Thirteen – Part Two
"This is ridiculous!" Doc snapped as he paced around his home. Sally was with him, the two of them reviewing what she would ask Harley's aunt and uncle would arrive. It was the day after the recent events of the trial, and Jessica Dows and her husband were due to arrive any minute now.
"Doc, I know you're frustrated, but we can't give in to it." Sally said soothingly. Still, even she felt rather frazzled. The case just got immensely complicated in only a short amount of time with Harley's blood family now involved. Said brunette had to go back to the Cozy Cone.
"That social worker is just doing this so she can take Harley away from me. Away from all of us!" Doc snapped.
"Believe it or not, Doc, I have seen cases like this where an orphan's family tries to reclaim the child." Sally reasoned. "Sometimes they win, sometimes they don't."
"We didn't even know John had a family!" Doc continued, seeming to not hear Sally. "He never talked about the life he had before coming to Radiator Springs. And given who he was, we had every right to suspect Harley wouldn't be safe with his family!"
"And that is the argument you need to give to the judge." Sally said, finally gaining Doc's attention. "I have requested that you be present when we interview Harley's aunt and uncle, and it was approved. Jennifer will be there too, but your presence shows you're still willing to fight to keep Harley. It'll still be up to the judge, but it'll help our cause."
Doc sighed heavily. He suddenly looked much older than he actually was. "I don't want to lose her."
"And you won't." Sally assured. "Let's just see what happens with the interview."
Harley's aunt and uncle arrived in town later that afternoon, escorted by Sheriff to the courthouse where the interview will take place. Jessica Dows looked a lot like her late brother: fair skin, mud-colored hair, and dark blue eyes. Her husband, whom she introduced as Robert Dows, had blonde hair, fair skin, and blue eyes a similar shade as his wife's. Robert dressed in jeans, a white shirt, a black blazer, and black sneakers while Jessica wore a rose-pink pleated skirt, white blouse, and hot pink staccato heels. The second he saw them, Doc decided he didn't like them. He wasn't sure if it was how they looked or simply because he just wanted to keep Harley.
Jessica and Robert joined Judge Taran, Sally, Doc, Jennifer, and Laura in the now-empty courtroom, ready to conduct the interview. Doc tried his best to not lose his temper during the talk, but his irritation was clear based on the glare in his eyes.
"As you can see, Ms. Hudson has the chance to live with her birth family, like she should have when her parents died." Laura said. "It causes me to question Dr. Hudson's decision to not even try to locate Harley's extended family."
"John never even mentioned having a family." Doc protested. "He seemed to distance himself whenever we asked, so we all thought they were dead."
"John Jacobs also had a criminal record." Sally noted. "For the sake of Harley's safety, I believe my client had the right idea to hesitate in making the call."
Judge Taran looked to Jessica and Robert. "Mr. and Mrs. Dows? You're thoughts?"
"Well, John and I weren't exactly close." Jessica explained. "After our parents died, we sort of went our separate ways. He did have a criminal record of petty theft, and once he got out of jail he sort of disappeared. I never knew what happened to him, so naturally I had no idea he got married and had a child. But when I was told I had a niece, I'll admit I was rather curious."
"Should the child be placed in your care, do you feel you could properly raise her?" Judge Taran asked.
"We would love to have her." Jessica nodded.
"She is our blood, after all." Robert agreed.
"Your Honor, with all due respect to Mr. and Mrs. Dows, blood relation should not be the sole basis of their case." Sally said.
"I agree." Judge Taran nodded. "Mr. and Mrs. Dows, are you aware you will need thorough background and credential checks to be approved for caring for a child?"
"Of course, sir." Jessica said. "We'd be more than willing to show our qualifications."
"Good." Judge Taran looked back and forth between Doc and Harley's aunt and uncle. "Ultimately, the final decisions rests with me. After I gather more information and deliberate, I will give my verdict. You are all dismissed."
During the interview (and really for most of the days she spent away from Doc), Harley sat in the motel room at the Cozy Cone. Sarah remained kind and courteous, but Harley hardly acknowledged her. The teenager did everything she could to distract herself, but she already tore through her books and her toys bored her. Due to Doc's agreement with Jennifer, Harley couldn't even step foot in Doc's house to get another book or toy. She wasn't sure if she'd even be allowed to ask one of the residents to get something for her.
