Cars: In Memory Of You

Driving back and forth, the red race car was in a panic. His wife, Sally, was expecting and tonight was the night the baby would arrive. His best friend Mater the tow truck, with his eyes half shut from sleep, watched as Lightning drove back and forth. The rest of the town were waiting outside wondering if it would be a boy or a girl. Lightning would glance up at the double doors of Doc's office and heard Sally groaning from pain as Doc raced in an out of the double doors. Lightning tried to speak with him but Doc would just ignore him and drive through the double doors again.

"I can't take it anymore!" Lightning screamed. He reversed into a spot near Mater and started tapping his left front tire on the floor in an anxious rhythm.

"Awh, don't worry so much, buddy. Miss Sally will be alright and so will yer new baby. Doc will take gewd care of'em."

"I know, Mater. I know. It's just that-"

Lightning was cut off when Sally screamed. It wasn't a normal scream at all. It was a blood curdling and skin crawling scream that made Lightning, Mater and town outside jump in an unexpected panic. Lightning's eyes went wide and his heart broke. Sally was in a lot of pain and he couldn't do anything about it. Mater's eyes were just wide in shock. Just when Lightning didn't think Sally could take anymore, the screaming stopped and a faint scream was heard. It sounded small but strong. Doc, with a smile, pulled out of the double doors and winked at Lightning.

"Hey kid, why don't you come over in here and say hello to your new son."

Lightning's eyes went wide and it was followed with a big grin. Mater looked at the race car and nudged him forward to follow Doc. Lightning jerked forward and followed the doctor as he went through the double doors. Once inside Lightning could see Sally, worn out but okay. But sitting on her hood was a tiny car. She was looking directly at the small thing with a lot of love and she held a big smile. Lightning rolled up to her and looked at the small car. It was an off white miniature version of himself. Sally looked up at him, smiled, and said, "Do you want to hold him?"

"Uh...um. Sure. Yeah."

Sally tilted her hood a bit and rolled the sleeping baby onto Lightning's hood. The race car looked at the baby fully and couldn't find anything wrong with him. He thought he looked perfect and imagined all the things they would do together as a family. Maybe his son would grow up to be a race care driver like his father someday. As he was day dreaming, he didn't notice the tiny car wake up and stare at him in confusion.

"Lightning? I think someone wants to meet you.", Sally laughed.

"Huh? What do you-Oh!"

Looking down at his hood, he could see the baby staring right at him. The baby's blue eyes studied Lightning and gave a small smile. Sally giggled at how Lightning tilted his hood a bit to get a better look at the baby as the baby was studying him back.

"Do you have any idea on a name?", came Doc's voice. Lightning totally forgot that they were still in the hospital. He blinked a few times and looked over at Sally who was in deep thought. His attention quickly went back to the baby when he felt him move. The tiny race car settled down on the hood, closed his eyes, yawned, and went to sleep. Lightning smiled and rocked his hood a little to help the baby sleep easier.

"What about...Dash?", Sally said.

"Dash?", Lightning whispered as he looked over at Sally. She shrugged and nodded. Lightning took a good look at his son and smiled. He looked over at Sally and said, "How about we make Dash his middle name? I think I know what to call him."

"Oh really, and what would you like to name him?", Sally smiled.

"Well, I was thinking Benjamin. That was my dad's name...", Lightning trailed off and looked at the tiled floor for a bit with a sad expression. He hasn't brought up his father in a long time, only about once or twice to Sally but nothing with full detail.

"I think that's a lovely name. Benjamin Dash McQueen.", Sally smiled. Lightning looked up at her and smiled back. He pulled up in front of her, tilted his hood, and wheeled his son onto his mother's hood. Sally looked at the baby and reversed back into a comfortable spot on her hospital bed. Sally gave a tired yawn and her eyes were half shut as she looked up at Lightning.

"Sorry, kid. But you need to let these two rest here for the night. You can show off little Ben tommorow.", Doc said as he looked at the new father. Lightning frowned, wanting to take them both home tonight was a short lived dream.

