[CARS 3 SPOILERS] [CARS 3 SPOILERS]
I recommend listening while reading this chapter to, Cars 3 Trailer Music- Emergence, and Abel Korzeniow- Melting Waltz by Amosdoll Music and even Porter Robinson- Goodbye to a World, or any song that you would like to listen too.
I apologize greatly for my absence in this story. For a couple weeks I kind of abandoned it because of school and getting to swim on a high school swim team but as you know, I'm not swimming anymore this season cause of my wrist sprain and tendinitis in my elbow.
Honestly I was scared writing this chapter because I was trying to live up to the expectations I set for myself and you guys set as well but YOLO.
It's that chapter folk! The gut wrenching time of Cars 3! But all notes aside I thank everyone who has helped me become a better writer for this story. I can't decide if I'm going to have the crash be 2 parts or 1 or even 3. I guess time will tell, oh well. Now on to the reviews!
(Guest) Sam Fraser: I found it a little hard to see Lightning as a Monty but now I can see it slightly. I see him now as Monty Eric McQueen. I'm continuing the Jackson Storm drawing but due to school and extracurricular activities, I am making VERY slow progress on it. And I won't forget Mack, don't worry. And for my Google Account, I might but I want to have this account and my Google account to be 2 separate things, kinda like have a double life if you know what I mean.
(Guest) Knight Rider: Well now I guess I have to live up to that don't I (Which tbh, I'm a little worried about)
(Guest #1): I actually thought there would be a flash back as well, and if I were to include that flashback, it would be in a different story.
Nerf (Guest): heh, don't worry, I'll add a scene like that.
(Guest #2): Actually I was going to adapt those scenes! And I saw the article saying how they were gonna add Doc's death in Cars 3 but it was too depressing.
(Guest) CarsGeek24: Trust me, there was no offense taken. I'm glad you like the redone prologue. I knew it! We are twins! And that's cool that we're both the same age. I turned 14 a while ago though, well May seems like a while ago to me. I sprained my wrist when I was on the starting/diving block for swim, and when they said take your mark, I slipped, did a 'majestic' front flip and landed on my wrist in the water. Now the tendinitis, that's been brewing for over a year without me realizing it.
(Guest) Natalie Derpner: Ah, I remember them now. I don't know if I'll have their reactions to the crash. I already have a list of people and it's hard to get so many reactions to an event that only lasts 43 seconds (yes I counted how long the crash lasts).
(Guest) darkSyura: Oh no no no! I am most definitely not going to have sexual themes and make it darker than it already is. I think (T) represents this story well enough.
(Guest) andyrowlands5002: Honestly, I think that's going to mess some things up. You'll have to see this chapter to see if I did it (fyi I type these responses before I write the chapter)
(Guest) Vulcain 1911: You'll see what I have in store for the crash and after it, it's gonna be a roller coaster ;)
(Guest) SaysCharly: Like Vulvain, you'll see what I have in store ;)
(Guest) redcardinalist: Yup, we have arrived.
(Guest) BiscuitDude01: Thank you for the advice, it really helped. And now that I look back on it, I really am just explaining things aren't I. Well in that case, I'll work on improving my stories even more in future chapters.
(Guest) Electronic: You'll see what happens.
(Guest) ClayMan01: Huh, so did I. I really thought they were gonna add more Jackson Storm too.
(Guest) Penelope Wroten: Oh I knew about that, it's just I haven't found a good replacement or had the time to search for one lately.
Carl Marsh: I might when I include more chapters about Jackson in the future.
(Guest) Acroterion: I agree with you and I can see that happening too. And I can kinda see this song playing during the crash.
Everything was dim. The atmosphere was something described out of a horror movie or a sad drama story. Lightning did his best to keep his well known positive attitude towards life, the day would still carry on if he didn't try to enjoy it, so Lightning decided he wanted to live every day to its fullest. Lightning sighed and took a deep breath as Mack and his trailer entered the track. One hour until he would be racing another 500 laps. He couldn't place where he was feeling it exactly but Lightning felt a storm of butterflies stirring throughout his body. Once the semi stopped with a small jolt, Lightning opened his trailer. Surprisingly, the press was no where to be found in pit lane. He turned to Mack and laughed.
"I thought this place would be crowded!" Lightning now faced Mack who was smiling as well.