Harley sighed, staring out the window. She heard Sarah drive up to her, and the forklift placed a comforting tine on Harley's shoulder. Harley turned to stare at Sarah. "Why does your boss act like this? She's really acting like a jackwagon."
Sarah chuckled softly. "Don't be too hard on her. She's just stubborn is all."
"Are all social workers like this?" Harley asked nervously.
"No, no, not at all." Sarah assured. "Not all social workers are bad; we just want to make sure children in the foster system are well taken care of and placed into good homes. But sometimes people's judgements are skewed because of their own personal beliefs, and that's no one's fault. But it certainly doesn't make things easier for everyone, and sometimes those personal beliefs get in the way of what's best for the child."
"So what's her problem?" Harley muttered, staring out the window.
"She's just set in her beliefs." Sarah sighed. "She fully believes that you should be raised by humans, not cars, and she'll do what she can to ensure that you're taken away. But you wanna know a secret?" Harley perked up at this. "I don't think she's going to win. I've been watching the residents during this trial, and I must say I am quite awed by their dedication. This entire town wants to help you, and that's how I know everything is going to work out for you."
Harley smiled softly. "Thanks. I really needed to hear that."
"You're very welcome, Harley." Sarah smiled warmly.
The next day, Judge Taran had yet to give his verdict. Either because he was stalling or he truly couldn't decide just yet, he told everyone his final decision would be announced tomorrow morning.
"We really have to stay in this dingy shack of a motel for another night?" Robert groaned as he and Jessica lounged in their room. Their room was on the other side of the motel, far away from Harley and Sarah.
"It's not so bad." Jessica shrugged, touching up her makeup.
"I'm telling you, Jess, we never should've come." Robert sighed. "We're not even going to keep the kid, so what's the point of reclaiming her?"
"We're fulfilling our end of the deal." Jessica said. She glanced to an envelope on the desk she sat at. "Johnson gave us the money, now we gotta get the kid. Besides, you always said you wanted children someday."
"I want a kid that's ours, not some adopted brat of a jailbird." Robert protested. "Come on, what if she's no better than her father?"
Jessica seriously thought about that. John wasn't exactly the nicest person in the world. In fact, he had been known to get violent with his sister and parents before he left town. Jessica and Robert hadn't met Harley yet; who was to say the teenage girl with streaks in her hair and a punk-like attitude wouldn't be the same as her father? Did they really want to deal with that and ruin their own reputation?
Finally, Jessica sighed. "Fine. I suppose you're right. I was overjoyed when John left town; it'd be counterproductive to keep his spawn. But then what are we supposed to do with the kid when we get her?"
"We'll put her up for adoption." Robert said. "I read all about it; once we sever the rights to the kid, we'll be off scot-free and she can go live with another human family. We get our money, she gets a family. A win-win."
Jessica smirked, smiling almost seductively at her husband. "I knew I married you for brains instead of brawn."
Robert smirked. "You better believe it."
As the sun began to touch the horizon, Lightning drove up to the courthouse, looking around before his eyes settled on Sheriff. "Hey Sheriff!"
The Mercury paused as he was passing the courthouse, turning and smiling at the red stock car. "Hey there."
Lightning noticed the look in Sheriff's eyes. "Yeesh, you look exhausted."
Sheriff sighed tiredly. "You have no idea. This stupid trial is gonna be the death of me."
"Then I'm sorry for my reason for coming. I want to know what I have to do to get my name on this 'next of kin' thing." Lightning said.
Sheriff smiled now. "C'mere, son. Let me show ya somethin'." He led Lightning into the courthouse, driving down to a door with a sign on it that read "Records Room." Lightning followed silently, waiting patiently to see what Sheriff had to show him. The police car pulled out a file and set it on the table nearby, opening it to reveal a small stack of paperwork. Lightning watched curiously as Sheriff began sifting through the papers, and he noticed all the documents related to Harley: several photos, her birth certificate, her immunization records, her Certificate of Adoption, and more. Finally, Sheriff found what he was looking for and pushed the paper over to Lightning. The red stock car couldn't make much sense of the legal document, but he found a line that read "Next of Kin." He blinked in surprise to find not only Sheriff's name, but an entire list of names made up of the entire town of Radiator Springs.
