Trackside

Echoes of the Past

Lightning doesn't enjoy this day. Doc's grave is a hard place to visit.

___

He paced back and forth across town as the sun came up and illuminated the mountains above Radiator Springs. Just knowing the day's date had kept him from getting much sleep the night before. He thought back a couple years, when the special day was celebrated all through town. It had been something to look forward to, full of cheer and good times. Now it was just like any other day of the year, except for the underlying tones of melancholy and his mourning that never truly ended.

"You look tired, Stickers." Sally joined him as he passed in front of the Cozy Cone for the twelfth time that morning. "Didn't sleep well?"

Lightning sighed. "You know I didn't."

Sally understood. That day, every year since Doc's passing, had been rough for him. Few things are worse than having happy memories overshadowed by tragedy.

"Maybe you should go visit him now. Get it off your mind," she advised. "If you put it off until tonight, you'll be miserable all day."

Lightning glanced at her with a halfhearted smile before letting his gaze drop. He took another deep breath.

"I know," he said quietly. "I just don't like feeling so vulnerable around him."

"Do what you need to do," Sally gave him a small kiss on the fender as she turned to return to the office. "No one here is gonna know a thing."

He watched her disappear through the doorway, and slowly started driving through town again. This time, when he reached the courthouse, he didn't turn around. He hung right and began the drive into the mountains.

Usually, cruising that winding piece of road excited him, even more so when he was with Sally, but that day it was almost a burden. His destination wasn't an awe-inspiring overlook or a nice drink at Wheel Well, it was a grave marker in an isolated place where they'd laid Doc to rest. Halfway to Wheel Well, he took a left onto an old dirt road.

You are not gonna cry this time. You just need to talk, give some updates. It's been nearly eight years, Lightning, time to move on.

He arrived at the headstone, feeling strong and capable, smiling as he parked in front of the engraved plaque.

"Hey, Doc," he said. "Happy birthday."

The headstone gleamed in the rising light, but remained silent. Lightning's composure faltered. He knew better than to expect something. It was just like every other year.

In the distance, he could hear Cruz taking laps around Willys Butte. The sound of her engine echoed off the mountain walls and reverberated around him. That was why they'd chosen this spot, so that Doc would always hear the things he'd loved.

"You'd be so proud of her, Doc," Lightning's voice wavered. "She's learning so fast. Gonna be real legend one day. The other day she pulled that same stunt on me that you did where – "

His throat closed up before he could finish his thought. He choked back his emotions as tears started to pool across his windshield. He would never be strong enough to come up here without being overrun with emotion.

A stick snapped behind him. Lightning jumped and turned to see what, or who, rather, approached him.

"You too, hey kiddo?" the old black and white Mercury asked.

Lightning nodded, but didn't say anything. He couldn't.

Sheriff parked next to the racecar and sighed. "Hey, there Doc."

They both sat there in silence for a while as the wind picked up. Clouds began to roll over the peaks of the mountains and gather on the leeward side. Sheriff looked up at the imposing grey in the sky and guessed they might get a few sprinkles. The clouds looked mostly rained out already, much like himself. Sheriff thought back to the tears he'd shed for Doc over the last several years. It hadn't got easier for him, either.

He glanced at Lightning. Despite the kid's best attempts to show otherwise, there were still tears in his eyes. Sheriff knew how much Doc had meant to the racer in the few years they'd known each other. A bond like that could never truly break.

"Y'know, one time I agitated ol' Doc to the point he hired Mater to find me and tow me into the clinic," Sheriff told him, trying to lighten the mood.

Lightning let out a soft laugh, sniffled, and then looked at his present company. "What?"

"I was late for my yearly appointment, that's all," Sheriff continued. "Apparently being three days late is unacceptable. I told him I'd have him impounded for aiding in the kidnapping of an officer of the law. You know what he did? He just laughed and told me to get on the lift. No respect for the law whatsoever."

Lightning felt a smile return to his face. That sounded like the Doc he knew. Sheriff's story reminded him of one of his own.

"I caught him singing to a bird outside his window, once," Lightning said, his voice ragged, but steady. "I never thought I'd hear him sing "Rockin' Robin", or anything else for that matter. He nearly beat me when I laughed, but that's still one of my favorite memories. He seemed so happy."

"You stick around long enough, kiddo, you'll see everyone for who they truly are, even to themselves," Sheriff told him after a short chuckle.

"Yeah."

Lightning thought about Doc singing as he gazed down at the headstone. Tweet, tweet, tweet. That had been the funniest part. Doc sang that part of the song so quietly, so tenderly to that bird outside the window. That day Lightning learned that even the grumpiest old racecars could still be gentle at heart.

He remembered laughing at Doc for it, not because he was making fun of him, but because he was so startled and surprised, he didn't know how to react. Doc chased him all the way to the butte for that. His smile widened.

Sheriff saw the boy deep in thought, grinning like a fool. There ya go. Happy thoughts. That's how you do it. He listened to the engine notes echoing around them and imagined Doc listening in. This was exactly what he would want to hear – happiness, racing, and no tears or sniffling. That's what Doc truly wanted for his protégé. Maybe after all these years, the best birthday present the old Hornet could get was the retelling of pleasantries past to make for a happier future.

Sheriff took a deep breath and started into another story.