"Well I'll tell you what boss, would you rather be swarmed by paparazzi or would you rather peacefully start your next race?" Mack replied with a joyful expression on his face.
"Well obviously the latter. I'm gonna go check up with Bobby and Brick. See ya around Mack!" Lightning smiled widely and left his pit garage. Usually at this time his pit garage would be bustling with life but his pit crew decided to just meet him in pit lane right before the race starts. As Lightning drove to the other pit garages, he noticed left and right that there were new Next Gen cars. Not a stock car in sight, Lightning started becoming slightly worried until he overheard Brick's voice.
"But I-I-I've been racing for you guys for almost ten years! I'm not done yet!" Brick left his garage and started racing after his boss.
"I'm sorry but you aren't keeping up with the standards. Your scores just aren't going to cut it." Brick's boss replied.
"But I won twice last season! And I won a couple other times the season before that!" Brick sounded more desperate this time as Lightning watched the scene unfold.
"Like I said, I'm sorry. But I'm giving your number and sponsor to another, faster racer. You're fired." Those were the words no one would ever want to hear. Brick's boss left and drove the opposite way from where Lightning stood as Brick chased after him. Lightning stared in shock as he drove over to Bobby's garage and knocked on it.
"Uh, hey Bobby? Do you know what's going on with Brick?" Lightning asked before it opened and revealed a purple Next Gen racer. Lightning once again was caught off guard and stuttered.
"Y-y, Wait, you're not Bobby." Lightning narrowed his eyes at the car who obviously had replaced Bobby.
"Name's Danny bro." Danny said in a slight Mexican accent before leaving Lightning alone to himself. Lightning didn't wait two seconds before speeding off to his trailer again. I've got time to do this, there's still half an hour before the race. Lightning opened his trailer and quickly closed it again as he entered. He slammed the touch pad phone installed in the wall trying to find Bobby's contact he had saved. Almost immediately after the phone rang, Bobby picked up.
"Hello?" Bobby asked.
"What the hell's going on Bobby?! Care to explain why Danny replaced you and why you didn't tell me?!" Lightning questioned furiously. He wondered how everyone could leave him, especially right before a race.
"I-I can explain. Just chill! I…...I got fired last night." The phone line was dead silent for what felt like a millennium. "Lightning? You still there?"
"Yea...I am. Why didn't you call me last night though?"
"I found out almost at midnight and I thought it would be rude to bother you. I'm sorry...I really am." Bobby's voice broke slightly. Lightning saw that he was really struggling to accept the fact that he had been fired. Lightning began to feel sympathetic for his friend and toned down his voice.
"Listen, no need to be sorry, I should be the one apologizing. But why did they fire you? I saw Brick get fired just now because he didn't get many wins, but you had almost as many wins as I did." Lightning responded in a kind hearted voice.
"They fired me 'cause they wanted to have a better chance at making a good reputation out of Daniel. Wait, Brick got fired? Oh, that means that you're the last stock car out on the track now, doesn't it." Bobby carefully replied with a hint of sadness.
"Yea, I guess you're right. I am the last one, but that gives me more of a reason to prove them wrong." Lightning said more confidently.
"Thanks Lightning, now you do us stock cars proud, you hear that?"
"I will and I won't let you guys down. I should probably get going, the race is going to start soon." Lightning replied glancing at the clock.
"Heh, ok then. Good luck out there."
"Thanks, see ya later."
"Bye." Lightning hung up the phone after Bobby responded and left towards pit lane after getting himself psyched up. He was lucky that the Next Gen cars had to start from the places their counterparts earned during qualifying. Lightning was towards the middle of the pack while pole position who was to no surprise occupied by Jackson Storm. Lightning scanned the area looking for any sign of Mater and Sally. He was about to turn back around when he saw a large foam lightning bolt pushing its way through pit lane. Lightning chuckled as he saw Mater followed by Sally who was partially blocked by the giant hat come into his pit box.
"Hiya bud! You ready fer yer big race?!" Mater excitedly exclaimed. He shook his tow hook like a dog's tail and bounced on his shocks with joy. Sally rolled out from behind Mater and giggled while looking up at his hat.
"You bet I am! And uh….what's with the hat?" Lightning questioned with a goofy smile plastered across his face.