"What is this?" Lightning asked, laughing in disbelief.
"Harley's next of kin." Sheriff replied. "Doc and I planned it all out soon after the fire. Harley always wanted ta stay in Radiator Springs, so Doc and I made this list. If anythin' happens ta Harley's current guardian, one of the residents will take her in dependin' on their place on the list." Sheriff took up a pen on the desk and pushed it towards Lightning. "And now, ye can add yer own name ta the list. This way, Harley can stay in Radiator Springs like she wants."
Lightning laughed. "Wow. You guys really thought this all out." He stared at the list, finding Mater's name under Sheriff's, and the rest of the list reading Lizzie, Red, Guido, Luigi, Flo, Ramone, Sarge, Fillmore, and Sally. Lightning put his name under Sally's, nodding in satisfaction. Sheriff put the documents away, and the two cars made their way out of the courthouse. Lightning looked down, his smile falling. "Sheriff? Do you think we can win?"
Sheriff sighed heavily. "I'm sure we will. But it's all about who the judge thinks will take better care of Harley."
"But you guys are the ones who have been taking care of her longer." Lightning protested. "Why should her aunt and uncle suddenly be allowed to take her back just because they recently found out she was around?"
"Because the social worker believes they should." Sheriff said. "But we're the ones who raised Harley. I know we can make it work." He and Lightning paused when they noticed Doc in the distance, the old Hornet slowly making his way home. The stock car and police cruiser shared a look before driving over to the clinic. Doc greeted them tiredly at the door, inviting them inside. The three of them parked in the kitchen, Doc pouring them all some tea but nobody drinking it. They sat in silence for a long time.
"Can I be honest with you two?" Doc asked in a quiet voice. Lightning and Sheriff looked up to stare at Doc. The cobalt racer sighed. "I don't know if we'll win. What if Harley is taken away? What if…what if we lose?"
"Come on, Doc, you can't think that way." Lightning said encouragingly. "We all know Harley is happy here, and that judge will see it too."
"And if he doesn't?" Doc asked. He sighed again. "I just don't want her to be taken away."
"Nobody does, Doc." Sheriff assured. "It ain't fair, what she had ta go through. Bein' forced away from her home will only make things worse. But we don't go down without a fight, and you proved that. All we kin do now is pray for the best."
Lightning stared at the floor. "So…you think she'll really get taken away?"
Doc didn't answer for a minute. "I don't know."
Unbeknownst to them, a certain bespectacled teenager rested just outside the window, sitting on the ground so nobody in the kitchen could see her. Harley had wanted to sneak into Doc's house just to grab another book, but she decided to hide when she heard Doc, Sheriff, and Lightning talking. Hearing them supposedly giving up hope suddenly made Harley terrified. She also felt betrayed, because the people she relied on most to keep her hopes up seemed to be throwing in the towel before the fight was over. Harley struggled to hold back her tears, trembling. Her eyes caught sight of her skates, and she angrily pulled them off and tossed them aside. She curled into a ball, sobbing quietly to not draw attention to herself.
It was over.
Night had since fallen as Sarah approached Flo's café, noticing the entire town already there and trying to wind down from the tension. Sarah tried to relax, but it only became easier to do so after some of the residents cast her warm smiles. Clearly none of the townsfolk liked Jennifer or her lawyer, but they all agreed Sarah was kind and meant them no hostility. Sarah requested something for Harley's dinner, and Flo sent her off with a grilled cheese made special for the girl. Driving back to her motel room, Sarah quietly shut the door behind her and approached the bed where Harley rested. The girl long since buried herself under the covers, clearly not keen on talking to anyone. But Sarah knew she had to at least try.
"Hey Harley?" Sarah called softly. "I brought you some dinner." Harley didn't answer. "Come on, Harley, it's grilled cheese. Flo tells me it's your favorite." Still, no response. Harley didn't even stir. Sarah sighed. "Harley, sweetheart, I know things seem bad. But everything will be all right. Somehow, things will work out no matter where you go." Sarah waited for a response, but nothing. Oddly enough, the forklift didn't even see the rise and fall of the blanket that would indicate Harley breathing. She must be quite the heavy sleeper. Sarah moved the plate of grilled cheese to one tine and used the other to lift up the blanket. But her eyes widened and she ripped the covers off to discover several pillows underneath.
