Chapter 15. - Lightning Learns His Lesson -
Once Lightning was outside, he grinned and raced down the road, not just going over seventy, but way over one hundred. Lightning heard Sally call to him, but he ignored her. Lightning sped through the tight turns. On the last turn, an intense spasm of pain ran down his axle to the point that he saw stars before his eyes. Lightning winced and immediately slowed to a crawl. Sally quickly caught up with him.
"WHAT IN THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?" Sally raged "ARE YOU TRYING TO GET HURT AGAIN?"
"Sorry, I wasn't thinking." Lightning said, looking down at the pavement "I'm so desperate to race….I-I-I…"
"It's not me you need to be sorry with." Sally said angrily "It's yourself and Doc! You're like a son to him. Doc has worked his bumper off to get you better! So what do you do?… You disobey him the first fucking chance you get!"
"Sally, I…" Lightning said "Don't know what to say."
"I don't want to talk to you or be around you right now!" Sally said curtly "I'm heading back to the hotel. I think you need time alone to think about your actions."
Without another word, she angrily switch gears and tore down the road. Lightning sighed and drove slowly back to Radiator Springs.
"Wow! Sally's really, really mad at me." Lightning said to himself "It's been a long time I've heard her drop the f-bomb outside of making love. Why do I do stupid things? *sigh* I'm trying to change, but it's a lot harder then I figured."
Once Lightning reached town, he went to see Mater. Mater was dragging tires around his lot.
"Hey Mater." Lightning said glumly "What are you doing?"
"Hi'a Bud!" Mater said "Is'n practicin' my towin skills… I was wonderin' when you was gonna wake up!"
"I'm awake." Lightning said "I wish I wasn't though."
"Why?" Mater asked, Lightning hesitated "Come on you can tell me… that's what best buds are for."
"I was doing something stupid." Lightning said "And now Sally is mad at me."
"I sure am sorry Bud." Mater said "Maybe we can go tractor tippin', that cheer ya up!"
"I can't Mater." Lightning said "I'm trying to stay under seventy miles per hour and I don't think that'll outrun Frank."
"Aw that's okay Buddy." Mater said "I just hope you get ta feeling better!"
"Thanks Mater." Lightning said "I have to find Sally."
"I just saw her!" Mater said "She didn't say nuthin' when she drivn past me. She just went and sped down the road."
"Thanks Mater." Lightning said "I'll come back later, maybe we can watch a movie or something."
"That's great!" Mater said as he wagged his tow boom happily "Bye Bud!"
Lightning drove distractedly down the street and into the Cozy Cone's office, where he found Sally sitting behind her desk still fuming.
"I'm really sorry Sally." Lightning said, not making eye contact. "I was really stupid to do that."
"Yeah, you were." Sally said, driving around her desk to face Lightning "I hope you have learned your lesson."
"I can see it in your face." Lightning said "You hate me."
"No I don't, I love you; it would be easier if I hated you." Sally said as she grabbed Lightning under his chin and made him look at her. "If you don't shape up and listen to Doc, I could change my mind about our relationship."
"You being mad at me nearly killed me." Lightning said "If that isn't love I don't know what is… I don't like fighting with you. I always lose."
"You have to remember I'm an attorney and I like a good fight." Sally said "In a fight, women fight from a dreadnaught and men fight from a dinghy."
"How are the new Cozy Cones working out?" Lightning asked trying to change the subject. "They look great."
"They are already booked for the next three months." Sally said "When your mom is here she stays in the biggest one."
"That sounds like her." Lightning said "Did she tell you when she would be back?"
"No, Bella said that she had to go home." Sally replied "Something about a car named Brody… She was very upset about having to leave before you woke up."
"Brody is my brother." Lightning said "He's always in some sort of trouble and has a rap sheet longer than my trailer."
"Oh!" Sally said "Is your brother older or younger?" "Older." Lightning replied "By five years.
Brody has issues though." "Like what?" Sally asked curiously "If you don't mind me asking."
"Anger management mainly. It doesn't help that he has a poor taste in women… The last girlfriend I know about was a stripper/prostitute." Lightning said "As far as I know, he's had five kids with six different women, He can't or won't support any of them."
"That's too bad." Sally said "So you're saying he's a deadbeat father?"
