Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.

Chapter 6 – Examination

Daimler Building Penthouse, New York City – 19 April 2018

Lightning sighed heavily as he peered out of his Aunt May's penthouse window. It was the same apartment he'd grown up in, but his aunt had inherited it after the death of his father. Mack had driven Lightning to New York City the day before. Lightning had been mentally prepared to meet with his childhood specialist and friend, Dr Spark, when they'd arrived. However, Dr Spark had phoned him to say that an emergency had come up, and so Lightning's appointment had been rescheduled.

Now, it was almost time for Lightning to leave for his appointment. Naturally, he was a bit nervous about what Dr Spark might find. Lightning had already rung Mack, and he was now just waiting for him to arrive. Mack had agreed to take Lightning around to Dr Spark's clinic, since Lightning had been ordered not to drive as much as possible. Glancing down out of the window again, Lightning saw Mack arriving out in front of the Daimler Building hauling his trailer. Drawing in a deep breath, Lightning moved away from the window.

"Aunt May?" Lightning called. "I'm leaving for my appointment now."

Aunt May met Lightning at the lift. "Make sure you listen carefully, and that you do exactly what Doctor Spark tells you to do."

"I know," Lightning grumbled as he pressed the button for the lift. "It's not like this is the first time I've ever been to see him." Lightning smiled slightly at his aunt. "I'll be fine. See you in a few hours."

A few minutes later, Lightning drove out of the lift on the ground floor of the Daimler Building. As a child, he'd found the opulent foyer breathtaking. However, now that he was an adult and a world-famous celebrity, the foyer no longer left him feeling spellbound. Compared to other fancy buildings he'd been in; this foyer was modest and about twenty years out of date. The chandelier, while pretty, looked too big and gaudy for the modern world.

I'll have to ask Aunt May to see if the body corporate can modernise this foyer, Lightning thought as he drove outside to where Mack was parked, waiting for him.

Although Lightning had hoped to make a quick get-away with Mack, he found himself being mobbed by fans as soon as he emerged from the building. They all spoke at once, begging him for autographs and selfies.

"Guys, please!" Lightning begged. "I'm sorry, but I have things I need to do…"

"Please, just one selfie!" a pretty navy-blue convertible begged.

Before Lightning could respond, a police car's siren penetrated through the mob of noisy fans. "All right! What's going on here?" the police officer demanded to know. "You're obstructing the flow of traffic." He paused when he saw Lightning in the middle of the crowd. "Oh! It's you! I should've guessed that this mob was the result of somebody famous… All right, everyone! Move on! Let Mr McQueen get to wherever it is he needs to go."

Reluctantly, the crowd made a path for Lightning to get to his trailer. "Is it true that you're going to make a comeback in the Piston Cup?" someone called out as Lightning reversed into his trailer.

"That's for me to know and you to find out!" Lightning retorted before he pressed the button to close the ramp. "And the truth is, I don't even know," he muttered to himself after the ramp had closed.

The drive to Dr Spark's clinic was uneventful. It had been a long time since Lightning had last visited New York City, so he spent the whole trip looking out of his trailer's windows to see if anything had changed during his absence. Mack wisely kept his video link-up to the trailer on, so he could discreetly keep a close eye on his charge. He often did this without Lightning knowing, especially when he was concerned about Lightning's health. He was glad that Dr Spark's clinic was only a few blocks away from the Daimler Building. Mack breathed a small sigh of relief when he saw the building up ahead. Dr Spark's clinic was inside a twenty-storey annex to one of New York's biggest hospitals. Fortunately for Lightning, the annex had a private entrance around the back. Upon seeing Mack hauling Lightning's trailer, the security guard (a forklift) opened the gate to let him enter.

"I was told to expect you today," the security guard explained as Mack drove through the gate. Mack honked his thanks before he drove over to the semi-trailer parking area.

Lightning exhaled nervously as Mack parked. After Mack had turned off his engine, Lightning pressed the button to lower the trailer's ramp. Once Lightning had exited his trailer, he drove over to Mack.

"What'll you do while I'm having my appointment?" Lightning asked him.

