Chapter 11: The Family Visit
"Now, can you state your name for the record?"
"M- Montgomery Owen McQueen."
"Now, Mr. McQueen, we are going to ask you a few questions about the events of January sixth of this year."
He nodded, fighting the urge to burst into tears. "I understand."
He wanted to avoid the looks of the Range Rover and forklift in front of him. They had matching paint jobs: green and white with TMST written in blue letters. Lightning was familiar with the TMST: Transportation Management Safety Team. The Ranger Rover had introduced himself as Inspector Ted Gordon while the forklift was his secretary, Sydney Rice. Yet, he knew he had to look at them. Always look people in the eyes if you want them to believe you. He hadn't been looking forward to this, but he knew it could not be worse than everything else he'd been through.
"I understand that you were using the track at the Velo City International Speedway with Ms. Rossi-Topolino and Mr. Francesco Bernoulli."
Lightning nodded. "That's correct, sir."
Sydney's pen scratched against the sheet of paper on a clipboard as she wrote everything down.
"And who authorised you to use the track?"
"Clinton Delaney, the owner of the track. I have written permission from him right here." He slid the document over for both Inspector Gordon and Sydney to inspect.
"And the two of you were alone when the accident occurred?"
"That's correct, sir."
"Where was Mr. Bernoulli when the accident occurred?"
"On a flight back to Monza, Italy. Fudge and I returned to do some more racing."
"I see... Do you know where the medical officials were at the time of the accident?"
"They were none", Lightning explained nervously. "There was no race on that day, so it was race at our own risk!" He felt like he'd been punched in the gut, using that phrase.
"How did the accident occur?"
Lightning told the whole story, hating having to relive it.
Inspector Gordon nodded. "No more questions for now. We would like to ask Mr. Delaney some questions, but we will be in touch."
Lightning didn't trust himself to speak, so he just nodded.
Sydney capped her pen and smiled. "Thank you for you time, Mr. McQueen."
The residents of Radiator Springs waited at Flo's anxiously while Inspector Gordon and Sydney headed to Velo City to ask Clinton Delaney a few questions. They returned that evening.
"Based on the information we have received", Inspector Gordon began officially, "we have determined that this accident was nothing more than that: simply a freak accident."
The townsfolk were relieved; they hated to think that Lightning might be going to jail after this.
"Mr. Delaney feels awful about the whole thing", Sydney reported. "He feels very determined to make it right."
Inspector Gordon nodded. "He will no longer authorise anyone to use the track alone or without medical staff on tyre. He has also offered to pay Ms. Rossi-Topolino's medical expenses."
Luigi and Guido nodded. "Please thank him for us", the former instructed simply. He didn't blame Clinton Delaney at all. He just blamed Lightning.
Both Italians certainly appreciated that (even though, as Sarge pointed out, it was most likely to cover his own ass and make sure they didn't sue). They couldn't afford all of Fudge's medical expenses and Luigi certainly didn't want to turn to Lightning, of all people, for help. Even so, that wouldn't make things right. The only thing that could do that was for Fudge to get better.
Luigi pulled out Fudge's iPod and headphones. "Do you want to listen to some music?" He put the headphones on her and checked what song was playing. "It is 'Sh-Boom'", the Fiat reported. "Do you remember this song, Fudgie? You love this song. We all do. It brings back so many wonderful memories. We had the neon lights in Radiator Springs on for the first time and we were all cruising. You were dancing and playing with the bubbles. Do you remember?"
Of course, Fudge didn't answer.
It was the next morning. Another day, another visit to hospital with very little process on their daughter's recovery. They were now in the middle of February, so the accident was six weeks ago. Apart from Luigi and Guido and, of course, doctors and nurses, the only ones who had seen Fudge were Gloria and Uncle and Mama Topolino. They decided not to spend too much time with her, though. They thought her dads deserved as much time alone with her as possible.
here had been very little news in all of that time. When the doctor- one of the best doctors in America (her name was Dr. Wilson)- came in to examine her, things didn't appear to get much better for them.
"It's been six weeks and we've seen very little progress with Brittney's recovery", she reported ruefully, her pale blue eyes softening.
"I know", Luigi whispered, stroking his daughter's hair. "So, what does that mean?"