Harley was missing.
The plate and food hit the floor long after Sarah disappeared from the motel room, making a beeline for Flo's. "Everyone! Dr. Hudson! Sheriff!"
Everyone jumped when Sarah suddenly screeched to a halt before them. "Good Ford, woman!" Sheriff snapped. "What's the matter?"
Sarah panted a little. "It's Harley! She's gone!"
"What?!" Everyone shouted, their attention drawn to Sarah. Jennifer, Laura, Jessica, and Robert had been passing by, but stopped in their tracks at Sarah's announcement.
"What do you mean she's gone?" Sheriff demanded, looking terrified.
"I-I thought she was just sleeping!" Sarah explained quickly. "But all I found were pillows. She must've snuck out or something!"
"We gotta find her!" Mater urged. "She could git hurt!"
"Everyone split up!" Doc ordered. "Lightning and Mater, go check Willie's Butte. Sally and Flo, drive up to Wheel Well. Everyone else, spread out! I want eyes on my kid in ten minutes!"
That last part was a little unreasonable, but nobody dared to argue. They were all too busy splitting up to their respective areas to search. Lightning and Mater raced to Willie's Butte while Flo and Sally sped off towards Wheel Well. The rest of the residents, joined by Sarah, Jennifer, Laura, Jessica, and Robert, searched every square inch of the town. Each and every store was scoured, even the ones long since boarded up. Everyone called for Harley, pleading for her to come out. But either she didn't hear or she didn't listen. It took almost half an hour for everyone to regroup, and still nobody had seen hide nor hair of Harley with the exception of Guido and Luigi.
"We-a found these in our shop." Luigi said hurriedly, Guido holding up Harley's roller skates in his forks.
"Where could she be if she's not in town?" Fillmore asked worriedly.
"Almost anywhere." Sarge growled in frustration. "She knows this desert, even in the dark."
"Then we'll search the surrounding areas." Sheriff said. "She's can't have gotten far."
"You want to search the entire Ornament Valley for that kid?" Jennifer scoffed. "Please. She's probably just hiding in town where we can't find her. Give her an hour; she'll come back when she's hungry."
"How could you possibly know that?" Doc demanded.
"She's a child." Jennifer sneered. "She's not going to go far before she turns around again."
It took every ounce of Doc's willpower to not run Jennifer over. "You're wrong." He snarled. "Now if you're not gonna help, stay out of our way." He looked to the residents. "Spread out. We gotta find her." The townsfolk nodded. Even Lizzie and Sarah offered to help as they left the town and began searching again. Sally and Flo decided to stay behind in case Harley returned. Jennifer, Laura, Jessica, and Robert only rolled their eyes and returned to their motel rooms. Judge Taran, having heard the commotion during the first sweep of the town, decided to join Sarge and Fillmore as they drove out to Wheel Well again. They carefully scanned the forested and rocky areas on either side of the road, calling for Harley. Lightning, Mater, and Red journeyed out to Willie's Butte again, and then towards the tractor field. Everyone else spread out to various parts of the desert, determined to find their missing child.
Doc and Sheriff stopped at a small hill, looking out over the land. Sheriff washed his headlights over the area, but didn't even see footprints. He sighed. "Doc. What're we gonna do if we can't find her?"
"We will find her." Doc assured, a determined glare in his eyes. "Don't doubt that for a second."
Soon after her bought of eavesdropping, Harley decided to abandon her skates and run away from Radiator Springs. She just couldn't stand being there with all that was happening. All she wanted was to stay with the people she loved. Was that so wrong? Clearly is must've been if someone was so intent on taking her away. She shivered a bit, rubbing her bare arms. All she wore was a pair of faded, blue plaid pajama pants and a blue tank top. She was also barefoot, but the still-warm sand under her feet provided some comfort. The crescent moon provided little light in the vast darkness of the desert environment. Harley didn't stop walking, no matter how tired she felt. She also sniffled a bit, but she couldn't decide if it was leftover from her sobbing or if she was coming down with a cold.
