Chapter 16. - Victory -

Lightning and Sapphire slowly drove to Victory Lane. Merida, Sophia, Riley, and Doc was there to meet them.

"I'll see you at your wedding in a few days." Sapphire said "After a tough season, I'm looking forward to having a little fun."

"Thank you Sapphire." Lightning said "You're a good friend."

"Anytime Light." Sapphire said "And congratulations on winning your first cup."

As Sapphire returned to her pits, a racing official named Tom, approached the group.

"Lightning McQueen!" Tom called to him "You forgot your drug test, we need it before we can give you your Piston Cup."

Lightning groaned, he knew that he was unable to drive to the testing tent, which was on the other side of the stadium.

"I know that you're injured." Tom said "So I'm going to make it easy on you. Instead of driving all the way to the tent for a urine sample, I'm willing to take an oil sample from you right here, right now."

"We agree." Doc said, not giving Lightning the chance to say anything "I know you hate needles. But under these circumstances, I think it's the best option."

Lightning nodded tiredly. One of the track nurses who was behind Tom drove to Lightning.

"Which of your axles don't hurt?" The nurse asked "I'll be gentle, I promise."

Lightning thought for a moment.

"My left rear feels fine." he said "You can use that one."

The nurse drove to his left rear quarter panel. She examined his axle and found an oil line that would work. With Doc looking on, the nurse rubbed a cleaner on it. Lightning was in so much pain, he didn't feel the needle as it pierced his axle. The nurse drew the oil sample without any difficulties. She drove around to Lightning's front so he could see her seal the sample in a medical specimen container. She filled out the paperwork and Lightning signed the form. The nurse then gave it to Tom.

"Perfect. It'll take a few days to get the results." Tom said as he tucked the sample away "In the meantime, we're going ahead and giving you the Piston Cup. When we get the results back, and if there are any banned substances, you will be stripped of the title and you will be punished. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I do." Lightning said tiredly "You're not going to find anything."

Tom nodded and drove away without another word. Several pittys quickly cleaned Lightning up for the ceremony.

After the pittys were done:

"Congratulations Lightning." The nurse said happily "Good luck with your wedding."

"Thank you." Lightning said "Are you married?"

"Yes, for ten years." she said "It was one of the greatest days of my life. Go on now, go accept your cup, you earned it."

"Not so fast Rookie!" Doc said "I want to put a brace on that axle before you move an inch."

One of Lightning's pit crew lifted his injured side up so Doc could put the brace on. Lightning was having difficulties maintaining his balance, so Riley moved to his uninjured side so Lightning could have somebody to lean on. There was so much swelling in Lightning's axle that it was impossible for Doc to put a brace on it.

"I have a suggestion." The nurse said "Use several heavy-duty bandages. It will stabilize his axle until the swelling goes down."

"That's a good idea." Doc said "The problem is… I don't have any with me."

"I do." The nurse said reaching into her medical kit "I'll help you put it on."

With the nurse helping, Doc tightly wrapped Lightning's injured axle.

"OW! Doc!" Lightning complained "Stop! Please… that fucking hurts!"

"Watch your mouth Kid." Doc said "There's ladies present."

"It's fine." The nurse said "I know how foul-mouthed racecars can be, and when they're injured it's worse… where do you think sailors learned how to curse."

Several cars chuckled.

"That's nothing." Merida said "You should hear dad when he hurts himself."

Riley glared at his daughter, which made Merida laugh.

"I have to tightly wrap it." Doc said "I know you; you'll injure yourself more if I don't."

Once Doc and the nurse were done, the pity lowered Lightning gently to the ground.

"Now, how does that feel?" Doc asked "Go get your cup and don't do anything stupid while you're up there."

"I won't." Lightning said "I hurt too bad to do anything other than smile for the cameras."

"I can give you pointers." Merida said playfully "I get paid a lot of money to do that."

Lightning laughed and hugged her as he headed to the stage.

Lightning drove onto the stage. He smiled at the crowd as streamers shot confetti into the air around him. The president of the Piston Cup presented Lightning with his cup and a check for two million dollars. About ten minutes later, after everyone else was given their awards:

"Lightning!" Kori Turbowitz called from the crowd "You've been trying to get here for two years. Now that you've won the Piston Cup, how do you feel?"

"I can't describe it." Lightning said, grinning at his favorite reporter "This has been a dream of mine, since I was six years old. Now that I've done it, it seems unreal."

Kori smiled at Lightning and proceeded on with her next question.

"How is your axle feeling?" Kori asked "You lost your custom-made brace."

"Doc has wrapped it and right now it doesn't feel too good." Lightning admitted, still grinning despite his pain. "I hate to cut this short, but I have a wedding to get to! I'm available to do interviews after I return from my honeymoon. Call my agent and we can get something set up."

As Lightning drove down the ramp, the stadium roared with appreciation and flashes from thousands of cameras.