"I wouldn't count on Brittney making a recovery from this." She sighed. "Perhaps you ought to consider switching off her life support."
"No! She will!" Luigi insisted. "She will recover! She is my daughter! She is going to be fine!"
No matter what the doctors said about Fudge's recovery or how many times they told him not to expect her to recover at all. Luigi had constantly insisted that Fudge was going to be fine. He had faith in his daughter, even if nobody else did.
When Dr. Wilson left, Luigi and Guido stayed in the room in silence, holding their daughter's hands for about ten minutes before Luigi removed the headphones from her ears gently.
"Okay. That is enough music for now", he announced quietly. "Using headphones for too long is bad for my baby's ears."
Luigi looked to Fudge again as if expecting her to make some kind of comment about that. Though, she remained silent. Obviously.
The Fiat sighed and leaned over to kiss her gently. "I love you so much!" he declared in a whisper as he brushed a strand of hair from her face.
With the lack of visible process Fudge had been making, neither of her fathers were expecting anything to happen. But this time, something did. It was only for a second, but her eyes fluttered open. They only saw the blue in her eyes (and the little streak of brown in her right eye) for a fraction of a second before her eyes closed again. It was incredible!
"Fudge!" Luigi gasped, staring at her in disbelief.
"You are not going to believe what has just happened!" Luigi exclaimed, approaching his friends and family, who were parked in the waiting area. Guido was right behind him.
Immediately, he had everyone's attention. They knew Luigi was hysterical, but was it good or bad? They couldn't tell. Yet, they were all ready to hear what it was. Was Fudge finally making progress?
"What?!" they all demanded. "What is it?!"
"I just gave Fudge a kiss and told her I love her!" Luigi babbled. "And she opened her eyes!"
Everyone's eyes widened and this was followed by exclamations.
"Are you serious?!"
"That's great!"
"Fantastic!"
"(Oh, that is wonderful! I am so happy!)"
"That's amazing!"
"I can't believe it!"
The Fiat nodded. "Yes. She went back to sleep right away, but the nurse said it is a good sign that she has opened her eyes."
"I'll bet!" Lightning declared.
Luigi just gave him a look as if the race car was something gross that he had just discovered on the bottom of his tyre. Only for a second, though. Then he looked around, pretending that he hadn't seen or heard his ex friend. "Where is Mater?"
"He's just gone to get some snacks from the vending machine", Sally reported. "He should be back soon."
"We hope", Sheriff added with a small smile. "Mater loves the vending machine. It's like he can't get enough of it!"
Luigi nodded. "Okay. Grazie. I will go and give him the good news. We will let you know if anything else happens. Come on, Guido."
"Okay!" Guido agreed, following his best friend.
For the millionth time, Lightning sighed. "Did you see the look he just gave me?!" he quizzed his friends. "I thought he'd be over this by now! But it's been over a month now and nothing! What do I do?!"
"Nothing", Sally responded. "You've apologised Chrysler knows how many times. Luigi's just upset right now."
Uncle Topolino nodded in agreement. "I am sure that once Fudge continues to make progress, he will calm down."
"It'll pass", Sally assured him.
"What if it doesn't?" the race car wondered.
That seemed to be the most popular- but not the favourite- game the RS gang had played since Fudge was hospitalised: "What if?" They had been asking each other all kinds of "what-if" questions. The most frequently asked question was the question first asked by Lightning, "What if she doesn't make it?"
In response to this round, Sally gave her boyfriend a sympathetic smile and a kiss. "Well, let's not worry about that until we have to."
Meanwhile, Mater was driving away from the vending machines, loaded with snacks, mostly potato chips and candy. He was about to head back to his friends, only to change his mind entirely and decide to go on a little detour. He wasn't lost. He knew the way from the vending machines to the lounge; after all, it was a journey he made at least three times a day for the past six weeks. Mater just wanted to explore the hospital and maybe even find Fudge. He hadn't seen her in a month and a half and he really missed her. Without giving it much thought, the tow truck followed a crowd of people to the nearest elevator and rode it around the hospital, looking around.
