Ride

Chapter 14- The Family Visit (Part 2)

I put this in the author's notes of a previous chapter, but I just want to say it again: I apologise in advance if my medical knowledge is inaccurate. I have done a little bit of research into it (and PTSD to show how Lightning is feeling), but I feel like I am really bad at researching. A lot of the medical stuff used in this story are based on things I've read/heard about, logic and/or narrative convenience.

I do have an announcement at the end of the chapter, so I hope you'll stick around for that.

Please enjoy.

Chapter 14- The Family Visit (Part 2)

"Guido? Is something wrong?" Luigi questioned as they were getting ready to go to sleep in their dark tyre shop.

The blue forklift had been quiet all the way home. (Other than that, their drive home that night had been a much easier one. Not only did they not feel as strong of a need to worry about Fudge, but the weather had let up a lot and it wasn't raining anymore.) Luigi had tried to talk to his best friend, only to be stonewalled. However, Luigi wasn't giving up that easily.

"(Yes, there is something wrong!)" Guido responded angrily. "(I don't think you were being very fair to Fudge earlier.)"

"(What are you talking about?)" Luigi was now speaking in his native language too.

"(You know what I am talking about!)"

Luigi looked embarrassed. He did know.

"(Fudge needed you to be there with her!)" Guido went on. "(She is your daughter and she needed you! She wanted you! You have to talk to McQueen because this has been going on long enough and it is not fair to Fudge! You don't even have to like him right now, but, at the very least, you should just be civil for Fudge's sake.)"

Luigi sighed. Talking to Lightning was the last thing he wanted to do, but he knew that Guido was right. Even he had known all along that he wasn't being fair to Fudge.

"(Fine)", he relented and Guido could tell that he was being serious, albeit unhappy. "(I will talk to McQueen. But I want you to know that I am still very angry with him right now and do not want to talk to him. But I will. For Fudge.)"

Guido gave a satisfied nod. "Grazie."

"(But for now, we should get some sleep)", Luigi commented.

"Si", Guido agreed. He could see that Luigi not only looked very tired, but he didn't look well either. Getting some sleep would definitely do him some good.

"So, how do you feel now that Fudge is awake?" Sally quizzed Lightning as they, too, were about to go to sleep on the other side of town.

Lightning gave a small smile. "Yeah! It was great to see her again! I got to tell her I'm sorry and that I love her."

"Well, that's great!" Sally commented. "I think having Fudge wake up has done all of us some good."

"Yeah", her boyfriend agreed. "She didn't seem too mad at me. Well, actually, she didn't seem mad at all."

"It wasn't your fault!" Sally reminded him. "These things happen."

The Porsche expected Lightning to argue with her, but he didn't. When she looked over at him, he was fast asleep. Sally smiled, especially when, even as the night went on, he didn't appear to have any nightmares. She had a feeling that, although Fudge had a long way to go in her recovery, things were going to get a lot better now.

Meanwhile, the tables seemed to have turned. Although sleep had now decided to be kind to the RS gang, it refused to come to Fudge that night. She was tired, but she couldn't sleep. For one thing, with the rough day she'd had, she was crying way too hard to sleep. For another, she was in a hospital, which meant that there were constant lights and noises to prevent her from sleeping. All of her fears came rushing back to her. Was it really possible that she would never walk again? It seemed to be hard to believe, even though she was in so much pain that she felt like she wouldn't move again.