"But I can stay here with them, right?", Lightning asked in a panic. He just met his new boy and he was already attached. The thought of leaving Sally and the baby brought a chill to his core. Doc smiled and nodded.

"Yeah you can stay here. I'll let everyone know they should come back tommorow to meet Ben but for right now, it's time to get some sleep. I'll be right in my office if you need anything.", Doc said as he left.

Lightning drove up and reversed himself next to Sally. She gave him a tired smile, yawned, and slowly went to sleep. Lightning kissed her fender and looked over at his son who was still on Sally's hood. The tiny race car yawned and blinked his eyes open again. He looked all around, confused, and learning his surroundings. Lightning chuckled when the baby gave a small sneeze and gasped in surprise that the sound came from him.

"Bless you.", Lightning chuckled. The baby turned to him and tilted himself a bit getting a better look at Lightning. He lifted a tiny wheel to indicate he wanted to get to Lightning to see him better.

"No, no. You stay with mommy. You can't drive yet and I don't want mommy waking up."

The baby started to whimper and continued lifting his tiny wheel up for Lightning. The race care could already tell that his new son was not one to take no for an answer. Lightning sighed and debated between waking Sally up or ignoring the infant and sleeping. But before he could decide the baby gave a whimper and then started to cry. Sally gasped, blinked a few times and woke up.

"Awh. What's wrong. sweetie?" Sally cooed at him. She saw that Ben had a tire raised and was looking at Lightning. The older race car sighed and looked at Sally with a sad, and sorry smile.

"You want daddy, don't you?", Sally laughed. Lightning chuckled, pulled out of the spot he was in and tilted his hood so that Sally could wheel the baby onto him. Once Ben was on Lightning' hood, Sally yawned again and backed up into a comfortable spot before falling into a deep sleep.

"Alright, Ben. You got what you wanted. Now go back to sleep. Look, see, mommy is already asleep and right now daddy wants to get some sleep.", Lightning whispered.

Ben giggled and looked directly at his dad's eyes. He tilted himself again to get a better look at the race care. Lightning raised an eyebrow as Ben raised his wheel again at him.

"Ben, seriously. Bed time. Now."

"Everything okay in here?", Doc said as he came through the doors.

"Sorry, doc. But Ben just doesn't want to sleep. I mean he woke up Sally because he wanted to be on my hood but now he's wide awake. He won't try to sleep when I tell him and he doesn't look tired. I even tried telling him I want some sleep."

"Well, kid, it just seems to me that Ben there just wants your full attention right now."

"Yeah but Doc I'm worn out. Can't he see that?"

Doc chuckled and bent his hood a bit so that Lightning can roll Ben onto his hood. With Ben safely on Doc's hood, Doc reversed a bit and looked at the baby race car. Ben whimpered again because he wanted to be with his father. Doc looked over at Lightning and motioned him over to see what he had planned.

"Alright, let's try this. Ben?"

The baby looked up at Doc and continued to whimper for his father. The baby lifted his wheel again and pointed at Lightning.

"Yes, Ben. I know. You want daddy. But daddy needs his sleep."

The baby stuck the side of his tire in his mouth and titled himself again as if to say 'Why?'

"Well because your daddy needs his rest. Now you behave and go to sleep, or daddy will go home and leave you here with mommy and me."

"What! Whoa, Doc, don't tell him-"

Doc shushed him and looked back at Ben. Ben's eyes went wide and they looked tearful. He looked over at his father who looked panicked and then back at Doc who gave him a smile. The baby took the tire out of his gave a little "Bwah" at Doc. Doc laughed, tilted his hood and Lightning rushed over to take the baby from Doc.

"I don't think you'll have a problem now, kid."

Lightning raised an eyebrow but brought his attention back to the baby. Ben yawned, brought his wheels under him, and snuggled onto his father's hood. He fell into deep sleep and softly began to snore. Lightning looked at Doc and smiled in thanks. Doc drove out of the room and went back to his office.

"Hehe, goodnight buddy.", Lightning reversed back to Sally's side, nuzzled against her, and fell asleep with his son safely sleeping on his hood.