"Well, Mater wanted it really badly so I went with him to get it." Sally answered his question. Lightning looked at her and frowned slightly.
"You're pale, you only turn pale when you're in shock, sick, or worried." Was all Lightning said as Mater moved to the side to allow Lightning to pass.
"I'm still recovering from my stomach bug and fever yesterday, and I have a sick feeling every time you race. It's just nerves." Sally gave a welcoming smile. She didn't want him to worry about her at all, especially right before a race.
"Well, ok then." Lightning still wasn't fully convinced although he decided to move on. After all it was in her selfless nature to convince others to not worry about her unless it was important.
"Good luck on your race!" Sally toned her voice down to a whisper, "And please be careful out there Stickers." Lightning laughed slightly and smiled.
"You know I'm always careful Sal. Most cars my age have been in at least three major crashes, while the most I've had is just a few dents and scrapes. Don't worry about me."
"You better knock on some wood, or else you'll jinx yourself." Sally replied before Lightning drove over to a stool and knocked on it.
"There, happy now?" Lightning gave a mocking reply.
"Very. Now go finish that race!" Sally enthusiastically replied before giving him a quick peak on the lips. Lightning smiled and drove back to Mater who was waiting patiently to talk again after putting his hat down behind the crew chief's podium.
"Hey Mater, I'll tell you what, after this season, you and me will have a tractor tipping marathon. And even have a little fun with Sheriff in the process." Lightning snickered as he playfully punched Mater's side. Mater gasped in excitement.
"You mean it?! This gonna be good!" Mater laughed. Mater looked up at the sky thinking of all the things the could do to Sheriff. Sheriff was easily the most enjoyable one to prank besides Luigi and Guido. Lizzie was too old and would sleep through everything, Red was too fragile, Flo would lecture them, Ramone once chased them with a blow torch, Sally would chuck things at them, Filmore just didn't care, and Sarge….well he wasn't to be touched, they would have nightmares about what he would do to them.
All the racers got into their positions and the pace car lead them through the warm up laps. Lightning's joyful mood slowly began to sink as he looked around at all of the Next Gen racers, he had almost completely forgotten about Jackson, key word almost. Lightning searched around the track for Jackson who was supposed to be up in front of him. As they went around turn four and onto the pit road straight, Lightning saw Jackson out of the corner of his eye roll up beside him obviously about to say something due to the fact that Jackson was closing in and coming closer to him.
"Hey champ, where'd all your friends go?" Lightning, taken by surprise, stared in sadness as Jackson continued to make his way to the front of the pack. The shock of everything hit Lightning at once. I am the only one. No one is left….they're all gone. I'm the last of my generation. My career might be coming to an end! …...No….I'm not going to let that happen. With that thought in mind, Lightning put a determined face on as the green flag waved in the air to start the race. He could vaguely hear his pit crew cheering for him but his mind was too focused on the task at hand to really pay attention to them. Lap after lap after lap, Lightning did his best to move up as many places as he could before what would hopefully be the last pit stop that he needed.
"Hey Luigi, when can I take my next pit stop, the PSI in my tires are starting to decrease. It's getting harder to control things out here." Lightning called through his radio and heard Luigi discussing something with Guido in Italian.
"Uh, in-a ten laps." Luigi responded quickly.
"K, thanks. I'll just hold off until lap 461 then I'll come in. Make sure to have tires and gas ready for me."
On lap 461, Lightning noticed that Jackson was also pitting as well. Oh great! Now is my chance to steal the lead! Lightning rolled into his pit area and Guido began immediately replacing his tires while Filmore began filling his tank up with more gasoline. Sally, from behind the crew chief's stand almost wanted to throw herself out in front of Lightning and tell him to stop. She had this awful feeling of sickness rising in her stomach as she watched him about to take off.
"Come on Guido! I have to get back out there before he does!" Lightning yelled out of anger and anxiousness. "Hurry up Guido!"
"Faster! Faster!" Guido's broken English yelled as the last bolts fastened onto Lightning. Lightning started off with a screech and sped into the lead once he left pit lane. He was almost done with the race, all he had to do was hold off for another forty laps, even though he felt beyond exhausted. Lightning's axles and chassis went numb and started trembling as he tried to hold on to the tiny bit of hope that was the lead he currently had. On the first turn, he heard the familiar electric hybrid engine. No! Please no! Not him! Lightning's breathing began to increase rapidly to the point where he started gasping for air.