Occasionally, a curious Mater would try to look into the hospital rooms, to the annoyance of a lot of patients, their families, doctors and nurses. However, there was one room in particular that attracted the tow truck's attention: the room he'd been looking for all along! Room 617, or more specifically, Fudge's room. Now, Mater hadn't known what room number Fudge was in, but he could see her name written plain as day outside the door. Not really understanding why he couldn't go in and see her and only knowing that he wanted to, Mater rolled right into Room 617.
The room was empty and quiet. For once, there were no doctors or nurses. Mater hadn't really known what he was expecting, but he sure wasn't prepared for what he saw. It was the exact same sight that Luigi and Guido had seen every day when they came in: a still, silent girl in a hospital gown with her eyes closed and with plaster casts and braces and machines that she was hooked up to and IVs and all. The only real difference between her on her first day in intensive care and her now was the medication she was on was causing her to lose weight. She was receiving injections of a strong dose of medication three times a day. Now, the once-chubby little girl was becoming thinner and thinner by the day.
At first, the tow truck didn't recognise his little sister. In fact, he was wondering if he had the wrong room. Did it really say Brittney Rossi-Topolino outside the door? Or maybe this was some other Brittney Rossi-Topolino.
No. Mater recognised the cards and presents he and his friends had given to Fudge, including the large collection of bears and other stuffed animals. This was her, all right. No doubt about it.
"Fudge!" he whispered, creeping closer to the bed. "Hey, Fudge!"
Of course, there was no answer; just the sound of slow, soft breathing.
But Mater didn't give up. He shook the girl in front of him. "Fudge! Fudge, wake up! C'mon, Fudge! It's me! Mater! You done been asleep for a long time! C'mon! Wake up!"
Again, Mater only received silence.
He only had one idea of what to do. He didn't want to do it, but desperate times called for desperate measures. The tow truck crept towards the bed, trying to be as quiet as possible. Then, as if Fudge was a sleeping tractor, Mater honked his horn.
The good news was... Well, there was no good news. Not only did Fudge's eyes stay closed, but the sound of his honk attracted the attention of a passing nurse, older than most of the others, who came rushing into the room.
"Sir, you're not supposed to be in here!" she informed him bluntly. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Mater's eyes widened and his heart sank, but he had no choice but to roll out of the room, only to run straight into Luigi.
"Mater? What were you doing in there?" the Fiat wondered.
"I just wanted to see Fudge", Mater explained, hanging his head guiltily.
"Mater! There you are!" Sarge called, having appeared in the doorway, shortly followed by the rest of the Radiator Springs residents and Dr. Wilson. "We've been looking everywhere for you! What are you doing?"
"He has been disturbing the patient", the nurse explained, ushering everyone away from the door. She told them about what Mater had done.
"I just wanted to see 'er!" the tow truck tried to justify his actions when everyone gave him questioning looks. "I ain't seen Fudge in a long time!"
Everyone looked his way sympathetically. They all knew Mater shouldn't have tried to wake Fudge up, but they all understood why he did it.
"Just... just out of curiosity, when will we be allowed to see her?" Sarge wanted to know, looking at Dr. Wilson.
"I know you said only family is allowed to be in with her, but we are the only family Fudge has ever had", Sally the lawyer argued.
The doctor thought for a moment. "You know what?" she announced finally. "I think I can give you all ten minutes."
"Really?" Ramone asked.
Dr. Wilson nodded. "Only family's allowed in to see her. And I can tell that you are all family. Just let me do these tests and give Brittney her medication and I'll let you in."
"Thank you!" the RS gang chorused happily.
"You're welcome. Just don't make too much noise and don't mess with any of the equipment", she added quickly. (Guess who she was looking directly at when she said that!) "Because you're really not supposed to be in there and I'm most definitely not supposed to be letting you in." She paused. "Although, if you do get caught, I'll take the blame."
"Thank you!" they repeated before Dr. Wilson entered Fudge's hospital room.
"Perhaps we ought to wait in the lounge", Uncle Topolino suggested, speaking for himself and the rest of Luigi's Italian relatives. "We have already been to see her and I am sure they do not need the room to be too crowded."
Luigi nodded in understanding. "I will see you later then."
"(Come on, girls)", Mama Topolino added, leading Luna, Gemma and Annabella away. "(Why don't we go and get some lunch?)"
Luckily, they didn't have to wait long.