Lightning stopped next to his crew chief and father. He let out a long breath as he blinked his eyes. Lightning was exhilarated, proud, exhausted, and in pain. All the conflicting emotions confused him.

"You okay?" Doc asked "I'm proud of you kid."

His voice had an odd tone to it; something Lightning had never heard from Doc before. It seemed to swell with pride.

"Yeah. I'm okay." Lightning said "I'm a little overwhelmed."

"That's understandable." Doc said "Do you need help getting back to the trailer?"

"No, I'm fine." Lightning said "But I need to go get my brace off the track."

"It's already been picked up." Doc said "You can't use it again, it's been destroyed."

"It was?" Lightning asked "I didn't think Chick and I hit that hard."

"Yeah, you did." Doc said "I was ready to beat the fuck out of Chick's crew chief. I knew he was behind that little stunt."

"It wouldn't have done anything." Lightning laughed "I won anyway."

"Yup you did." Doc said, his voice still containing the same element of pride. "Now, let's get you back to the trailer so we can get to the airport in time for our flight. I don't think your fiancé would be happy with us if we missed it."

"No." Lightning agreed "We would both be in the doghouse."

"Since this is the end of the season, you have plenty of time to recover." Doc said "Your axle should be healed in time for next years racing season."

"Can I have some painkillers or something?" Lightning asked wishfully "And I don't suppose I can talk you into taking the wrap off."

"You need to leave it on until we get to LA. Once we get on the plane, I'll give you a painkiller. I don't want to give you anything now, with all the reporters around, it will cause rumors to spread."

Lightning nodded in agreement, he winced as his axle gave out.

"Anseo mac, lean ar dom. (Here son, lean on me.)" Riley said "Just a ghlacadh mall agus éasca. Tá eitleán príobháideach, ní bheidh sí a fhágáil gan dúinn mar sin níl aon deifir a fháil chun an aerfort. (Just take it slow and easy. We have a private plane; she won't leave without us so there's no rush to get to the airport)."

Lightning leaned up against Riley as they drove to the trailers, grateful to have someone to lean on. Riley helped Lightning in to his trailer. Doc and Sophia climbed into his. Riley looked around the camp one last time before boarding a trailer where Merida was waiting on him. When everybody was ready: Mack lead the small convoy out to the interstate. The trip to the airport was quick because they had a police escort.

On the tarmac: A private jet was waiting for the convoy to arrive. She was painted a jet black (AN-do you get it, 'jet' black. please don't hit me.) Her name was Lucy and was happy to fly them to LA. Lightning hobbled out of his trailer, grabbed his overnight bag, and thanked the haulers.

"Ladies and Gentleman, welcome aboard." Lucy said as everybody started up the boarding ramp. "The weather is perfect, with no storms in our path. The flight plan is set. I'm ready to go whenever you are."

"Thank you Lucy." Doc said "We need a few minutes to get everyone settled."

"As you wish Dr. Hornet." Lucy responded as she taxied out to the runway. "Just call me on the intercom when you're ready."

Doc helped Lightning in to one of Lucy's thick comfortable seats.

"How are you doing Kid?" He asked "Are you comfortable?"

"Most of the pain has gone way, but I'm really getting stiff and sore." Lightning moaned "And I'm a little sick to my stomach."

"I'll give you something for the pain." Doc said as he reached in his doctor's bag and pulled out a vile of whitish looking fluid. "Here take this. Don't think about it, just swallow."

Lightning popped the seal and gulped the medicine down.

"Yuck, it's horrible." Lightning said as he gagged "You should have warned me."

"I know that it tastes bad." Doc said "It's a strong muscle relaxer. You should start getting some relief in about ten minutes."

As rest of the cars were getting settled, Lightning looked out the window. The haulers were leaving the airport. They were going to drive to LA for the wedding. Mack, Abby, and Daniel were offered plane tickets. All three politely refused, stating that haulers don't like their wheels leaving the ground. Doc laid a small box of viles on Lightning's hood.

"This is your prescription painkiller. I got them earlier in the day. I had a feeling that you would need them." Doc said "You can take them every four hours if you need it. I would like to keep you quiet for the next few days, but I know that is going to be impossible, so just take it easy. When you need more, come and see me."

"I will." Lightning said as he put them in his bag "Thanks Doc."

Riley took a seat across from Lightning. Doc and Sophia settled next to each other, while Merida perched on a couch and buckled herself in.

"Lucy, we're all buckled up." Doc said as he pushed the intercom button "You can take off whenever you're ready." Using her built in sensors Lucy doubled checked everyone's seatbelt.

"I can confirm that everyone is buckled up and ready to go." Lucy responded as she taxied down the runway gaining speed quickly "Ladies and gentlemen, prepare for take-off."

Lightning groaned with pain as he was pushed into his seat. Lucy powered up her engines and took to the air. After twenty minutes:

"We have reached our cruising altitude and you are free to move about the cabin." Lucy said "We'll reach our destination in about three and a half hours."