Back on pit lane, Sarge frowned more than usual as he saw that on the computer, Lightning's RPM was beginning to sky rocket and he was burning more fuel than he usually was. Sarge was going to tell him to take it down a notch, but he knew that Lightning wouldn't do anything stupid, or he hoped that he wouldn't do anything stupid.
"Hey McQueen!" Jackson called out as he caught up with Lightning who was now breathing heavily and panting. "Are you alright?" Jackson knew what he was doing, now it was time to really get inside McQueen's head, "Listen, don't you worry pal, you had a good run. Enjoy your retirement!" Jackson cheerfully said as he left Lightning. He knew that retirement had always been a touchy subject to the veteran and now, it was easier than ever to get inside his head. He only wished that Lightning would have been able to see the smirk on his face. Lightning was in shock and surprisingly hurt by the comment. More and more racers passed him as his expressesion saddened. He could faintly hear the commentators in the background as his world started swirling.
"Unbelievable! McQueen is fading! McQueen is fading! Fading fast!" No, prove him wrong. Prove THEM wrong. That ungrateful son of a bitch, you are NOT retiring. As Storm's bumper kept on getting smaller and smaller, Lightning sped up.
"No…..no…..NO…..NO!" Lightning felt his entire body start shaking. The strain on his body started shaking his axles and his engine started to whine unnaturally. Lightning grunted as a stinging sensation spread throughout his engine and moved onto his body. Jackson heard Lightning's grunts and groans become fainter and fainter as his quiet engine moved him further ahead. Lightning's breaths became quick and forced as he felt his chassis shake causing his axles to shake as well. Then the unthinkable happened. Lightning's gut dropped as his rear right axle gave out. Blowing out his tire due to the angle it was at and it jerked him harshly to the side. Jackson's eyes went wide as he heard a deafening sound that no one would ever want to hear. The sound of tires screeching, desperately trying to regain control over the ground that was lost. Lightning ended up over correcting and now could only prepare for the impact that was to come. He quickly drew in a sharp breath as his front collided with the concrete wall. His face burned, he could feel the wall tearing his paint and bits of metal away from his face. Sparks flew all over his hood and into his eyes causing him to shut them tightly. Lightning felt his roof flaps and spoiler fail to keep him grounded as his rear lifted into the air sending him off into the sky like a kite. Now all Lightning could do was pray that everything would be alright.
Sally saw the scene unfold in front of her and gasped as she tried to not scream. The sound that came from his collision with the wall could only be described demonic. She could already tell that the sound would haunt her for months, if not years to come. The ghostly, ungodly echo of metal clashing against concrete. Mater was also in shock beside her as his mouth fell to the floor and started shaking. She raised herself on her tires to try and get a better look at her loved one being thrown into the air as if he were a toy. Everything seemed to be in slow motion for Lightning as his breathing patterns slowed to a shaky, steady pace as he flipped in the air. Breathe in, breathe out, inhale, exhale. One thing kept on repeating in his mind, over and over, and over again. I'm dead. This is where I die. I'm not going to survive this one. I'm sorry….I'm so so sorry. I mucked up. I messed up everything Doc. I'm dead. I'm going get crushed. I'm sorry Doc, Sally, Mater. I'm dead….I'm not going to live anymore. I- Lightning's thoughts were abruptly cut off as he slammed upside down into the concrete, immediately losing consciousness.
Over, and over, and over. The tumbling never seemed to stop. With each time Lightning hit the concrete, more sounds and screeches of metal ripped violently off of Lightning. The screeching deafened the crowd and filled the entire stadium. Thousands of eyes all watched in horror as the living legend crashed and withered down to nothing but scraps of metal. He crumpled with each hit he took to his cab and became less and less recognizable. Paint flew off and sparks showered the other racers who swerved frantically to avoid the wreck. Jackson, who was on the other side of the track, saw Lightning roll endlessly. He slammed on his brakes causing Danny, Chase, Ryan, and Bubba to slam on theirs as well and watch in shock.
