17
Caleb
Adelaide isn't anywhere. Where is she? She's supposed to be here, but she's not. This isn't good. However, it alerts everyone scattering around in the room. I mutter under my breath. "Adelaide's gotta be alright out there."
Adelaide hasn't visited us for a while since she ran away, but no one has any idea about her wherabouts. It seems like she vanished out of thin air after the race in Charleston. Mom, Dad, and Zachary spend time in my hospital room.
Mom approaches me. I should've not muttered like that. She knew something's up with me tonight. I try facing down as she zooms in further. Mom gives a brooding look.
"Are you okay, Caleb?" Mom asks.
"Yep," I say.
"That doesn't seem like a 'yes' to me. Are you sure?"
"Why is Adelaide not here? Shouldn't she be here?"
"I don't know where she went. I don't even know why she's not here," Mom says.
Why doesn't anyone know where Adelaide went?! Wait, she probably didn't tell any of us, and she…She probably isn't fine, and I'm not as fine as well. She's out there somewhere, but where? Where could she be?
"I miss her," I start to cry.
"Should I get Zach and Dad?" Mom says.
"Sure."
"Stickers, Zach, Caleb needs you," Mom glances at the other direction.
Dad and Zachary approach my lift near Mom. They look ready to panic. Are my worries concerning them? Maybe, worrying about Adelaide might cause more harm than good, but I can't help it.
"What's wrong with Caleb?" Dad asks Mom.
"Adelaide, again. I don't know where she went, and I don't even know why—" Mom says to Dad.
"Adelaide's nothing but dead to us! She ran away from us! She doesn't care about you, she doesn't care about Mom, and she doesn't care about anyone else! She only cares about herself!" Zachary interrupts both of them.
"Zachary, that's enough!"
Zachary storms out of the room, and Mom follows. That wasn't nice. That wasn't really nice of you to say about our sister. I stare in disbelief. Adelaide loves us and means well, but she's just…
Mom returns with Zachary, and Zachary follows. I sigh and stare in disbelief. Zachary continues on screaming in the room. Mom tries to stop Zachary from making it worse. Oh, boy, here comes the big blow.
"I'm just telling Caleb the truth! What's wrong with that?!" Zachary says to Mom.
"You're calling your sister out for everything she did wrong! Can't you consider the things she's done right?! She's probably struggling. We all are," Mom says to Zachary.
"But Mom!"
"No 'buts,' young man! Caleb's gone through enough, and let's not get overworked about this."
Leah slams the door open, shaking and panting. Oh boy, she's here. Why is she here? Doesn't she care about the crowd and disrespecting others? What is she doing here? This should be a dream, right? However, Leah doesn't vanish.
"What are you doing here?! Are you just here to brag about your dumb victory in front of me?!" I ask.
"Look, I'm sorry for disrespecting you and hurting you," Leah says, "However, I think I saw Adelaide."
"I can't forgive you yet, but where do you think Adelaide went?"
"I think she went to Thomasville." Leah says, "I saw her and her trailer, and I saw a sign that said 'Thomasville Speedway.'"
Thomasville? Where is Thomasville? Thomasville Speedway? Where is that place? Was it old? No one told me about that place. It can't be a new track, right? If it was, it could've been used in the recent seasons. However, that hasn't been mentioned. I guess it's old then. How come Adelaide went without telling us? Wait, did she find out about that place? Maybe not. She never mentioned Thomasville at all.
"Thomasville Speedway?!" Dad says to Leah, "I haven't told them about that place."
"Adelaide somehow went there," Leah says to Dad.
"At least we got some news. Aren't you excited?" Mom says.
Never trust news from outsiders. Leah is never to be trusted, and whatever she says might be a bunch of lies tied together. No one will believe Leah, and I won't either. She's nothing but a liar and a disrespectful racer.
"What?" I say.
"Adelaide. She's here. She's going to be here," Mom says.
"Really, Mom? What if she's lying?!"
"Leah's not. She even apologized to you for hurting you."
"I can't forgive her for now."
"You can take your time."
Mom approaches Leah. Wouldn't Mom not like her after what happened? Oh right, she's probably tolerant towards others. Leah's nothing but disrespectful and a bully, and she should leave!
"So, you're Leah Tran, right?" Mom asks Leah.
"Yeah, that's me," Leah says to Sally.
"I'm Sally. Feel free to call me Mrs. McQueen if you want."