She hardly cared either way.
I've gotta find a way to stay in Radiator Springs. She thought. I just can't leave them. I don't want to leave them. But how can I get that social worker to let me stay? She works for the entire state of Arizona. It's not like I can just find another social worker. Harley's eyes widened a bit in realization. Maybe not here, but maybe I can find another social worker in another state! California isn't that far from here. I can walk there and put this entire situation in a whole new jurisdiction. That will help! She looked off into the distance. Walk all the way to California? Yeesh. No, no you can do it, Harley. For the sake of staying with your family, you gotta do it.
Harley found a stick nearby and stuck it into the sand, analyzing the shadow cast by the moon. It was faint, but if she remembered what Sheriff told her about compass directions and moonlight, then she could guess which way was west, towards California. Harley settled on a direction and walked off. She sneezed, but simply rubbed her nose and kept going.
"You can do it, Harley." The brunette told herself, ignoring how warm she suddenly felt. "Come on. It's for your family."
After two hours of searching, things definitely started taking a turn for the worse. None of the search parties could find Harley no matter where they looked or how much they called. They pleaded for her to come out, but either she wasn't where they searched or she ignored them completely.
To sum it up, things just weren't working out.
"Ev'ryone's back in town." Mater's voice said over Sheriff's radio. "We're gunna look again and see if Sissy really is jus' hidin' round here."
Sheriff sighed. "All right, Mater. Why don't you all just wait there and Doc and I will catch up in a bit?"
Mater sighed too. He sounded quite dejected. "Okay….."
"Hey, everything's gonna be all right." Sheriff assured. "Don't you worry about a thing." Mater thanked Sheriff before signing off, and the police cruiser looked to Doc nearby. The Hornet had been rather still for several minutes now. Sheriff slowly drove up to park beside him. "Everyone returned to town. They're gonna search the place and see if Harley's there."
"She ain't." Doc said, still staring out at the landscape. "I know she ain't. She's out here, and I gotta find her."
"Doc, yer tired and stressed." Sheriff reasoned. "You really think Harley could be out here so late at night?"
Doc looked to Sheriff. "Think about all those hikes you took her on. All your and Sarge's wilderness survival lessons. All those camping trips. Think about all that and answer your own question."
Sheriff did think about it, and he realized Doc was right. Harley was a true outdoorsperson, and she knew how to navigate the land. She could be halfway to California by now and they wouldn't even know it. Her tracks were either so faint they couldn't be seen or she actually swept them away to cover them. She was a smart kid, no doubt about it. Right now, she didn't want to be found. So what could they do except do their best to find her?
The two cars continued driving, carefully scanning the area around them. It wasn't completely pitch black, but they relied heavily on their headlights to see anything as they drove. They called for Harley now and then, but tried to remain quiet in case Harley was trying to avoid them. At this point, it seemed likely. Doc didn't want to think about that. All he wanted to think about was having Harley back with him and getting her straight home. How could he doubt that Harley wouldn't be able to stay? How could he lose hope, when he spent most of Harley's lifetime teaching her to never do such a thing? This entire situation with the social worker was stupid to start with, but now it reached new levels of absurdity. Doc decided then and there that he didn't care what anyone tried to do to him; Harley was going to stay with him in Radiator Springs, where she belonged. If anyone wanted to take her away, they would have to pry her away from his cold, dead corpse.
But as several minutes passed, then twenty, then thirty, Doc and Sheriff started to feel things were reaching a new low. They still didn't have any idea where Harley was, and they could only imagine what might've happened to her. Did she find the Interstate and hitch a ride on another car? Did a wild animal get to her? Was she really back in town? Doc was almost ready to give up, but there was still a pull in his engine that told him to keep going. He could find his daughter. He just had to keep looking. Sheriff cast Doc worried glances now and then, but he too felt they couldn't give up until they found Harley.