Lightning slowed down when he reached turn one and luckily fell on all four tires near the grass. Smoke arose from all around him, engulfing him in a dome. His exhaust pipes were pitch black due to them being on fire, scraping along the cement and lacking any protection after chunks of his metal skin were ripped away from his sides and undercarriage. Lightning's windshield was completely shattered and some glass bits poked through his eyelids which were barely open exposing red, irritated, puffy eyes. His hood, crinkled like paper, his spoiler, barely hanging on by a bolt. Thick, black oil slowly leaked from his mouth, undercarriage, and the many wounds that painted Lightning's body. Some of his teeth were missing and the others were stained black from the oil as they were clenched tightly together. Lightning quickly became a bloody mess of oil that seeped out from under him.
Sally, now reduced to tears, sped onto the track, along with the others which she quickly left behind due to her speed. Her mouth was dry and tears we already streaming down her hood and fenders. She was almost to Lightning when a paramedic blocked her view.
"Please! You have to let me see him! Just for one second! I beg you!" She pleaded with all her might. By now the other residents had arrived at the scene which could only be described as one word, chaotic. Several different paramedics surrounded Lightning's lifeless body. A firetruck had to hose off part of Lightning that was still spewing out smoke. A large needle was inserted into Lightning's side sedating him and after a couple seconds, his muscles loosened. As Sally tried to push her way through, she was able to get a glimpse of him. She gasped as she saw the damage and realized to just let the paramedics do their job.
"No...no, no no no no!" Her whispers quickly escalated to yelling as she shook her hood. Mater came up next to her also in tears as his lip quivered. Luigi and Guido were already balling in the background. Lightning was loaded onto a stretcher and immediately hooked up to several different wires and an IV after he was in the ambulance.
The world was spinning, Sally looked in all directions and found countless eyes, kids, adults, elders, teens, some eyes were shut in tears, others wide open, some cars were screaming, others had already left. She looked on the track and saw the Next Gens slowly returning to their pit crews refusing to take their eyes off of the direction that McQueen was in. She turned to face the stretch of track that he crashed on. Something glistening in the distance caught her eye on the track about twenty feet away from where she was at. Sally rolled over to the area and choked on a sob as she saw one of Lightning's lucky stickers rolled up and crumpled. She quickly scooped it up with her right tire and placed it in between one of her spokes. She swiftly turned around and drove back to everyone else who were able to get police escorts to the hospital.
As the ambulance left, all of the Radiator Springs gang rushed off to follow the ambulance to the nearest hospital. Jackson saw McQueen's pit crew rush frantically to him. He had seen the blue one which he assumed was his wife try and push her way through, and that rust-bucket of a truck chase after her. As everyone else was called to the pits, Jackson ceased all movement. Now time really seemed to stop, he was stuck and he had no clock to look at. Ray's voice faded into mumbles as Jackson continued to stare all around him losing all of his senses that he had minutes ago. Chase, who had witnessed everything due to being behind McQueen and Jackson the whole time, drove up beside Jackson.
"Bro, not cool." Chase simply stated. Jackson instantly snapped back to reality.
"What do you mean 'not cool' I didn't touch him!" Jackson snapped almost bitterly at his friend.
"I know the mind games you used to play on us when we were kids, I'm not stupid! This whole season you were getting into his head! Which is his fault and honestly I could care less about what could happen to his career but he probably just DIED." Chase yelled causing the other racers to look in their direction.
"How do you know he probably died?" Jackson looked skeptical but none the less his face of fear started showing through. Come one, Champ really can't be dead. He just took a hit….to the face…..and the concrete….more than ten rolls...ok yea. He might be dead. The thought of Lightning being vivid and talking, breathing, fightning, just mere minutes early and now being knocked out hit Jackson in the gut, hard. HOLY SHIT HE'S PROBABLY DEAD!
"Wait, don't answer, I….see what you mean."
"You better, sometimes I wonder if you even have any emotion or why I even became your friend in the first place." Chase shook his hood in disbelief and left Jackson who was still trying to process the events that had just happened. Jackson drove back to his pit crew and noticed all eyes were on him, never before had Jackson felt so aware of his surroundings. He lowered on his shocks to the point where his front bumper was scarping on the ground. The race would continue once they god all of Lightning's debree off of the track. But if Jackson was honest with himself, he didn't know if he wanted to finish the race. Faintly he heard the Darrell over the intercom.
