Chapter 10: The Next Morning
Harley drank her soda and relayed the stories of Sarge and Pops to Sheriff and Flo. They all laughed then Sheriff looked up to see that the sun was going down.
"Oh, Harley, we should go meet up with Doc…" he said, his laughs fading. Harley copied him, her bright expression fading as well.
"Right…" she said and looked down at her empty cup. "Okay." Sheriff slowly began to drive off, only picking up speed when he was sure Harley was right behind him.
They made their way quietly to the courthouse. Harley glanced at the tire shop and saw that Guido and Luigi had fixed up most of it from the night before. She sighed and sped up slightly to catch up with Sheriff. They drove through the door of the huge building and navigated the hallways straight to Doc's office. Sheriff slowly pushed the Duke open and Harley followed him inside. She looked down at her hood but could feel Doc's gaze on her, and she felt a shiver go down her cab.
"Thank you, Sheriff." Doc said finally and Sheriff nodded.
"I'll just leave you two then." Sheriff said and drove out the door. Harley continued to stare at her shiney hood.
"Har…" Doc said and she sank lower onto her tires. "Harley, can you come here please?" He asked kindly, but she shook her hood. Doc frowned. "Why?" she shrugged her tired and Doc gave a tired sigh. "Okay, then, that's fine." He said patiently. "Then just listen, okay?" she nodded and still avoided looking at the blue car. "Harley, I have something very important to tell you: there's going to be a hearing about-"
"What's a hearing?" Harley interrupted. Doc stopped and just looked at her. He hadn't heard her voice since she compared him to that Dodge awful car the night before.
"Uh, it's an event that a few cars will attend. There's going to be a state judge and he's going to tell us where you're going to, uh…" he looked away from her and at his desk. "Where you're going to live." Harley then looked up at him, but once his eyes moved back to her, her eyes quickly darted back to her hood.
"Okay…" she said even though she was confused about how one car she doesn't know will decide that.
"And, uh, one of your family members will be there." Harley looked at him now and he unconsciously smiled at the sight of her green eyes.
"Who?" she asked and Doc came back to reality.
"Uh… your uncle." he said and Harley furrowed her eye lids.
"I've never met him either." she said to herself thinking again of the judge and looked back to her hood.
"Well, your, uh, patents were not able to come, so they are going to send your uncle instead…" There was heavy silence and Doc quietly cleared his throat. "Isn't that going to be, uh, fun, Harley?" she shrugged and Doc looked down. "Well… the hearing will be next week…"
"Where do you think I'm going?" Harley suddenly asked. Doc was taken by surprise and blinked a few times.
"I'm... not sure." Doc honestly said and Harley seemed to sink even lower. "It's getting late, maybe you should rest up." He said and Harley nodded. "I'll be at the clinic in a little bit. Let Sheriff take you ho-," he stopped himself and paused. "take you to the clinic." He corrected.
"Okay…" Harley said but didn't move for a beat. Then she reversed and pushed out the door. Sheriff was there waiting and lifted himself up.
"You okay?" he asked and she nodded without looking at him. "Did he say I need to take you back to the cling?"
"Yeah…" A beat and then Sheriff turned on his engine.
"Let's go then." he said and began to drive off, but drove slowly. Harley was not in the mood to drive in any kind of fast pace. They got all the way to the light before anyone said anything.
"Sheriff?" Harley piped up as they passed the light.
"Yes, Harley?" He asked as he looked down at her.
"What if I don't like my uncle?" she asked and Sheriff slowed at the thought.
"What do you mean?" He asked and she looked up to meet his look.
"Like… what if he's gross or mean?" Sheriff shook his hood.
"I'm sure he's not." he said and Harley looked away from him.
"But he's my uncle… doesn't that mean he's Jeremy's brother?" Sheriff stopped for a second, followed by Harley.
"Harley…" He said and furrowed his eye lids. "He won't hurt you." he said sternly and she nodded. "Besides," He continued on, "He could be your mom's brother instead." she shrugged and continued to follow him.
"I guess you're right…" she said and drove up to the clinic. Sheriff stayed on the main road. "Sheriff…" she said again and he slightly drove to her. "Why is Doc… sad?" He wasn't expecting to get that question and reversed slightly.
"Sad?"
"Yeah… sad." She repeated. "When he was talking about the thingy that says where I go he looked sad. Why?" Sheriff blinked and looked to the pavement then back up to Harley.
"He's, uh… I'm not sure Harley." He said and began to drive away.
"Yeah you do." she said and Sheriff stopped again.
"Harley, it's very complicated."
"So?" she asked and Sheriff shook his hood.
"So nothing. Just leave him be." he said and automatically regretted it as soon as he did.
"Oh… okay." and leave him be she did. She drove to her room that night and spent most of her time there. She only came out to eat and talk to Lizzie who would forget what was happening throughout the town so she never asked about Doc or the hearing.
A week passed in a thick silence that made the town feel humid with anticipation for something to happen, for someone to say something. For Doc to look brighter again. Since that night he snapped at Harley, his whole demeanor faded into a dull gloom.
The radio was on at Lizzie's shop and the whole town gathered around it.