"All right", Dr. Wilson announced, coming out of the room, "I'm all done. Everything looks fine. I'll let you in to see her now. I don't think there'll be any interruptions in that time." She turned to the nurse. "Lynn, can you just make sure they're out in ten minutes?"
"Of course", Lynn agreed.
"Thank you!" The RS gang rolled into Fudge's hospital room slowly to see the baby of their little family for the first time in over a month.
Like Mater, none of them recognised the girl right away. Luigi and Guido had told their friends that Fudge didn't look like their Fudge, lying there in her bed, in a coma. Still, what they saw was even worse than what they were expecting. She looked lifeless. Just like Guido and Luigi had done pretty much every time they entered her room, they were half-expecting Fudge to open her eyes, greet them with a big smile on her face and get out of bed. Again, this obviously never happened.
Red started sobbing at the sight of her. So did Sally and Flo. Sheriff tried to hide it, but it was obvious that he was crying too. All of them, to some extent, looked afraid of her. Yet they all knew that they had to stay. For Fudge. She needed them.
"She looks like she's lost a lot of weight, man", Ramone observed, managing to find his voice as he parked by her bedside.
Luigi nodded, kissing the top of Fudge's head before looking back at Ramone. "It is the medication", he explained. "The doctors have warned us about that." The Fiat looked back at his daughter. "Fudgie, guess who's here!"
"Hey, Fudge!" the others greeted her in unison warmly.
"You got the cards and the presents and the flowers they gave you, didn't you?" Luigi went on. "Papà read all of the cards to you and helped you unwrap all of your presents, remember? Are you going to say thank you? Fudge, can you say thank you?"
They all knew that Fudge wasn't going to say thank you. Luigi was just finding any and every excuse to talk to his daughter.
"You're welcome, sweetie", Sally piped up after a couple of seconds, also merely to talk to her. She planted a kiss on Fudge's forehead. "We really miss you around town."
"Yeah", Sheriff agreed in a tight voice. "Radiator Springs sure ain't the same without you, kiddo."
"We want you to get better, honey, so we can smile again", Flo added. "You have such a beautiful smile and it makes us wanna smile."
Fudge's family chattered away to her about whatever came to mind, which included the latest news around Radiator Springs (leaving out Hoppy's death, just in case she could hear them), news from the TV, how Mater's birthday had been and, what Mater talked about, the "yummy, yummy" snacks from the vending machine. They were so distracted by Fudge that it wasn't until they had two minutes left of visiting time that they realised the someone was missing.
"Where's McQueen, man?" Fillmore wondered, looking around to find a lack of the race car.
Everyone jumped in with comments like, "I haven't seen him since we left to look for Mater", or, "I didn't see him come in." Only Luigi remained silent.
"I'm here, guys!" Lightning's voice called from outside the room.
Sally reversed out of the room and joined her boyfriend. "What are you doing out here?" she questioned. "Don't you want to see Fudge?"
The racer sighed, tears filling his eyes. "I don't know, Sally... I mean, sure; I want to see her, but... I don't know if I'm ready to see her... you know... like this."
"I know." She kissed him. "You don't have to do this if you're not ready."
Lightning paused. "I wanna see her", he announced quietly.
"Are you sure?" she asked him. "Because you don't have to-" she began, only to be cut off.
"Yeah... I... I still don't know if I'm ready, but... She's my sister... I wanna see her." After all, he was the only one who saw Fudge immediately after the accident. How bad could it be?
"All right... Come on. We only have about two minutes left."
Reluctantly, Lightning rolled into the hospital room after Sally. At first, he was looking down, but all of a sudden, he glanced up and his eyes widened. There was Fudge. It was worse than he thought. Maybe it wasn't as bad as when he first saw her lying on the track, but it was still horrible. Lightning just stared at her in shock for a couple of seconds.
"Stickers?" Sally asked, her voice filled with concern.
McQueen didn't answer. He just tore his eyes away from Fudge and raced out of the room in tears.
Everyone stared after him in silence for a moment.
"Well, I better make sure he's okay", Sally announced. She moved over to the bed once again and gave Fudge a kiss. "I'm gonna go now, Fudge. Sorry I couldn't stay with you longer, but I need to make sure Lightning is okay." Another kiss. "I love you, sweetie. Lightning does too. Get well soon, okay?"
With that, Sally left the room yet again to find Lightning.
