Ben ran up to Sally almost out if breath! Sally's eyes widened seeing Ben like that. "I found him." He said. Sally's heart stopped. "He's alive, he's fine. He's gonna be fine." Sally was beyond thankful. Ben lead Sally through the halls. "Where was he?" she asked. "Is he hurt?" was her follow up. Ben caught his breath and explained it all to her. "He was brought in unconscious while I was in a surgery.. Now he had to have a few stitches and he's suffered a little amnesia. But he's okay. He needs to stay here for the day for observation. But he can leave tomorrow morning if his psyche evaluation goes well." "Thank you! Thank you so much Ben! I.. Wait? Did you say psyche evaluation?.." Sally asked a little confused. Ben sighed.
"He has... um.. specific scarring uh.. marks around his neck and some minor swelling inside his throat. He was severely dehydrated and weak according to his charts.. Those kind of injuries didn't happen from the accident." He whispered. Sally shook her head and asked "What are you saying?" Ben tried further explaining "Okay... The bruises on his neck are healing. Probably no more than a week old.. Look, legally, the hospital will need to call the police for this. They'll want to talk to him after the psyche evaluation. But he shows some signs associated with um.. Well with being strangled." Sally was just shocked.
"How would you even know that!?" She asked kind of rudely. Ben sighed and tried to explain quickly as he had his own paitents to get to. "The light bruises and redness concerned his doctor and they said his breathing was off because of assumed smoke inhalation from fire at the accident. They noticed further injuries from his.. From outside pressure to his neck, his throat. Someone strangled him. His doctor can explain it to you better with more time than I have, I have to get back to work." Sally couldn't believe this!? Who would do that!? So she nodded and thanked Ben again. They stopped at a door where Ben pointed to it. "Well.. I'll leave you two for now.. Don't worry, I'm not his doctor and he'll be okay. You take care Sally.. Oh and he's probably a little hyped up on pain killers at the moment.."
Ben turned and left. Sally opened the door and there he was! this entire time! Lightning looked asleep and so peaceful. Sally closed the door and walked closer muttering "Lightning.." He immediately opened his eyes and turned to see her and he smiled. Sally's eyes teared up immediately seeing his smile and those blue, blue eyes! She ran over and wrapped her arms around him! "Oh Lightning! I thought the worst!" Lightning wrapped his arms around her to. Holding each other tightly as they were finally reunited after two weeks and this ordeal!
"What happened to you!? Do you remember the accident?" Sally asked. Lightning shook his head answering "I remember I wasn't in the accident.. At least I don't.. I don't remember being in it.." Sally hugged him again tightly!. "I thought I might really had lost you this time Stickers!" Lightning was surprised to hear that name! "I'm sorry.. But I'm okay Sally.." He assured. Sally pulled away and wiped her tears. She brushed his hair back a little to see the stitches on his forehead. She was careful not to hurt him. Lightning took her hand and gripped it tight "I love you Sally." Oh those words never sounded so sweet! "I love you to.. I love you Lightning.. You need to know that!" she replied warmly and began crying.
Lightning pulled her close comforting her. "Don't cry.. Please don't cry, I'm okay!" he assured again. Sally nodded and explained "I can't help it!.. I just.. I'm so glad you're okay!" They relished in this moment for a few minutes but Lightning then asked about the kids. Sally's eyes widened! "I need to call my dad and your mom." she sat up and grabbed her phone. Holding Lightning's hand tightly with one of hers all while she called them both to tell them the good news...
Sally stared at Lightning and finally brought it up "What happened these last few days.. This past week. You have been.. Avoiding me and those.. The bruises around your neck.. What happened?" she asked. Lightning stared at the woman he loved. Hesitant to tell her everything that happened this past week. "Come on Lightning.. You're going to have to tell the police and a psychologist anyway. So.. So you might as well tell me." She was serious and seriously concerned. Lightning swallowed nervously. It felt like a knot was growing in his stomach and coming upwards. He shook his head before answering "I'll talk to the police and some psychologist and whoever else I have to but I'm leaving you out of it."