"Yeah, pretty much. It doesn't help that he can't hold a job for more than a couple of weeks." Lightning explained "My younger sister, Merida, is totally opposite. She's had the same job since she was sixteen. She's sweet, loving, and cares about everyone."
"I'm surprised that Brody didn't pick on her." Sally said "Or did he?"
"When she was little he did." Lightning explained "But when Merida was five, she started taking karate lessons. It wasn't long until she could defend herself… In fact, there was one time I can remember mom taking Brody to the hospital because she had broken his left front axle. After that, he pretty much left her alone."
"So what does she do?" Sally asked "You really haven't said much about her."
"Merida works for a modeling agency. She's also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador." Lightning said scrolling through his phone "Here's a picture."
Sally saw a red and black Viper ACR on the phone's screen.
"Is that a spoiler?" Sally asked "Does she race too?"
"No, that was just part of the outfit she was wearing." Lightning said "I've seen Merida wear all kinds of crazy stuff. The last time I talked to her, she was in Tokyo for a show… that explains the funky spoiler."
"You're probably right." Sally said "How often to you talk with her?"
"Once or twice a month." Lightning said "It depends on how busy we both are. When I was stuck in the hospital, I spent a lot of time texting and talking with her. As soon as Merida gets some free time, she wants to come and visit."
"I would like to meet her." Sally said "Do you know where Brody is?"
"I don't know exactly." Lightning said thoughtfully "The fact that mom had to go home, makes me think he got arrested and thrown into jail… but who knows."
Lightning yawned hugely.
"Why don't you go take a nap." Sally suggested "I'll get you up in a few hours."
"I don't want to take a nap this late in the day… I won't sleep tonight." Lightning said as he parked himself on the couch "Harv has sent me a few endorsement contracts. If you don't mind, I'll just sit here and go over them."
"That's fine by me." Sally said "It's time for the housekeepers to go home for the day."
Lightning pulled his tablet out as Sally rolled out the door. Twenty minutes later: Sally returned to the office. She was not surprised to see Lightning asleep on the couch.
"I had a feeling he would pass out." Sally chuckled to herself as she drove to her desk "He's not as strong as he thinks he is."
A few hours later: Doc rolled through the doorway.
"You're back earlier than expected." Sally said "Do you want to wake the great snoring lump? *she pointed to Lightning* He's been asleep ever since we got back."
"That doesn't surprise me one bit. He's not as recovered as he thinks he is… Hey Kid!" Doc said as he shook Lightning vigorously "Wake Up! I have some news for you."
"Ok, ok!" Lightning said while yawning "Give me a minute, I'm kinda stiff."
Lightning yawned and stretched before hobbling to the bathroom.
"It turns out the judge is a retired physician. It made explaining Lightning's injuries go a lot faster." Doc said as Lightning came back from the bathroom "I'm happy to report that he approved our evidence, so I scheduled the hearing."
"That's great!" Sally said "Where is it being held?"
"In our courthouse." Doc said "I told the judge that Lightning is unable to drive very far. I told him that the team transporters are taking a well-deserved vacation."
"That they are." Lightning said "So when does our hearing start?"
"In a month. I tried to get it scheduled sooner, but the judge already had cases booked." Doc said "Anyway, I've got to get going. Sheriff has an appointment with me in an hour. We are working out security issues."
"Bye, Doc!" Lightning and Sally said in unison "See you later!"
"Bye Kids." Doc said as he headed out of the doorway "Oh Rookie, Willy's Butte, six tomorrow morning. Don't be late."
"Got it." Lightning said, grinning widely "I'll set my alarm."
A month later, a few days before the hearing started:
Hundreds of reporters, dozens of media satellite trucks, and a mountain of racing fans descended on Radiator Springs. Just outside the town, a tent city was created. Because Duncan expected this onslaught, he had contacted the state police and asked for assistance. Radiator Springs police force increased from twenty five officers to well over two hundred. While it was hard to get around town, the residents didn't complain because business was booming. For the first time since Sally had bought the Cozy Cone, it was completely booked. The phone still rang constantly. Lightning offered his cone to Sally.
"Are you going to help me clean out my cone?" Lightning asked, looking at the guest list "You gonna need it later today. My mother used to tell me that I had the messiest room on the planet."