"Ladies and Gentlecars, we have just been informed by the paramedics that Lightning McQueen will be taken immediately to the hospital, his current state we don't know, all we know is that he was unconscious. We can only hope that today wasn't his last race, and that he…..he'll survive." Darrell struggled to say that last part and sounded as if he were about to die himself. Strip was with Tex in the Dinoco tent and were currently trying to calm Cal down who was hyperventilating and crying hysterically.
"HE'S DEAD, he's dead, he's dead, he's dead. I lost him he's gone Uncle Strip. He's dead Uncle Strip! Didn't you see?!" Cal shook violently.
"Cal! Calm down!" Strip spoke loudly while his voice cracked, attempting to sound comforting. Cal stopped his shouting but his breathing was still heavy as Strip held him close. "Lightnin' is going to be all right, he's tough." Even Strip himself didn't believe that first part. Flashbacks from his own crash gave him slight chills and he was sure thinking about the Hudson Hornet's crash wasn't helping at all either. But both of those crashes had happened on dirt, the worst damage that Strip had received was a dented body frame and a concussion. No car in Strip's entire racing career had had a crash so bad that they were completely knocked out and the concrete was definitely a huge part of that. Strip stared in silence as he remembered all the pain, all over his body. Maybe it's a good thing he lost consciousness, he would surely be screaming by now, he hit the pavement after all.
"Hey Uncle Strip?" Cal's voice was now soft and innocent. "He's not going to die, right? H-he can't!"
"We'll just have to see, but I have a strong feeling that he's going to live." Strip smiled warmly which caused Cal to relax and nod. Cal drew in a deep breath, closed his eyes and just prayed that he had not just witnessed the death of one of his family a sponsor's dear friends.
Meanwhile Sally, Mater, and everyone else were in the waiting room of the hospital. Ramone had called Flo, Red, Sheriff, and Lizzie who were back in town. Everyone decided to stay in town with the exception of Flo, who would immediately catch the first flight to LA in the morning after she heard about the crash.
"Mater, you need to calm yourself man, you're gonna break something." Filmore had to find the strength to speak for he was also still shocked. Mater stopped shaking and licked his teeth.
"Sorry 'bout that." Mater glanced over at Luigi and Guido balling into each other in the corner of the room to his right. Then he glanced back and saw that everyone, especially Sally, was having a hard time accepting the fact that the very car who gave them so much life, was behind those double doors possibly dead by now. Mater slumped his body onto the tile floor and sighed, This gonna be a long night. But please please please, let it be worth it. He thought to himself.
At around two in the morning, a small forklift, the nurse, came through the doors to see all but two cars were fast asleep. One had a frown plastered across his face while the other was staring in the distance with a blank and tired expression. Sarge and Sally sat next to each other, but sat enough distance to fit a compact car. They were both wide awake and stared at the nurse who had just entered the waiting room. Her voice was soft and fragile which suited her creamy white paint.
"I have news on Mr. McQueen, would you like to wake the others?" Sarge and Sally glanced at each other and nodded in agreement.
"We should, they need to know as well." Sarge gestured to the rest of the cars. Quietly, the two woke everyone up and prepared them to hear whatever news the nurse had in stores.
"We were able to get Mr. McQueen stabilized for now but he is currently in a coma. Due to his windshield shattering, he is hopefully only temporarily blind and should regain his full vision. We are planing to do an engine transplant on him in the morning at seven AM because the one he has now is crushed beyond repair. He just finished his second surgery and is currently in ICU. Does he have any family here at this moment? He may not have much time so we are letting all of you see him as soon as possible. However, family always comes first in these situations." The nurse raised her voice just loud enough for everyone to hear. Everyone turned to face Sally who's eyes widened.
"I-I'm his wife. He doesn't have any other family here at the m-moment." Sally stuttered slightly. The nurse nodded in response and gestured for Sally to follow her to the room where Lightning was. As they traveled down the seemingly endless hallway, the pang in Sally's stomach came back to her, it was slight but enough to make her dread entering the room.
"Thank you for this, Miss..." Sally said while the nurse held open the door.