Sally's eyes widened surprised with the firmness in his voice. "You can't be serious?" she scolds a little there. "I'm.. I need to know." she whined. Lightning sighed and definitely disagreed "No, you don't." "Yes! What are you afraid of? I can protect myself and I can help protect you! I mean.. As a couple we need to fight together! We have to be strong together ans stand together. I can be right there with you Light. I can and we need to be on everything together!" Lightning shook his head and snapped at her "Stop it! I said no! We don't have to fight together? You aren't even my wife yet!" Sally was just.. So.. So shocked by that remark that she stopped talking for a moment.
Sally is just in awe. Lightning might had just snapped because of the injury and medicine he was on but it still hurt. So she walked to the chair in the corner and sat down. Lightning saw it. He saw he hurt her and that upset him some so he tried to explain. "Sally... Keeping you safe is my first priority. And to do that, means you don't need to know everything going on right now.." Oh but she was still mad and still silent. She did give him a nod and crossed her arms sitting there. Lightning hated that he hurt her like that and he didn't mean to. But he didn't want her to know what he had done the past week...
It was late morning. Someone knocked on the door. Sally woke up and looked to Lightning and asked "You want me to let them in?" Lightning sighed and shrugged. Sally nodded and walked over to the door. It was a kid. Well I say kid but just one the young racers. He was in a wheel chair and being pushed by a nurse. "Oh good.. You're up." The kid said. Lightning and Sally really didn't know who he was exactly. The mid was red haired with freckles. All bandaged up. "I.. I wanted to thank you Mr McQueen." he said softly. He was in pain. Lightning didn't reconize him. "Because of you I.. I got out alive. You saved my life out there.. I couldn't be more grateful.." Sally raised a brow and looked at Lightning. Lightning didn't remember this and replied "Think you have me confused there with someone else uh.." "Reb.. Reb Meeker and no I don't. I'll never forget your face." Lightning stared at the kid trying to remember...
Lightning had just pulled into the pits when a loud crash was heard from behind in the turn! "Storm hit another car! And there's fire on the track!" Sirens blared! Lightning screeched to a stop and quickly got out the race car. A few other racers quickly pulled over and watched as the horror unfolded! Cars running through each other, piling up, fire spread! BOOM! The earth shook as two cars collided in an explosion! Racers were pinned inside their cars and then ran through by another!
Lightning tossed his helmet down and ran! He ran toward the crashing machines! He wasn't the only one. EMTs, other drivers, pitties, all ran to save drivers that were either pinned, unconscious or dying or even dead.. Lightning ran up to a race car and pulled the netting down! The kid inside was panicking!
"Hey! Hey what's your name!?" Lightning yelled! The kid was to much in a shock like state to answer! The car was in smoke and steam and pinned against another car that was leaking fuel. That wasn't good. "Uhh... I'm gonna get you out!" Lightning yelled and began to loosen the buckled straps around the crying kid. Lightning was having trouble and glanced to the side of him where a pretty good distance another racer was doing the very same thing he was but yelled toward the ambulance "Hey! Hey he's not breathing!" Lightning was trying not to panic as he tried to free this kid.
He looked at the top of the car and it read MEEKER. Lightning looked at the kid and asked "Are you Reb!? Reb Meeker right!?" The kid nodded, shaking in fear! He yelled something but Lightning couldn't understand it through the kid's helmet. The other racer trying to get the other racer out waved for help toward EMTs when suddenly a race car ran straight into him with painful screeching! That's when Lightning realized the severity of this! He literally watched a smoking race car going around 80 minimum plow over a man! The kid whined and begged loudly "Don't leave me!.. don't leave me to die please!" Lightning was frozen for a moment. In just shock and fear. "Please, I don't want to die!" Reb cried and then began taking off his helmet.