She finally caught up with him back in the lounge.
"There you are! Are you okay?" She held out her tyres towards him.
Another sigh escaped the race car as he tried to control his sobbing. However, when he collapsed into Sally's hug, he ended up crying harder. "I... I don't know, Sally. I... I just..."
"I know", she whispered gently. "I know that wasn't easy for you."
"Th- That wasn't as bad... as bad as... as bad as when she first... you know... But... I... I thought she'd be better by now!"
Sally gave him another kiss. "We all did."
Meanwhile, Lynn the nurse entered Fudge's hospital room.
"I'm sorry", she called out, "but I'm afraid time's up. Anyone who's not one of Brittney's fathers, out you go."
Not surprisingly, the RS gang were disappointed by this news, but they couldn't really complain. They weren't even supposed to have this time. So, they all kissed Fudge, told her that they loved her and to get well soon before rolling out of the room reluctantly.
"Did you enjoy seeing the rest of your family, Fudgie?" Luigi questioned once Ramone, who was the last one to leave, closed the door behind him. As usual, Fudge didn't answer and Luigi just kept talking. "I am sorry they had to leave, but at least you got to see them. Dr. Wilson was nice enough to let them in to see you when they were not supposed to. You will have to thank her when she comes in to see you, okay? Can Fudgie say thank you to Dr. Wilson when you next see her? I know you can because you are a good girl." He gave her another kiss. "Such a good girl. And even better, when you saw the others, Lightning was not here. Luigi does not want him to see you after what he did to you, my poor little angel."
"Luigi!" Guido cried. "(Don't you think you should talk to Lightning? Because I do. I have talked to him and he is very upset.)"
"(He should be)", Luigi responded coldly. "(This is all his fault!)"
"(It was an accident!)" Guido insisted. "(Please just talk to him!)"
"(Fine! I will talk to him later!)" Luigi snapped and Guido knew by his tone that he wouldn't.
Even so, he decided not to push it anymore. The little forklift figured that it would probably be best to change the subject. So, he turned to his daughter and whispered, "(Does Fudgie want to watch some more TV? Should Guido see what is on? Okay.)"
Guido reached for the remote and began flipping through the channels, asking Fudge if she wanted to watch whatever was on each channel. Finally, Guido left the TV on a daytime game show, which seemed like a good way to talk to her. Every now and then, both he and Luigi would ask Fudge what she thought of any of the answers or how the contestants were going or exclaim over how much she would like the prizes. Lightning was soon forgotten.
"Hey, buddy!" Mater greeted his best friend, meeting up with him at the vending machine later that evening. The race car had been roaming around the hospital, depressed. Now, he was parked by the vending machine on the second floor, staring into it intently like... Mater didn't know what. He wasn't hungry, just upset. Staring, but not really seeing.
"Hey, Mater", he responded dejectedly.
"You gonna get somethin'?" the tow truck questioned, gesturing to the vending machine in front of him as Lightning reversed away to let him through.
Lightning shook his hood. "No thanks, buddy." Food was the farthest thing from his mind at that point. The pizza and ice cream he'd had with Fudge that fateful night was the last time he'd had a proper meal. Even so, he really wasn't hungry. How could he when he felt sick?
"All right. I'm just gonna get some stuff fer me then." Mater moved closer to the machine and began shaking it, hoping that something would fall out. "Hey, buddy! I just got off the radio with Holley, Finn and Sammy. They done jus' finished a mission in Prague and they got some paperwork to do, but then they is coming here. They wanna be with Fudge too, so CHROME done gived them some time off again, even though they jus' had some."
McQueen tried to smile as he looked at his best friend, but he just couldn't. He had done a lot of smiling and laughing on the day of Fudge's accident; before it happened, of course. Now, he could hardly remember what it felt like. "Yeah... Yeah, that's... that's great, Mater", he replied half-heartedly.
"You okay? I ain't seen you since I left to go to the vendin' machine for the... second time, I think it was", he informed him, to which Lightning couldn't help smiling just a little bit. "Why didn't you come in and see Fudge?... Hey! I got one!" Mater exclaimed abruptly, pulling a bag of potato chips out of the vending machine, having shaken them free.