"In two days, the hearing in Carburetor County will take place. Harley Davis Stockrim will finally have a place to call home before the week is out! Her parents will not be attending and instead their brother will make an appearance, and get this, he's-" Doc drove through the crowd and shut off the radio.
"Why are you all so intently listen this?" He said and began to drive off.
"Well what crawled under his hood?" Lizzie asked and shook her hood. Sheriff quickly drove up beside Doc as the others dispersed.
"Doc, I know you're stressed."
"Stressed is an understatement…" Doc said with narrowed eyelids. Sheriff shook his hood and continued driving next to him.
"Okay, but this is happening in two days, you need to talk to her to make sure she understands that she-"
"I know!" Doc shouted and stopped driving. "I know. But she won't even open her door anymore. I have to send Flo in there to make sure she's even breathing. She…" Doc gritted his teeth. "She hates me…" Sheriff shook his hood at him.
"I'm sure that's not true-"
"And if it is?" Doc asked and drove off, leaving him there alone in the middle of the street. Sheriff shook his hood with a sigh then looked up.
"Two days… just two days…" he muttered and drove off in the opposite direction. He went off to his post at the Radiator Springs billboard and parked himself behind it. He looked around a few times and scanned the area. "Same old, same old…" he muttered and closed his eyes for a nap.
A few hours had past before his grumbling tank woke him up again. He yawned and stretched out his axles. Taking one more look around, he noticed something strange. A car. No, not a car, a few of them.
He kept his post and waited for them to pass by. They drove slow as they looked around. The eyes of a red Altima spotted him and she drove towards him.
"Hello, officer, can you help us?" she asked; her voice was a strong one, yet still managed to sound kind.
"Uh. Yes, it's my job, isn't it? She laughed and nudged another car. He was a towering black Mustang and looked over to the Altima.
"Isn't he funny, Dad." She said, but his hard expression didn't change.
"Sure is." he said then looked over at Sheriff. "Excuse us, we're looking for Radiator Springs. This sign says we're here but don't see squat." he said in a deep voice. "I'm Judge Stafford. We're here for a hearing."
"Uh, yes sir. Or course." Sheriff said, realizing the situation. "Radiator Springs is just down the road." Sheriff said and the Mustang nodded.
"Thank you. Is there a motel there?" he asked and Sheriff nodded his hood.
"There's the Cozy Cone motel. Just look for a mint green car at the café named Flo and she'll get you a few rooms." Sheriff said and Judge Stafford nodded again.
"Thank you." he said and lead the group down the road. Sheriff didn't realize he was holding his breath until they were gone and he exhaled.
He stayed at his post for a little while longer until the day turned to night. He then drove back into town and saw that Doc was headed to the same place he was: the café.
"Doc." Sheriff said and hurried to catch up. Doc slowed and yawned.
"Yes, Sheriff?" he asked, his eyelids low.
"Did you talk to all the cars that drove in today?" Before Doc could even open his mouth to answer Flo sped up to them
"I sure did!" she excitedly exclaimed. "So many customers in one night? Wow! Mama's in business!" she said and drove off. Doc was too tired to comment and simple shook his hood and turned back to Sheriff.
"Yes, of course I talked to them." He said and Sheriff nodded.
"So you know that one of them is the judge?" He asked and Doc tiredly nodded.
"I gave him all the files he needed for the hearing." he said and Flo came back over to them and gave them each a can of oil. "Thank you." they both said simultaneously. Doc didn't touch it, just looked at it making Sheriff concerned.
"What's the matter, Doc?" He asked and he shook his hood. "Doc, something's bugging you." Doc sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.
"It's all just happening. It's real and it's happening." he said as he opened his eyes and looked over at Sheriff.
"Well, it's just tomorrow and then the hearing the next day, then it's over." a beat past and Doc looked down at his can of oil again.
"That's what I'm afraid of…" Sheriff looked at his old friend with sympathy. There was silence in the cool night and Doc then took a sip of his drink then sighed. "I think I'm going to go get some sleep. I'll need to talk to you in the morning." he said and began to drive off. "Just to make sure everything is ready for the hearing." with that, he left for the clinic and Sheriff shook his hood. Flo came over and they both watched him leave.
"He's just under a lot of pressure…" Sheriff noted and Flo nodded in agreement.
"He doesn't want to do it, does he?" She asked and Sheriff looked to her with slight confusion.
"Do what exactly?" Flo looked at him and sighed.
"Let her go." She said and began cleaning up."He doesn't want to let her go." she left Sheriff there and he looked around the empty street.
"I don't think any of us do…" he said and shook his hood. He finished up his drink and left to the billboard. He returned to his post and stayed awake for a little while longer before falling asleep. The next morning came fast and he drove into town. It was slightly busy with all the new cars that came in for the hearing. He quickly met up with Doc and they made their way to Flo's.
"How is she this morning?" Sheriff asked and Doc shook his hood.
"The same." he said, but before their conversation could go any further, cars were beginning to line the street in amazement and shock. "What's going on?" Doc asked and the two drove to see for their own eyes. A new car was driving into town. "What?" Doc said in disbelief.
