The next day shouldn't have surprised Doc. Everyone in town wanted to spend time with little Lightning. Specially Mater. Before Lightning's arrival, Mater was the youngest citizen in Radiator Springs. He had no one else that was close enough to his age. And when Lightning arrived, even though he was just a baby, it meant he had someone new to play with or simply spend time with. Didn't matter if he was a teenager.

It's been a couple of years since he himself arrived to Radiator Springs. He was just five, hungry and homeless. The orphanage was pretty messed up and he decided he had enough. He escaped and drove for days and days without rest, until he ended up here. There were no kids, but Mater didn't care. Everybody was so nice to him. In fact, it was Sheriff who offered him a place to stay. Sure, Sheriff was like a father to him, but he didn't want to be called 'dad' or 'papa'. Just plain Sheriff. Now Mater was seventeen.

But back to reality, how was he going to play with a baby? They just ate, slept, and did number 1 and 2. Repeat the process. Still, he wanted to try.

Mater knocked on the clinic's door, waiting for Doc to answer. "Come in!"

Mater opened the door to the clinic and drove towards the office. Doc was sitting behind his desk, trying to fill in a few documents and Lightning kept messing around with him. Doc looked and saw Mater. "Hello, Mater. Do you need anything?"

"Nope, but ah' was wondering if ah' could play with Lightning."

Doc looked at Mater and then at Lightning and sighed. "Fine, Mater. But only because I need to finish my job."

"Great!"

"One more thing, I want you two to stay in Flo's café. That way the other can keep an eye on both of you."

"Okeydokey. Come on, McQueen!" He quickly took Lightning and put him over his hood, much to Lightning's delight.

OOO

Stay in Flo's café. Sure, easy enough. Nobody told him babies could be quiet and slip away. Now, where was that little rascal? He better find him or Doc was going to have his engine on a silver plate. Mater chewed on his lip. Where would you look for a red sports baby car with a tendency of despairing? Not on the café, not on the tractor fields (just in case), not in Lizzy's store…

There he was! Mater gave a sigh of relief and drove towards the Stanley statue, where little Lightning was admiring the pretty red flowers. Maybe wondering why they were the same color as him. Or why the firetruck named Red was the same color of him. Red watered the flowers and Lightning stared in awe. He extended his tire and touched the water, laughing when some splashed into his face. Mater pared quietly beside Red.

"How did he get here? He was under ma' watch?" He asked. "One minute he was there and the other, he was not!"

Red shrugged and kept watering the flowers. He never spoke much. He was the only car in Radiator Springs who was closer to Mater's age than anybody else's. Lighting gently touched one of the flowers' petals and seeing it move with the wind, he stepped back and hid behind Red. Mater and Red chuckled as Lightning poked his head from his hiding spot and move closer to the flower. Mater blew some air towards the flower so it would move and Lightning quickly went back to his hiding place. Both Red and Mater chuckled again at the baby's curiosity.

Doc stepped outside his clinic and stretched his axles. He looked towards Flo's café to check on Mater and Lightning and discovered they weren't where they were supposed to be. Sudden panic filled Doc. Did Mater took him tractor tipping? That was the first question that came to his mind, but hearing muffled chuckles and baby gasps, he looked towards the Stanley statue. There was Mater, Lightning and Red playing with some water and Red's flowers. The three of them having a good time.

Doc smiled. As long as they weren't tractor tipping, playing with water and flowers fine with him.