"I'll just listen to my music," Mack replied. He winked knowingly at Lightning. "Go on. I know you're just stalling for time."

"You know me too well, Mack," Lightning retorted as he drove away towards the building's private entrance. Mack chuckled as he watched Lightning leave.

I'll have to talk to Tex about getting a security guard for the kid, Mack thought before he turned on his radio.

When Lightning arrived at Dr Spark's clinic, he wasn't surprised to find the waiting room empty, except for the receptionist. Ever since Dr Spark had been revealed to be Lightning's specialist, his list of celebrity clients had increased. As a result, he ensured that there was at least ten minutes between the end and the beginning of each of his clients' appointments. That way, the chances of his patients seeing each other was greatly reduced. It helped them keep their appointments with him confidential.

"Just wait here for a moment please, Mr McQueen," the receptionist said as soon as he entered the waiting room. "I'll let Doctor Spark know that you're here."

"Thanks," Lightning muttered.

A few minutes later, the receptionist returned to her desk, followed by Dr Spark. The aging specialist smiled at Lightning.

"Come on through, Lightning," he invited, gesturing towards his office. Once they were both inside the office, Dr Spark closed the door. He parked at his desk and he opened Lightning's budging medical file. "So… I understand from talking to Doctor Carburettor that you might need an engine overhaul…?"

"Yeah," Lightning said as he exhaled. "That's what he said."

"I saw the RSN report on you being out on the track the other day," Dr Spark said as he picked up his stethoscope. "Can you tell me what happened out there?"

"I was just mucking around with Cal to try and burn off some energy, and Jackson kinda got to me, so I decided to try and chase him down. I didn't think I could until I backfired. After that, my speed increased to over two-hundred until I blew my oil line."

"That's the same one you broke a few years ago, right?"

"Yes. Dr Carburettor fixed it temporarily, but then he told me that my engine needs to be overhauled. He also said that I shouldn't drive too much, because my oil line could break again."

"Okay… Well, it's been a while since I last examined you, so I'd like to do a full standard check-up on you first, before I look at your engine."

"Sure," Lightning agreed. "As long as there's no needles."

Dr Spark ignored Lightning's last comment. He placed the stethoscope disk against Lightning's side. He listened to Lightning's heart, lungs and fuel tank for a few minutes. Once he was satisfied, he examined Lightning's eyes, mouth and undercarriage. Finally, he weighed and measured Lightning.

"You're not doing too badly, considering you haven't been doing any racing for the past six months," Dr Spark said as he finished his examination. "You have put on a bit of weight, but that's to be expected now that you're in retirement."

"I wish I wasn't," Lightning muttered. Then, louder, he added, "If there's a chance I could return to racing, do you think I could? Physically, I mean."

"I don't see why not. Aside from your engine, you're in excellent health, considering your age…"

Lightning scowled. "Not you too! Why is it that as soon as race cars turn thirty, everyone thinks that they're done with racing?"

"I never said that. I merely said that you're in excellent health for your age. Now, let's see what you've done to your engine…" Dr Spark removed the bonnet pins before he lifted Lightning's bonnet. Lightning closed his eyes while Dr Spark poked and prodded at his engine. After a while, Dr Spark closed Lightning's bonnet with a weary sigh. "Doctor Carburettor was right to be concerned. You definitely need an engine overhaul as soon as possible. In fact, I'm surprised you're still able to drive with it the way it is."

Lightning looked sadly down at the floor. "I'm sorry. I know it's stupid, but it's just not something I tend to think about. I mean, I know it's important to look after my engine, but ever since Doc died, I've…" Lightning let his sentence hang.

Dr Spark returned to his desk and he brought up a schedule on his computer. "I understand. Now, the big question is, do you want an engine replacement or an overhaul?"

"Doctor Carburettor said that an engine replacement might cure me of my Jaguar Syndrome, because I'd have to get a less powerful engine installed. But…there is a strong chance that I could return to racing next year… The CEO is planning a new racing series for veteran racers… Oops! That's supposed to be a secret."

Dr Spark turned to face Lightning again. "Don't worry. Discretion is my middle name. In that case, an overhaul is your only option. You don't like making things easy for me, do you?" It was a rhetorical question, so Lightning stayed silent. Dr Spark turned back to his computer. "I want you to stay in New York until the surgery, so I can be close to you in case something happens."

