Chapter Text
He would probably like the cops if they hadn't arrested him and called Sheriff. They weren't too bad, though he suspected that had to do with Sheriff, who they seemed to know and like. He leaned his head against the cold brick wall and looked out the corner of his eye. He could just hear an engine now, had to be the Sheriff's Mercury...and then his gut twisted. Instead of the Sheriff's black-and-white Mercury, was the Hornet. Sheriff wasn't meant to tell his mentor. Doc wasn't even meant to know. Lightning looked around the small holding cell, spying the little window high up. He didn't care if he got busted for jailbreaking. He'd escape to Canada and race there for the rest of his career.
"Boy, if you can get up there and squeeze through, I'll drop all charges." The deputy was wearing the biggest shit-eating grin Lightning had seen in a long time. "You'll be outta here soon enough."
"You don't understand, Deputy. My sheriff brought my..." Lightning trailed off as the doors opened and the two toughest guys in Radiator Springs walked in. Doc looked straight at him with disapproval in his eyes. "Dad."
"So, we clocked this 'un at a hundred-fifty."
Doc glared out the side of his eye at Lightning, who was looking at a window some seven feet up like he was thinking to fly out of it. "Uh-huh."
"Swore on his life he was goin' 70."
"Mm."
"See, now, we wouldn't mind if not for the fact he just got his fourth ticket paid off and it seems to us he's gettin' an awful bad habit."
"Fourth?" Sheriff's jaw dropped. "Four goddang tickets! Lightnin'!"
"I can afford them."
Doc slowly turned his head to where his kid was stood under the window. Blue-tinted moonlight spilled over his golden hair. He looked almost angelic, which made sense 'cause from what Doc was hearing, he'd been cheating death a lot lately. "When you got that car, we talked for a very long time about safe driving. And now I get dragged down here because you've been treating this city like a race track, not once, not even twice, but four times, Montgomery."
The deputy apologetically cleared his throat. "Actually, now it's five."
Five. Doc looked back at the Deputy. "I gotta ask, why not pull him over before?"
"He was goin' too fast that we couldn't catch up. Our equipment ain't the best, so we couldn't get a good number plate neither. We guessed he'd be zippin' around tonight, so we got ourselves organised and managed to get 'im."
Doc set his attention back on his boy who stared at the floor, like he hoped it would swallow him. "Are you listening to this, Montgomery? Five speeding tickets in as many weeks and what's more is you didn't stop once the lights were after you. You know good and well that both those things are illegal!"
"I didn't see the li-"
"I don't want to hear it, Montgomery. I told you before - speeding kills. And you've done it five times that we know of."
"I can see it would've been capped at one time if you'd known 'bout it, Dr. Hudson."
"Yes. And it will not happen again."
"Alright." The deputy perched on his desk. "Here's what I'll do. Seeing as Sher's a good buddy and you seem like a man of your word, I won't take it any further. However, should there be a sixth time..." He made a cut-throat gesture.
Doc took his eyes off Lightning who was now eyeing the little window again. "That's very good of you and I appreciate it. Thank you."
The deputy went to open the cell door, catching Lightning's shoulder as he trudged out. "Don't let me see you in here again, kid. Gives me no pleasure in arresting young 'uns like you."
"Sorry, Deputy."
"We'll collect the car tomorrow." Doc couldn't stop the chill from entering his voice. "Right about now, Montgomery, I don't trust you behind the wheel."
Lightning got the whole story of it on the forty five minute journey home. Doc had been shooting the shit with Sheriff when the call came in and had overheard and that had been it. Really, he'd been lucky. A criminal record wasn't exactly a great thing for an upcoming racer to have. The town's colors welcomed them home and Sheriff asked to be left at the courthouse. Arriving back home, Lightning looked at the rearview mirror to see what Doc was thinking. The older man's eyes were distant. "Doc?"
"Go to bed. I need to park up the Hornet."
Are you mad? Do you hate me? Lightning unbuckled his seatbelt and exited. Now he was amongst the crickets chirping and the wind rustling in the hardy trees, he realised how silent it had been in the car.