"I... I tried, Mater, but I just couldn't. It was just too hard... Seeing her like that and... and knowing that I did that to her..." That was all it took for Lightning's tears to start up again. "Mater, this is all my fault! I put Fudge, my baby sister, in the hospital! Luigi was right! I should've been looking after her! I should never have let her talk me into staying a little longer! All I want is to be able to go back in time and... and tell her no! What was I thinking going for those last couple of laps?! That was stupid! I knew it, even then! And now, because of it, Fudge is..." He sobbed uncontrollably up against Mater for a few minutes.
"What's wrong with me, Mater?!" Lightning groaned when he was finally able to speak. "I put Fudge in the hospital... This... this whole thing was my fault to begin with... And... and I can't even go in there to be with her! What's wrong with me?! Why... Why couldn't it have been me?! I deserve to be in that coma instead of her!"
"Shoot, buddy, it's gonna be okay!" Mater insisted after a while, munching on a chip. He wasn't entirely sure how to comfort his friend. He'd never seen him as upset as he had been these last few weeks. He gave him a hug. "There ain't nothin' wrong wit' you. You is jus' upset, that's all. You was the only one who was there when it happened, but it ain't yer fault. You didn't know what was gonna happen. You ain't sidekick."
"Psychic", Lightning corrected him emotionlessly.
Mater understood exactly how he was feeling. There was just one thing the tow truck didn't understand. This was all Lightning's fault. Lightning knew it. Luigi knew it (sure, Lightning wished that the Fiat wasn't still mad at him, but he really couldn't blame him).
But nobody else did. Not even TMST. Why couldn't they see it? Every time he tried to tell them, they would try to get him to stop talking and insist that it was just an accident. Even so, he shouldn't have been so stupid to go for those extra laps.
"That's what I said. Anyway, what I'm tryin' to say is it'll be fine", Mater went on, holding the salt and vinegar chip bag out to Lightning, who shook his hood and whispered a polite decline to the offer. "Fudge is gon' git better and then we can-"
"She might not, Mater!" Lightning snapped, making the tow truck jump before a hurt expression took over his face. Lightning took a deep breath, feeling guilty and trying to calm down. Neither of them wanted a replay of their fight in Japan. "I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't mean to yell."
"Aw, it's okay, buddy", Mater assured him. "I know you ain't been yerself since Fudge done got put in the hospital. Shoot, I don't think none of us has."
McQueen nodded, grateful that his best friend truly understood. "It's just... You know Fudge might not get better, don't you, Mater?"
"I know", Mater admitted quietly. Tears came to his own eyes. "I... I jus' don't like to think 'bout that. I just want 'er to git better."
"Me too... Me too", Lightning agreed, trying to dry his eyes.
"That's why I done tried to wake 'er up earlier!" the tow truck insisted, even though McQueen already understood. His voice was shaking too. "She done been asleep for a long time... I jus' wanted to see 'er and talk to 'er."
"I really wish Doc was here. He'd know what to do."
"Yep", Mater shared his best friend's opinion. "I bet Doc would know what he was doin' and he could make Fudge better!"
"I'm sure these doctors know what they're doing too", Lightning commented, talking more to himself than Mater, "and Fudge's recovery has to be in her own time, but still, I'd feel better if Doc was looking after her."
"Well, Miss Sally said he might!"
Lightning didn't answer.
"Ah! Mater! There you are!" Luigi exclaimed, rolling up to the race car and tow truck. He looked exhausted as he did at the end of every other day at the hospital. "We have been looking for you again! It is time to go. Will you tell McQueen?" It was obvious that he'd seen the race car.
"McQueen can hear you, Luigi", Mater replied, puzzled.
"Will you just tell McQueen the next time you see him?" Luigi requested again, driving off.
Mater looked to his best friend. "McQueen-" he began.
"I heard", Lightning cut him off in a deadpan.
So, tyre in tyre (AN: The closest I could get to them, if they were human, putting their arms around each other), the two best friends rolled away from the vending machine and made their way back to join the others without saying another word.
So, yeah, this was kind of a filler. Of course, I feel like recovery from something like this would take time, but I need to keep the story moving along. So, I put this chapter in. I also thought it would be interesting to include TMST, which is obviously from Planes: Fire and Rescue.
Next chapter focuses on Lightning and how he's feeling after what's happened.