Meanwhile, Harley found that walking all the way to California would take more than just willpower. Her stomach grumbled, and she definitely felt warm despite the cool night air. She coughed again and again. Her legs wobbled a bit as she walked. Something told her she should probably turn around and head back, or at least stop somewhere and rest for the night. But out of pure stubbornness or maybe just slight insanity, Harley kept walking. She kept walking and walking and walking until one of her bare feet suddenly hit a rock and she tripped, hitting the ground hard. Harley coughed harshly, either from sickness or the dust she wasn't sure. She desperately tried to push herself upright, but her arms shook terribly and all she could do was get herself into a slouched sitting position. She panted, putting a hand to her forehead. Now she knew she had a fever. Hopelessness crashed down onto Harley, and she curled up into a ball and buried her face into her knees.
I wanna go home. I want my daddy. I want Sheriff and Mater and Lizzie and Red and Lightning and Sally and Sarge and Fillmore and Guido and Luigi and Flo and Ramone and…..and…everybody….. Harley took in a shuddering breath, letting it out slowly. I wanna go home. I wanna be back in Radiator Springs.
Look up.
Harley paused. She could've sworn she just heard a voice. Or maybe the delirium was finally settling in.
Look up, Harley, look up.
Okay, she definitely heard that. "Hello?"
Look up!
Harley finally obeyed the voice, her head shooting up to look around. "Stanley?" She didn't know why she thought she heard Stanley's voice, not recalling when she actually spoke to the long-deceased Radiator Springs founder. But she didn't have a second to think about it when she noticed two familiar figures in the distance: a police cruiser Mercury and a cobalt blue Hudson Hornet. "Doc? Sheriff?" Harley whispered, shakily pushing herself to her feet. The two cars were quite a distance away from her, so much they looked like her toys. "Doc!" Harley's voice was a weak whisper as she made her way towards the cars. "Doc…" She wanted to speed up, but her legs seemed to ignore her mind's messages. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw Doc and Sheriff beginning to drive away. Harley's breathing became a bit labored, but she sucked in a breath.
"DADDY!" she shouted.
Doc froze, and he quickly reversed to look around. He finally noticed a small figure in the distance, slowly coming towards him and Sheriff. "Harley?" Doc breathed, his eyes going wide. "Harley!" He kicked up dirt as he sped off, right towards his daughter. Sheriff was close behind him, laughing in relief. Harley finally managed to pick up speed, and the second she reached Doc she threw himself onto his hood and broke down into fearful tears. Doc nuzzled her lovingly, shushing her and speaking soothingly. Sheriff nuzzled the girl, sounding worried but thankful she seemed fine. Well, for the most part. She wouldn't stop coughing and she was covered in dirt. But she was alive and unharmed, and that's what mattered.
Harley hiccupped a bit, staring into Doc's crystal eyes now full of happy tears. "I-I'm sorry, D-Doc. I j-just…I just…."
Doc shushed her. "It's okay, Harley. Everything's going to be fine. I promise, I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Harley nodded, still crying as she pressed herself against Doc's hood. She coughed again, her legs beginning to give out.
"C'mon, you two." Sheriff encouraged, helping Harley climb up onto Doc's hood. "We best be getting home." He led the way as he and Doc drove home, Harley curled up and trying to calm down. She coughed a few more times, and when she pressed her forehead against Doc's hood he could feel how warm she felt. The doctor side of him started thinking of everything he would have to do when they got home to make her feel better, but his father side just reminded him to keep talking to her and keep her calm.
As they neared the town, Sheriff pulled ahead to announce they finally found Harley. But rather than seeing the townsfolk all over the place, everyone was gathered at Flo's. Sheriff slowed a bit when he heard shouting, and he listened carefully.
"Tonight's events have proven she is in danger while living here!"
"Tonight's events were nothing more than you pushing Harley to her limits!"
"Yeah, man, what's your problem?"
"The poor girl's probably terrified!"
"If she's hurt in any way—"
"It'll be your own faults. I'll have you all arrested for holding a little girl hostage!"
"She's thirteen!"
"Yeah, and none of this would've happened if it weren't for you!"
Sheriff paused. Oh boy.
"What's goin' on?" Doc asked as he parked beside Sheriff.
"We gotta git ya home. Come on." Sheriff encouraged.
"There they are!" Suddenly, Laura came tearing up Main Street towards Doc and Sheriff. Harley had been half-asleep, but when she saw Laura and then Jennifer approach she instantly became wide awake. She whimpered in terror as she scrambled off Doc's hood, hiding behind the Hornet. Doc stood firm before the social worker and her lawyer, glaring.