Lightning snapped back and hit the roof of the car and yelled "Hey! Leave your helmet on! You hear me! Leave it on! I'm gonna get you out!" Lightning worked quickly as he crawled into the window partially and into the kids lap undoing the belts with the emergency latches. Reb was free but in a lot of pain and couldn't get out on his own. Lightning helped the kid out the window and Reb fell to the ground. They weren't out of danger yet! Lightning stood up and looked around for just a split second. The kid tried standing up but Lightning stopped him then waved for help! An EMT saw him and grabbed a gernie and started toward them.
Lightning knelt down and assured Reb "You're gonna be okay, okay? You're gonna be fine. Leave that on." he ordered, referring to the helmet. When Lightning stood back up he suddenly felt a hard hit to his head. He stood there dazed for only a second before he dropped! Reb motioned for the EMT to come faster! "Hurry!" he yelled! Two EMTs came and one asked "Did you see what happened to him?" seeing Lightning unconscious on the ground. Reb quickly took off the helmet and answered "Some peice of debris hit him in the head! You gotta help him! He saved my life!"
The EMTs pulled Lightning and Reb out of there. And in time because the car Reb's was pinned with lit fire and caught his up to in an explosion! The medics strapped Lightning on a gernie and put him in the ambulance and sent him off, sirens blazing!...
"You saved my life.." Reb repeated.. "You risked your life for me and that means a lot. Means more than you know to my family.." The nurse pushed Reb up to Lightning where Reb grabbed Lightning's hand tightly and in tears he thanked him countless times. Lightning nodded and Reb was taken back to recovery. Sally stared at Lightning. Ofcorse he risked his life for some kid. That's who he was. Not the bad guy.
Sally smiled a little as she sat on the end of Lightning's bed complimenting "Pretty brave what you did for that racer." Lightning glanced at Sally for a moment then asked "Can you turn on the tv? Rsn? I don't quite remember everything.. Did?.. How many died?" Lightning asked. Sally took a deep breath and shook her head answering "I.. I lost count." Then handed Lightning the remote where he then flipped to rsn and watched the news reporters on the scene. The track was like a battlefield now. Smoke still fogging up the air. Cars unrecognizable. Metal and glass and marks and dirt everywhere. Even the safety fence had been breached. Still, no news of an exact count. Just that 22 racers were in the actual accident, 4 died on impact and at least 12 people that tried to help were injured, including Lightning. This was one of the saddest days in racing. One thing the news did show was that this started with Storm.
"Hey Sal,.. Do you know if Dan made it out?" Sally nodded and smiled answering "I do remember his name being called out. He's in recovery." Lightning nodded. That was good. "What about Storm?..." Lightning asked suspiciously. Sally snickered and answered "Last I heard he was in I.C.U. Jerk caused all of this.." Lightning frowned but reminded "This is part of racing Sally.. These things happen.." But Sally only crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. She looked exhausted.
"Come here.." Lightning begged with his arms out. Sally got closer and he pulled her up in the bed with him, tightly cuddled up together. "I love you.." He whispered. Sally nodded and kissed his hand. Lightning pulled her chin up and finally kissed that soft and sweet lips hr had been missing! Their lips parted in a smack. Lightning's hand rubbed down her side and hip. "You look pretty good in these hot pink scrubs by the way." He was flirting. He couldn't possibly know how good it was to hear him be himself like that! "Really? The scrubs are doin it for ya?" Sally asked with a little bit of a giggle. Lightning nodded and kissed her neck playfully. Her giggle was the most beautiful sound right now.
"Get some rest Stickers.. You're gonna need all your strength after you get out of this hospital." She joked. Lightning smiled and sighed. "You better rest to than.".He replied. Sally rolled her eyes and just loved being with him right now in this moment. Cuddled up against him, feeling the warmth of his body, the thud of his heart beating. He was alive, he was okay. But still she wondered what happened and who tried to kill him? Why wouldn't he tell her? What was he hiding? Why didn't he think she could keep herself safe?...