Doc looked at Lightning and saw that he was asleep. Riley opened his laptop and quietly started to read his e-mails. Merida was coloring in one of those ornate coloring books. Sophia was watching a TV show on her tablet. Doc was reading a medical book when Lightning started snoring loudly.

"Well that hasn't changed." Riley said "Lightning still snores like a freight train."

"He only does that when he's really tired." Doc said "And with the amount of painkillers I gave him, I'm not surprised."

"If you think that's bad." Riley said "You should hear his mother. *Doc laughed.* I can remember one time when Lightning was five. He came into our bedroom one night during a thunderstorm. He said that he was scared so, I picked Lightning up and put him on the bed beside me. It didn't take him long to fall asleep, snoring. Soon after that Bella started snoring as well. I didn't get a lot of sleep that night with Lightning snoring in one ear and Bella snoring in the other."

Doc laughed again and turned on the TV.

"Riley, Merida, Sophie, would you like a drink?" Doc asked "The bar is fully stocked."

"Yes, I would love one." Riley responded "Merida, what do you want?"

"A Diet Coke, please." Merida said, making Doc cock an eyeridge at her "What? I have to maintain me girlish figure. Besides, I don't like the taste of alcohol."

Doc pored everyone a drink. He sat a can of soda in front of Merida before giving Sophie and Riley their drinks. Doc and Sophia quietly watched TV until they fell asleep.

The next morning after a long flight: Lucy and her passengers arrived in LA on time. Riley was still awake and quietly working. Everyone else was woken by Lucy's announcement.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we'll be landing in LA in thirty minutes." She said "Please return tray tables and seats to their upright positioning."

Lightning woke up and hobbled to the bathroom.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Doc asked when he returned "You're not hobbling to bad."

"I'm stiff, sore, and happy that the racing season is over for this year." Lightning said as he reached for a painkiller and gulped it down. "I'm nervous that I'll be an 'old' married man in a few days."

"I know the next few days are going to be a little scary for you." Riley said "But my wedding day is one of the happiest days in my life."

Soon: Lucy landed in the VIP section of the airport. The airport had good security and there wasn't a reporter in sight. At the boarding gate: Lucy opened her doors and let everyone out.

"Lucy that was the most pleasant ride I have ever had." Lightning said "You're the best."

"Thank you, Mr. McQueen. It was an honor." Lucy said tiredly "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

One by one, everyone thanked Lucy for the ride.

COMMENTS:

Guest 2

I suspected that little shit of a pervert was gonna try and play all victim in this case.- All perverts plead that. He was mad that he got caught. He thought his money and power could protect him.

The security must of used CCTV footage and other means of evidence to back Lightning and Merida up indicating this prick's guilt.- Most people forget that there are cameras everywhere. Most hotels have every inch of public era covered by cameras.

Good that the boss apologized and understood the matter and punished his son.- It proves that not all rich people are evil. Most them are where they are from hard work and dedication.

Doc's attitude though was no help when Lightning just did this as a big brother and protector over his little sister.- Doc is just being proactive of Lightning and his image. Like Lightning said in the 3rd movie, Doc has started Lightning on his legacy and doesn't want him to screw it up.

WOW! Doc really struck a nerve feeling Merida's anger like that. – Let that be a warning to you all… don't piss redheads off! We're dangerous when we're angry.

Doc clearly can't order Lightning around here as Lightning is the main boss.- Lightning knows that Doc has his best interests at heart.

Lightning could fire Doc if he wanted to but we know he wouldn't because Doc means a lot to him.- Yep, you got that right.

Good that Riley kept Merida to a positive level before it could spill further.- Riley knew what would happen if Merida was allowed to rage on. That's why he stepped in and told her to go cool off.

Haha! That was funny Doc getting caught red mouthed- I wanted to show that Doc and Sophia's relationship is getting very serious.

Very agonizing race here but at least Lightning's bringing a win home here and taught Chick karma. You gotta love Lightning's hot head side when he said he doesn't do slow.- You know Lightning, he's cocky even when he's injured. Sapphire knows he was just playing around.

I take enough aggro as it is from the public and their senseless behaviour against the country's guideline but then they realize without people like me they couldn't get their essentials. We get some gratitude every now and then. Thank you for your appreciation. Thank you I don't believe to be enough. It's remembering those who give appreciation that matters more- Still you guys still need to be patted on the back(from a safe distance). I haven't worked in over a month and I'm starting to go a little stir crazy.

I don't know when you will but please have Merida find a boyfriend- Probably won't be this story. She might find someone in the next.

Could you please make a flashback of Lightning and Sally's first time of sex together? Could make it funny when they're overhead by Doc. See what you think- That's an idea I've been playing around with. It might happen later in the story, or it might have to wait until the next.

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.