"The housekeepers tell me the same thing." Sally laughed "Come on, let's go."
She playfully drove to Lightning's cone. It wasn't bad this time, more cluttered than anything else. They put most of his personal items into a storage shed. Lightning's painkillers, other medicines, and anything else he wanted to keep with him was put into a suitcase. Lightning took the suitcase over to Sally's apartment and left it by the door. He was staying with her until the trial was over. Sally promised that he could have his cone back when everyone left. When Sally and Lightning were done cleaning out the cone, they headed to the office. Which was a good thing, because no matter what Lightning did, there was always a reporter asking for a comment or interview.
Late in the evening: Sally handed over hotel operations to the night manager. She and Lightning then headed for her apartment. As Sally cooked supper, Lightning unpacked his suitcase.
"What are you fixing for dinner?" Lightning asked once he was done unpacking "It smells good."
"Spaghetti and meatballs." Sally said "Since you're going to be stuck in here, I went to the store yesterday and got plenty of food… I don't know about you, but I'm already tired of photographers sticking their cameras in my face when I'm trying to do something."
"It's almost as bad as reporters sticking their microphones in your face." Lightning responded "We need to watch the news tonight. I did make one comment to a pack of reporters. I just want to see if it makes the news."
"Light, we've talked about this." Sally scolded "We wasn't supposed to say anything about the hearing."
"Technically, I didn't say anything about the case." Lightning said "Don't ask, just watch."
As they sat down to dinner: Lightning turned the TV on. The TV station in Phoenix was the closest thing they got to local news. While Lightning's hearing was the top story, they didn't show any clips.
"Crap! I was hoping they would show it." Lightning complained as the evening news wrapped up "I'm gonna try one of those twenty four hour news channels… Maybe they will have it. *Lightning flipped through the channels.* Ohhh! Here's one, and they're talking about me."
He turned up the volume.
"… Thank you Janice, that was fascinating." The anchor car said facing the camera "And now we go to Art, live in Radiator Springs."
"Thank you Jack, I'm Art Livingston, I'm in the small town of Radiator Springs. As you probably know, the hearing involving Lightning McQueen and Chick Hicks is set to start in two days. I got a chance to speak with McQueen earlier today. Here's what he had to say. *Cut to the clip* … And what's your response to that?"
"I have nothing… Wait, here's my response." Lightning said, appearing to swallow a few times "*belches massively, lasting about five seconds.* That's all I'm going to say… tell you what, pepperoni pizza doesn't taste good the second time around!"
In Sally's apartment: Lightning laughed so hard he fell off the couch.
"Stickers! That was gross!" Sally scolded "Turn the TV off I don't want to see anything else."
Still giggling, Lightning turned the TV off.
"Hopefully that will teach them a lesson." He said "And they'll stop sticking their microphones in my face."
"I doubt that." Sally said yawning "I'm taking a shower and then I'm going to bed… it's getting late, you should head to bed too."
"I'm going to load the dishwasher." Lightning said "Then I'll be in."
Sally nodded as she headed to the bathroom, Lightning gathered up the dishes and headed to the kitchen.
Early the next morning: Lightning was awoken by someone shaking him. He opened his eyes and saw Doc standing by the bedside. He knew that Doc had a key to Sally's apartment and let himself in.
"Come on, get up." Doc said "We'll talk outside, I don't want to wake Sally."
Lightning groaned sleepily.
"Could you give me a moment, I'm incredibly stiff this morning." He said "And I have to pee."
Quietly Lightning hobbled to the bathroom and relieved himself. Once he was done, he wandered out to the living room were Doc motioned for Lightning to follow him.
Once outside:
"It's still dark." Lightning said groggily "What time is it?"
"Four thirty." Doc said "Sunrise is in an hour."
"Why did you get me up this early?" Lightning asked "I thought you said training was at six?"
"I did. Because there are so many people around, it will be tough for you to do any training." Doc said "However, if you train early in the morning, there isn't a lot of people around to bother us. It's the one reason Duncan set up the tents on the other side of town. I had lights brought in, so you can train when it's dark."