"Please, just call me Hannah. And it's my pleasure, have a nice evening, or uh, should I saw morning." Hannah left Sally to herself. Even though her and Lightning didn't find much use for the money that they both made, money sure could buy an nice hospital room. It was far more spacious than the other ones, had its own private restroom, a separate room with a bed, and a wondrous view of LA. In the distance she could see the lights of the Los Angeles Motor Speedway. She and Lightning had always preferred small and cozy things, nothing big such as a mansion for it would just seem like a waste of space. So it was only in their nature to have their house no bigger than any of the other buildings in Radiator Springs. Sally looked back at Lightning in sorrow as she felt the lump in her throat return as well. He was hooked up to countless machines consistently beeping in the background. An oxygen mask covered Lightning's mouth and wrapped around his fenders. His hood had been removed due to it being destroyed and revealing his crushed engine. His eyes were bandaged with small stains of oil splattered on them. Cuts and bruises lined his once smooth body. Some of them were being flushed out and were slowly oozing black oil. She quietly drove next to his right side and lowered herself as she looked at his marked body no longer bearing its red glow that it had just hours earlier. She gave up on sleep after constantly waking up in the waiting room. By now it was nearly three thirty and Sally had not moved an inch since she first sat down.
"Hey Stickers, I don't know if you can here me or not, but I'm...I'm just glad you're alive right now. You must be in a lot of pain right now even though you've been sedated, but I...I know you'll get better. Y-you have to get better." Her eyes followed along his side fender before her gaze suddenly stopped at his fender. He looked so bare without any of his stickers. She scrambled to find the sticker she placed in between her spokes. Sally tried her best to flatten it out with her tire. The sticky adhesive wasn't nearly strong enough to hold the sticker in place so she searched around the hospital room for a tape dispenser. After entering the other connected room that contained the bed, she at last was able to find some tape.
"There, now you can…..be called Stickers again." Sally whispered after she put the sticker on Lightning's right fender. She smiled sadly to herself thinking of that first week he was in town. That first drive, when she offered him a place to stay. More importantly, that first night under the neon lights. Sally found herself humming the tune that played when they were underneath the neon lights as she gently stroked his side. The humming turned into soft singing as she nuzzled closer to him. She struggled to find the strength to say the words. They felt lodged in her throat and if they escaped, she wouldn't be able to hold back the tears that were forming in her windshield.
"L-l-life could be a dream…...S-shboom if..I could t-take you up…..to paradise...and ab-above..." The room started to become blurry with tears as she took a deep breath and her voice started to become more shaky.
"If you w-would tell me….that I-I'm the only one….t-that...you….love….." Sally tried her best to not mentally breakdown as she kept on going. Each word she sang, another bittersweet memory surfaced making her believe more and more that he wasn't coming back. She sucked on her lip as she changed part of the song.
"You...m-made….my life….a d-dream…..s-s-sw...sweetheart..." That was all it took for Sally to finally breakdown in tears. All the emotion that she had been bottling up for the past four hours had finally released itself all at once. Sally cried her heart out into Lightning's side. He felt so cold which only made everything seem that much more real. He was in a coma, his engine might have killed him, he was blind right now. The negative feelings piled on each other causing her to cry even harder. What if he never wakes up? W-what if he's permanently blind?! What i-if he dies during one of his surgeries?! N-no…..he….h-he has to wake up….he WILL wake up. I-I know it...I hope. The beeping of the machine only added to her distress as she continued to cry.
Sally eventually softened her cries as she was beginning to tire. She felt rather loopy until a sudden and giant jolt in her tank and stomach caused her to jump and gag. She barely made it to the toilet before retching and emptying the contents of her stomach. The cold air made Sally shiver as she finished and rinsed out her mouth. Damn weak stomach. Ever since she was little, if she ate to much or was really stressed, she would often vomit. However no one knew why she did that. Sally thought she had grown out of it but obviously her getting sick must have lowered her immune system. Sally looked at the clock, it was barely four AM. Exhaustion finally won her over as she settled as comfortably as she could next to Lightning, still having silent tears fall down her hood after she closed her eyes.
I'M NOT DEAD YET! But man, I don't know if I lived up to expectations or not on this chapter, I hope I did though. (And I'm still technically not even supposed to be typing so I can heal) but none the less, I had fun with this. Again, I'm sorry for the delay as well. So as always, stay tuned for next time!