"Hand over that child, Dr. Hudson." Jennifer ordered. "Or we'll hold you in contempt of court."
"I'm not in contempt of court. I'm in contempt of you." Doc growled. "Now get outta my way. I'm takin' my daughter home."
"She's not your daughter!" Jennifer snapped. "She's a ward of the state and she needs to be with a family who will actually take care of her!"
"You think you know what's best for her just because of your job?" Doc demanded. "You don't know what's best for her, you just want things done your way!"
Jennifer's fists clenched as she locked her hazel-eyed glare on Doc. "Listen to me, you washed-up piece of junkyard trash, that child is coming with me—"
"No she ain't!" Mater suddenly shouted, speeding up and screeching to a halt beside Doc. He frowned at Jennifer and Laura. "Harley's stayin' where she belongs, an' that's right here!"
"Harley is happy here in Radiator Springs." Lightning added, him and Red coming up to park beside Sheriff. "She's always been well taken care of, even when her family is an entirely different species."
"Not once has she ever been unhappy." Lizzie piped up. With every defending point that came up, another Radiator Springs resident came up to surround Harley, protecting her from the social worker.
"She loves this place and she loves all of us." Fillmore said. "And we all love her."
"We've spent the past thirteen years protecting her from any kind of harm, and we'll do it again now." Sarge said.
"Her parents and grandparents trusted us," Flo pointed out. "They would agree with us now."
"The kid's part of our family." Ramone said firmly.
Guido spoke rapidly in Italian. "That's right! We-a are always there for our family!" Luigi translated.
"All the kid wants is to be with the people she loves." Mack added. "Is that so wrong?"
Sally glared at Laura. "All you've done is put her through more trauma than she's ever experienced. She never needed any of this."
"You don't know what you're talking about." Jennifer huffed. "If she's so happy here, why doesn't she say so?"
"You never asked!" Sheriff shouted. "Not once have you ever asked Harley what she wanted."
"I'd like to ask."
Everyone went silent as Judge Taran approached the group. The Grand Vitara glanced at the scene before him before looking to Doc. Judge Taran leaned a bit to try and get a glimpse at Harley, but the brunette hid fearfully behind her surrogate father. Judge Taran looked to the Radiator Springs residents, still standing protectively around Harley. "May I have a moment to speak with the girl?"
There was silence for a moment as the townsfolk exchanged glances. Mater suddenly rolled forward. "No." He said in a very diplomatic yet firm tone.
Judge Taran blinked, not expecting this reaction. "Pardon?"
"Harley's sick an' she needs help." Mater said firmly. "Ye kin talk ta her tomorrow."
Realizing their precious gem was still coughing a bit, the townsfolk sprang into action. "I'll heat up some soup for you, sweet pea." Flo said, rushing to the café.
"I'll get some spare blankets from the motel." Sally sped off.
"We will-a get the Italian CDs she likes." Luigi said, Guido agreeing.
"Italian CDs?" Judge Taran asked, confused.
"Yes." Luigi nodded firmly. "Because when our-a piccolo is sick, she likes to listen to Italian music to calm her down!" He turned and sped off, Guido crossing his forks and following.
"Come on, Harley darlin'." Doc gently encouraged Harley back onto his hood and carried the girl back to the clinic. He set her on a hospital cot, grabbing her a wet towel to clean the dirt off her face and feet. Harley still coughed a bit, and Doc hurried off before returning with a bit of cold medicine and some water. Harley's face scrunched up in disgust as she swallowed the medicine, but she said nothing. Flo came by with her soup, and Sally arrived with a couple warm blankets. Guido brought the CDs, putting one into Harley's CD player and allowing the soft music to fill the air. The rest of the residents waited outside, watching and readying themselves should Harley need anything. Harley smiled softly as she spooned her soup into her mouth. For the first time in over a week, she finally felt like things were the way they should be: just her and her family, all together and watching out for each other. Harley finished her late dinner and yawned, giving a couple more coughs. Doc gently encouraged her to sleep, and she set her glasses on a small table nearby before curling up on the cot. She pulled the blankets closer around her, and she yawned one more time before settling to sleep.