"Awww, nice to meet you, Madam McQueen. I gotta go now, goodbye. Also, I'm sorry for hurting your son and…"
"We'll discuss that later. You gotta help my husband now."
The door slams as Leah and Dad leave. Mom, me, and Zachary stay. I don't like her. I never did. She disrespected everyone. Leah will definitely not get any respect from fans later in her life. That's what she gets for being selfish!
The doctor shows up, and I'm recovering. Will this be my final checkup before I leave? Will I stay for a few more nights or will I be released? It's been forever, and Adelaide's gone. I hope Adelaide visits.
The doctor has the stethoscope ready. The other end sticks to my hood. This just feels like a bad day. Well, it's just plain weird. Leah was here, and Adelaide's probably gone to a place far away from here. The doctor finishes checking my engine.
The same end of the stethoscope touches my left side. The entire room remains the same until the window faces me. Adelaide appears at the window. Me, Zachary, Dad, and Mater bolt around in a tractor field as we make a bunch of sounds, and tractors tip downward.
"Breathe in," the doctor gives me instructions.
I inhale. I look at the window again. Adelaide no longer appears at the window, but a photo of a Hudson Hornet Hornet appears there instead. Wait, isn't that Doc Hudson? Adelaide presents him with the photo. Caleb Hudson McQueen, Hudson Hornet. I was named after him.
"Breathe out," the doctor continues.
I exhale. I stop looking at the window. Mom faces me with a concerned look on her face. Zachary faces me as well, but he glares at me. I promise I won't talk about Adelaide, but I miss her. It brushes me with a mountain load of concerns.
The stethoscope touches my right side. He repeats the same procedure. The stethoscope touches more parts, and the process seems endless. Mom waits there, relaxing and watching over me.
The doctor has a stick ready. The experience of blacking out and waking up with Nurse Joan in one of my nights makes me panic. Cruz, Mom, Dad, and Zachary came into my room, and I was crying tears of joy.
"Say 'Ah' for me," the doctor prepares to put a stick in my mouth.
"Ah," I say, sticking my tongue out.
The doctors put the stick on my tongue. Everyone cries. Where were those cries coming from? Could it be Dad? He sometimes cried about Doc Hudson. Could it be Adelaide? Adelaide always cried in her room for the past six years. Was she worried about something? Where were those cries coming from? My eyes fixate on the whole room.
"Let me check your eyes. Look at me," the doctor says.
The doctor holds a light and moves it in front of my eyes, but my eyes focus on the doctor. I stare at the blank TV screen. No one else except me appears there. Mom, Dad, Adelaide, and Zachary appear beside me.
He picks up the reflex hammer and hits my right front tire rim. It moves a bit. The doctor also hits my left front tire, and it reacts the same way as my right front tire. The back tires copy after one hit.
"Caleb's health is alright," the doctor says to Mom.
"Thank you. Is he ready for discharge?" Mom asks the doctor.
"Yes. However, he has to recover, so he can't be in sports."
"How long will he have to recover? He just started racing."
"He'll be sidelined from the next upcoming race. It's risky if he tries to race again. When is the next racing season?"
"I'm not sure, but let's see."
Mom turns on the TV. However, Sara Stephans visits RSN. Her smile was cynical, witch-like. Sara shouldn't be there talking to the commentators. Should she? It's just strange of her to do this. She called me a wuss during that race, and Henry continued on. Sara and Henry should be banned for good.
"What do you think about the New York 500?" A commentator asks.
"It's going to be amazing! Thanks for my request!" Sara says.
"You're welcome."
"Alright, I'm going to beat Adelaide McQueen: the real winner! Winners can't forfeit, Adelaide! Also, Leah didn't win! She cheated! She should be in second place! Actually, last place is much better for that brat!" Sara stops and takes a breath, "If Adelaide wins in New York, she and Caleb could continue racing! If she doesn't, then BOO HOO, she and her family are BANNED from the racing world forever including those RESIDENTS!"
Mom turns off the TV, and the doctor wears a serious face. I can't be banned from the race! Adelaide needs me! She's going to die! Sara will kill her! This'll not be fair! I almost scream out of control, but I calm myself down.
"Well, Caleb isn't going to race after all. However, we can make sure he doesn't set his tire on the track. He can watch from the sidelines," Sally says.
"Alright, thank you for your help," the doctor says.
"No problem."