Fifteen minutes later, Lightning and Doc arrived at Willy's Butte. Lightning stretched all his axles, saving his front right one for last. He stretched it gingerly, exhaling loudly when it hurt. As Lightning stretched, Doc activated the generator. All the lights flickered on a moment later. While the lights didn't make the track bright, there was more than enough light to see.
"Are you ready?" Doc asked, Lightning nodded "Go ahead and do your warm up laps. I'll tell you what you're doing after that."
Lightning headed to the track.
"I have good news; my axle doesn't hurt, it just aches." Lightning said as he finished his warm up laps "What are we doing today?"
"Today and for the rest of the month we're working on endurance." Doc replied "You're going to go around Willy's Butte as many times as you can at seventy miles per hour."
"Only seventy?" Lightning exclaimed "I'll be out here all day!"
"You'll be surprised Kiddo." Doc said "These first few days are going to be really rough." Lightning nodded and headed back to the track.
Thirty laps later: Lightning had to stop.
"You okay Rookie?" Doc asked, looking mildly alarmed "Talk to me, what's wrong?"
"I…can't…breathe!" Lightning said, struggling to get the words out "And my hood is pounding!... My axles feel like they're on fire!"
"You pushed yourself too hard. Come on; let's take a slow lap around the track. *Lightning nodded and drove slowly around the track with Doc.* Hopefully, you'll gain endurance quickly. My bet is you'll be up to seventy laps in five or six days."
"I hope so." Lightning said still taking deep breaths "I don't remember being this out of shape."
"You'll get there Kiddo. You'll get there." Doc said as he smiled encouragingly at him "Now we are going to my office and discuss your new racing strategy."
Doc powered down the generator.
"You want to discuss my racing strategy?" Lightning asked yawning "What's wrong with the old one?"
"I'll get to that." Doc said "Now come on."
Lightning accelerated to catch up with Doc, who was already moving away. Pain shot through his right front axle and Lightning stumbled.
"I saw that." Doc said "Is it your axle?"
"Yeah." Lightning said "It's very sore."
"That's another reason why we're heading to my office." Doc said "I want to check it out."
Lightning gingerly followed Doc to the hospital, wincing whenever pain shot through his axle.
"It's a little swollen, but it looks like it's healing." Doc said ten minutes later "I have some new stuff that'll support it while it heals."
Doc got a container from the shelf and drove back under the examining table to apply it. When the substance touched Lightning's axle, he shuddered. "Cold?" Doc asked, Lightning nodded "That means it's working. It'll take a few minutes to dry. It should be soft and flexible but supporting. It'll last a week before you'll need to have it reapplied."
"My axle feels better already." Lightning said "So, what's my new racing strategy?"
"Well… You have a more powerful engine than you were born with, so once you're back into shape we'll increase the horsepower." Doc said, eyeing Lightning with a shrewd look "You have to take it easy. I know you're hot-hooded. This is going to take months. I almost didn't get you the top of the line engine because of your mentality, but I decided to trust you. Do you promise to keep a cool hood?"
"Yes." Lightning said as he thought about his fight with Sally "I'll do whatever you tell me to do."
"Good." Doc said "Just remember, it's not me you're hurting when you do something stupid, it's you. We're done for today. Head back to Sally's… I'll see you later."
COMMENTS:
Guest 2
Hahahaaaa! Oh you just love the feeling when you're free after all that time being confided to a bed for days. Lightning's still got his energetic side from his excitement and wanting to get back in to training so enthusiastically. Shame his training's gotta wait. Sally's so beautiful and Lightning's so sexy they can't keep their lips of each other. Doc's a bit of a spoil sport but then he had the mocking coming.- Doc is learning to live with "his kids". He can't blame them, he was like them when he was their age.
I know in court cases there is a chance the accused will try by any means to lie but Chick's not going anywhere near the track again.- No comment.
Chick's lawyer needs a good scolding if he pulls off anything beyond Sally's comfort zone- I know hat I said that there is one chapter left before the trial, but I miss counted. there's this chapter and the next chapter before we get to the trial. I think you'll like the next chapter, Lightning and Sally have an short "session" before breakfast.
I do not own Cars or any of its characters. PIXAR AND DISNEY CLAIM THAT RIGHT. READING ENJOYMENT ONLY
Please read and review! I need criticism and encouragements! Rated M for language and sex.