearing the crowd roar and chant our names.

"Lightning McQueen and Fudge Rossi-Topolino are leaving the competition behind so fast, they've barely had time to blink!" Bob Cutlass observed excitedly.

"We've never seen this kind of speed before!" Darrell Cartrip added. "Or skill! Fudge Rossi-Topolino has absolutely delivered in that department. Lightning McQueen sure can rest easy!"

"Fudge, Fudge, Fudge, Fudge!" the crowd chanted.

"Last lap!" I called to Lightning. "We got this!"

"Heck yeah we do!" he yelled, gunning it.

As we made our way around the track one last time, I dreamed that I'd been able to narrowly prevent Lightning from being involved in a monster pileup by guiding him in the best direction at the last moment. Then I dreamed that his spoiler was coming off and it was up to me to reattach it while still moving at two hundred miles an hour. The crowd were anxious, fearing that I was going to go flying. However, I managed to stay on and get Lightning's spoiler sorted in a matter of seconds. That launched the entire stadium into cheers and prompted the commentators to shout excitedly. The cheers kept going as Lightning shot across the finish line first.

"YES!" I pumped my fist into the air.

"It's Lightning McQueen and Fudge Rossi-Topolino for the win!" Bob Cutlass observed.

"We won!" I squealed, looking at Lightning. "We won!"

Lightning hugged me. "You were great out there, Fudge-O!"

I blushed. "Really?"

My brother laughed. "Do you even have to ask that question?"

He gestured to the stands where thousands and thousands of cars were chanting, "Fudge, Fudge, Fudge, Fudge!"

"Fudge! Fudge!"

I opened my eyes slowly. That was really happening. Someone was calling my name! I listened carefully. The voices had stopped. It was silent. I closed my eyes and fell asleep again.

I must've only been asleep for a few seconds because the next thing I heard was engines. Someone was here! Was I finally getting out of here? I hoped so! Wait! Were the engines going away from me rather than towards? That's what it sounded like.

"So... You really don't think Fudge'll be in this Enchanted Forest?" I heard a familiar voice question. It was was a young southern accent. RJ? So, it was true! Sammy was right! He was here!

"I really don't", I heard Lightning sigh. "If you want the truth, I think someone might've taken her. It's the only way to explain how she's managed to get so far away."

"Let's go to the Enchanted Forest."

The engines started to disappear.

"But I'm right here!" I called out. My voice was hoarse and weak. "Come back, come back!"

They didn't hear. Of course they didn't hear.

"Come back!" I started to cry.

I was gonna be stuck there forever!

"You promised!" I found myself yelling at Doc and Sammy later that night. "You promised they'd find me!"

The two exchanged a glance.

"It's gonna be all right", Sammy insisted.

"What am I supposed to do now?" I demanded. "Lightning was here and he didn't find me! They're not coming back! How am I gonna be found now?!"

Doc smiled. "You just leave that to me, kiddo."

I had no idea what Doc had in mind. Still, I felt a little bit better when I woke up, trying to convince myself that Doc would take care of things. Only a little bit, though. How could I be sure of that? There are times when I see Doc in my dreams and I believe that he's really there, watching over me. Sometimes, I'm not so convinced. I want to believe it, though. I need to believe it.

I needed to believe I was gonna get out of this cave too. I was cold and hungry for the first time since the accident. I was thirsty too, but I knew it could've been a lot worse if I wasn't directly under that hole in the ceiling. I'd been able to drink rainwater a little bit, but not enough to stop me from being thirsty. I hated it here.

I did what Doc said and tried to take my mind somewhere else. I closed my eyes and pretty soon, I was racing again. Lightning and I were flying into the lead. It felt like we were literally flying, anyway. Lightning did a huge jump, like one I'd seen him do on FlewTube back in his rookie days. I had the biggest smile on my face as we rode through the air. The landing was a little rough, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.

"Yeah!" Lightning hollered gleefully. "Ka-chow!"

"Ka-chow!" I echoed with a laugh.

Lightning laughed too. I knew I shouldn't really be saying ka-chow; that's always been Lightning's thing, but sometimes, I can't help myself.

"Let's go win this thing!" Lightning exclaimed.

"Yeah!" I agreed. "Let's go, Lightning!"

As soon as I said the word Lightning, lightning lit up the sky and I jumped. It seemed to get colder too. Did Doc really have something planned? I wasn't so sure now. Alone and afraid, I found myself singing a song that I remembered hearing, but I don't know where.

I paused. I thought I heard something. It didn't sound like the usual sounds I'd heard while I'd been in the caverns like rain, thunder, howling winds. Was that an engine? I thought it was, but I knew I had to be careful not to get my hopes up. Please, God! I begged. Please let it be an engine! Please let someone be here!

"Fudge!" I heard a voice call out. "Fudge!"

I knew that voice. "Lightning?! Is that you?!"

"Fudge!" I heard him sigh with relief. "Thank Chrysler! Yeah, it's me! Listen, sweetie. I can't see you. I'm gonna try and follow your voice."

I told the story of how I got stranded in the caverns until he found me. As soon as I saw him, I started crying. So did he.

"Fudge!" he wept. "Oh, I am so glad to see you!"

"I'm so glad to see you!" I responded, tears running down my face. "I didn't think you would come back! I was asleep, but then I heard you leaving and I called you. I thought I'd never get found!"

"Ssh, ssh, ssh!" Lightning whispered soothingly. "It's all right, Fudge-O."

He radioed for help before he climbed into the ditch to get me out.

"I'm gonna pick you up now", he explained to me gently. "I'm gonna get you out of here."

I couldn't help moaning in pain a little as Lightning scooped me up onto his hood.

"Sorry!" he apologised.

"It's okay", I assured him. "It's not your fault."

"The emergency crew are gonna be waiting for us outside", Lightning explained to me as he started the slow climb out of the ditch.

"Why?" I wanted to know. "Aren't you gonna take me home?"

He didn't answer, so I just remained silent until he got out of the ditch.

Waiting for us outside were Sheriff, a bunch of forklifts and a helicopter, who must've been part of the rescue team and Luigi and Guido! Both of my fathers were crying.

"Fudgie!" they cried, smothering my face with kisses. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm okay!" I insisted. "Really!"

That didn't satisfy anybody because they all continued to fire question after question at me.

Finally, Lightning intervened. "Guys, I think Fudge is a little overwhelmed right now. I promise I'll explain later."

Thank God he did that! I was exhausted and sore and cold and hungry and thirsty. I just wanted to go home, but...

"The only place you're goin' is the hospital", Sheriff informed me.

"The hospital?!" I repeated. "No! Why?!" Hadn't I been to hospital enough this year?

"We just want to have you checked over", one of the forklifts explained. "We want to make sure you're okay."

I didn't like it. I didn't like one bit. Still, I had no choice but to let the forklift take me in his arms and take me over to the helicopter. The forklift wrapped me up in a blanket as he got me settled into the helicopter. The blanket instantly helped me warm up. I think that may have helped with this, but I was so exhausted that, during my helicopter flight, I let sleep take over me.

Did any of Fudge's racing dream seem a tad familiar?

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