"Like what?"

"Like your oil line breaking again, or if you have another Jaguar Syndrome attack. Basically, I want you to lay low and rest. I know you're not going to like that, but it is essential that you don't move around too much. Now, given the condition of your engine, your overhaul surgery will take at least twelve hours, but expect it to be longer. It's going to be very risky keeping you under anaesthetic for so long, especially considering your Jaguar Syndrome… I think the best thing to do is to assemble two teams of surgeons, so we can swap over halfway through. I'll also put you on sedatives a few days beforehand, so there's no risk of you fighting the anaesthetic like you did once. We simply cannot risk you waking up during the surgery. We'll also need to ensure you don't stop breathing on us again, so I might put you on an artificial lung throughout the surgery."

"An artificial lung?" Lightning whimpered.

"It's just a machine that forces you to keep breathing. It's mostly used in the ICU, but we can use it during surgery as well. I know it sounds scary, but yours won't be the first engine I've overhauled. I can schedule your surgery for next Tuesday, the twenty-third. I had another surgery scheduled for that day, but the patient has come down with the flu. I know it doesn't give us much time to prepare, but the sooner you get this surgery done, the better."

Lightning sighed heavily in agreement. "I would prefer to get it over and done with quickly."

"I knew you would. You just can't slow down for anything, can you?"

Lightning chuckled. "Hey! I wasn't named Lightning for no reason. Seriously, how long will it take me to recover?"

"At least three months. And, there's one thing that I am going to make sure you follow strictly while you're recovering. There will be absolutely no racing! Do you understand that?"

"Yes. It's not going to be easy though…"

"I know. You're a natural racer, so going against your instincts isn't going to be easy. But, if you ever want to race again, you need to follow my instructions perfectly. Now, I need to make some phone calls to organise your surgery. I'm going to write you a prescription for the sedatives. I want you to start taking them tomorrow morning. Take one in the morning, and one in the evening. That's all you need. I also want you to be prepared to spend at least a week in the hospital, starting on Monday afternoon."

Lightning nodded. "I can manage that. I'm not allowed to return to my team until I'm better anyway."

"I'm glad to see that Tex is being as firm with you as Doc was. I'll decide when you're well enough to return. Who's going to be Cruz's crew chief while you're out of action?"

"Cal. He's in training to be one anyway, but he's also keen to return to racing. So are Bobby and Junior."

"That's good to hear. I hope they're keeping you grounded."

"They are. They're great friends."

Dr Spark smiled kindly. Then, he printed out Lightning's sedative prescription. After he'd signed it, he passed it over to Lightning.

"Just remember what I said about the sedatives. Don't take more than two a day. The dosage is more than what a car your size should have. I know that it takes a lot to knock you out. You've always been highly strung."

Lightning shrugged. "That's not my fault."

"I know. I'll be in touch with you again either tonight or tomorrow with more instructions about your surgery."

"Thanks. I'll wait to hear from you then."

"Okay. I'll see you again soon then. You can get the prescription filled at the pharmacy on the ground floor."

Lightning nodded before he left the room. A few minutes later, he exited the lift on the ground floor. While he waited in the pharmacy for his prescription to be filled, he decided to phone Sally. She answered after just one ring.

"Hey, Sal!"

"Stickers!" Sally squealed.

"You were sitting on your phone, weren't you?"

"Actually, I just finished talking to my mum. How are you?"

"I've been better. I just had my appointment with Doctor Spark."

"How did that go?"

"I need to have surgery next Tuesday. I'm going to be on sedatives for the next few days to prepare for it."

"Oh, Light!" Sally sighed in sympathy. "I'm coming to be with you."

Lightning smiled. "I knew you would. Please, bring Blaze with you. I really miss you both."

"I will. And, I'm desperately missing you too."

Out of the corner of his eye, Lightning saw the pharmacist place his medicine on the counter. "I have to go now, sorry. We can talk more later tonight."

"Okay. I love you, Stickers."

"Love you too, Sal. Bye."