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“Doc, am I doing a cartwheel?” Lightning asks from under a pile of blankets, which engulfed him. His blond hair was matted to his pale face and rosy cheeks, and his eyes were glazed over.
“You have been in the same position for the last few hours, Rookie,” Doc sighs as he hands Lightning a glass of water and two ibuprofen.
“Ah,” Lightning says. “Well, it feels like I am.”
Doc shakes his head and smirks. He brings a hand to the young racer's forehead and winces. “Kid, how did you get so ill this fast?”
His prodigy shrugs, moving the blankets up with him. “I felt a little off this morning, but I just assumed I was still tired from the night before,” the sick boy explains.
“So, you've felt “off” since last night then?”
Lightning can already sense the endless lecture that will soon come from his mentor.
“Well, if you put it in that way, then I guess…”
Doc’s brows lifted. “You’ve felt sick since yesterday and you didn’t even tell me?” The older man’s voice was slightly raised, which caused Lightning to shrink into himself.
“I didn’t think it was a big deal,” Lightning mumbled while looking away from Doc.
“Kid, I am your doctor for crying out loud! Why wouldn’t you tell me? Plus, as your pit crew chief, I need to know these things. I could’ve made you do extra laps this afternoon for hours and would you have told me then?”
“Probably not…”
“Exactly,” Doc chided. It’s not even probably, it would’ve been a no.”
Lightning’s eyes were fixated on his lap, his face glazed, which warranted Doc to ease up a little.
“Kiddo,” Doc said, putting a hand on Lightning’s shoulder. “Next time just tell me or literally someone— just anyone! I don’t care if I have to find out through Mater or Sally or even Fillmore! I just don’t want to see you getting hurt…” Doc sighed and fixed the blankets around the kid. “These things can head south pretty fast and well— I have to admit, I like it when you’re your normal talkative self. I forgot how quiet it can get in here without you talking your head off.”
Lightning let out a groggy giggle. “Oh, how did you ever survive before you were blessed to have me in your life?” He boasted, which earned an eye roll from his mentor.
“Blessed? More like a curse,” Doc snickered.
Lightning scoffed and slowly fell back into the bed, where a pile of pillows propped him up. A yawn escaped his mouth and his eyelids grew heavy.
“Get some rest, Rookie,” Doc whispered as he turned off the lamp sitting on the nightstand. “I'll be here when you wake up.”
As Doc stood up, a warm hand reached out for him.
“Wait!” Lightning croaked out. Doc didn’t even take one step before he turned to sit back down. “Can you stay?” Although the room was now dark, Doc could see the red in Lightning’s cheeks grow and it wasn’t from the fever. His heart sank. He looked so young in that bed.
“If you get me sick, I will make you sleep outside,” Doc said as he went to lay down right next to the ill boy.
Subconsciously, Lightning went to lay his head on his mentor's shoulder. Doc could feel the kid's body start to relax as his breathing evened out. It didn’t take long before Lightning was fast asleep.
Doc didn’t mind the way his legs were going numb in the uncomfortable position that Lightning had him in. At least his kid was getting some much-needed rest. And that’s all that mattered to him.