Seeing Harley finally fall asleep, the rest of the residents sighed in relief and dispersed to go home. It had been a long night, after all.
The next day, everyone gathered at Flo's for breakfast, per the usual. But today, they were pleasantly surprised to see Harley skating up to them with Doc by her side. Harley was freshly bathed and in clean clothes, a warm smile on her face as she skated smoothly to the café.
"How are you feeling?" Lightning asked.
"Much better." Harley nodded. "Thanks."
"We were real worried about ya." Sheriff said. "Don't do that again, ye hear?"
"Yes, Sheriff." Harley agreed.
"Here ya go, honey." Flo said, bringing some oatmeal by. "Eat up." Harley smiled and sat cross-legged on the ground, wolfing down her food. She couldn't exactly remember the last time she had a full meal. She had been so depressed lately she hardly ate. But now, she was starving; so much, she politely asked Flo for seconds when she finished, and then for thirds. But as she began working her way through her third bowl, she and the other residents paused at four familiar figures approaching: Jennifer, Sarah, Laura, and Judge Taran. Doc moved forward a few inches, standing protectively in front of Harley.
"Good morning." Judge Taran greeted.
"Morning." Sheriff greeted gruffly. "Where are Mr. and Mrs. Dows?"
"Apparently they left last night." Jennifer reported. "Didn't even tell anyone; just up and left town." And took my money with them.
"So kin Harley stay?" Mater asked hopefully.
"Just because they left doesn't mean you're off the hook." Laura snapped.
"Thank you, Ms. Cadel." Judge Taran said, his tone warning her to be quiet. He looked to the townsfolk. "The point of our trial was to determine whether or not this is a suitable environment for the child and whether or not Dr. Hudson is a suitable guardian. I am close to making my decision, but first I need a little more information." He looked to Harley with a kind smile. "Ms. Hudson, may we talk for a while?"
Harley found the judge far less intimidating now, and she set her oatmeal down. She stood up, tall and proud and strong, and she nodded. "Yes sir." She followed Judge Taran back to the courthouse, leaving everyone else to wait patiently yet anxiously.
"What's going to happen if he decides to take her away?" Lightning demanded, glaring at Jennifer.
"She'll be placed in the foster system until she can be adopted." Sarah replied, not looking very happy about the thought.
"It'll be where she belongs." Jennifer huffed. "You should've sent her there the second she became an orphan."
"What good would that have done?" Doc demanded. "She was four; she would've been even more traumatized than she already was."
"And was that trauma taken into account when you forced her to live with you?" Jennifer demanded.
"Absolutely." Doc nodded without hesitation. "It's because she was so upset that I insisted she go where she'll be with people she trusted. She trusts us; she clings to us like a lifeline. You take her away from us, it'll only hurt her."
Jennifer rolled her eyes, but said nothing. It seemed she was rather tired of arguing with them, and there was nothing any of them could do until Judge Taran came back with his verdict. The townsfolk tried to not let their anxiety get the better of them, but it was nerve-wracking waiting for Judge Taran and Harley to return.
Finally, after several minutes of waiting, everyone saw Harley and Judge Taran make their way back to the group. Breaths were held as Judge Taran looked out to everyone.
"After speaking with Harley, I have made my decision." Judge Taran said, a small smile appearing on his lips. "Given all the evidence gathered, including what happened last night, I have decided Ms. Harley Hudson is just fine where she is. This is a suitable environment for her to grow, and this is where she will stay."
He hardly finished his sentence when cheers erupted from the Radiator Springs residents, and Harley hurried forward to hug Doc. The townsfolk gathered around in a group hug, with Harley in the center of it. Jennifer and Laura looked annoyed and flabbergasted at the same time, but Sarah was smiling triumphantly. Harley hardly paid any attention to what was going on around her, only focusing on soaking up the warmth of the moment.
She was home, and nobody was gonna take her away.
A/N: Ugh, I'm not sure I like how I worded that ending. But it's what I got. Hope you guys enjoyed! I'm working on a new Sky-centric story, but the next story will be Harley-centric. It's already finished so I have to do some revising.
Until next time!