(Humanized)

It was a rather gloomy day in Radiator Springs today. The sky was filled with dark, stormy clouds, rain droplets falling every so often, and small booms of thunder sounded in the distance. Everyone in town was either inside their shops or lounging at Flo's V8 Café, enjoying some cool refreshments on this dreary day.

Sally Carrera had just walked into Flo's, dying for a cool drink. She had been at the Cozy Cone all day doing nasty old paperwork. She thought she'd never get a break from it. She soon got her drink, nodding her thanks to Flo as she took a sip. She then noticed something off about today, and it wasn't just the gray sky.

"Has anyone seen Stickers?"

Everyone looked up at her, glanced around the Café, and shrugged their shoulders. Doc looked up from his newspaper, "Haven't seen him all morning, Sally. Maybe this cloudy day caused him to sleep in."

Sally nodded, took one last sip of her drink, and walked out of the Café and back to the Cozy Cone to finish up some more paperwork. She sat at her desk for about fifteen minutes, before she started thinking about McQueen again.

She sighed and looked up at the clock. It was nearly noon, and there was no sign of Lightning anywhere. She decided it was time to check on him.

She stood and stretched, then walked over to Cone #1. She walked to the door and knocked softly. She heard someone move inside before they came and opened the door. Sally stared in shock. Lightning was a mess.

He had dark bags under his eyes and his eyes were bloodshot and red. His red hair was sticking up at all angles, and he was still dressed in his pajamas. He had his red blanket draped over his shoulders and he held a couple tissues in his hand.

He smiled weakly, "Hey, Sal. *cough cough* What's up?" he asked, hoarsely.

She looked at him sympathetically, "Nothing much, just paperwork. Are you alright?"

"Oh, I've just got this nasty cold. I'm not feeling too well today, I thought I'd just stay inside."

Sally walked closer to him and held the back of her hand to his forehead, "Nasty is right! Light, you're burning up!"

He gently pushed her hand away from his head, "It's fine, Sal. I just need to rest and I'll be better before you know it."

He quickly put the Kleenex to his nose and sneezed a couple times before blowing it. He then started going into a coughing fit, so Sally helped walk him to his couch so he could sit and rest.

She walked into his bedroom and grabbed a pillow and more blankets and took them to the couch where McQueen was sitting.

"Here, lay down so you can get comfortable."

He obeyed without complaint, as Sally set the pillow on one end of the couch, which he laid his head on. She continued to cover him with his red blanket, making sure to be gentle, and setting the other blankets aside, just in case the fever made him cold.

She then walked to the kitchen to grab some cold medicine and grabbed a thermometer from the bathroom. She walked back to him and stuck the thermometer in his mouth. She sat on the edge of the couch beside him, pouring the cold medicine onto a spoon while the thermometer did its job.

The thermometer started beeping, indicating it was done, and Sally took it from his mouth and read it, "It says you've got a 101 degree fever. That's pretty high."

She took the spoon of medicine and gave it to him, which he took without hesitation. He swallowed, making a disgusted face, "Yuck! That's gross!" He exclaimed hoarsely.

Sally shook her head, chuckling as she stood, "Do you have an ice pack in your freezer? I think one could really help with your fever."

He nodded, and she walked back to the kitchen to get the ice pack. She also grabbed a dish towel and wrapped it around the pack, so it wouldn't be too cold on his skin.

She walked back to the living room and held the ice pack to his forehead. Lightning looked up at her, his eyes almost shut due to his exhaustion, "Sal...ya know...you don't...have to-to take care...of me," he said, weakly.

She smiled at how sleepy he was and began stroking her fingers through his hair, helping him to relax, "Don't worry about it, Stickers. I really don't mind. I wanna help you get better."

He smiled and sighed in content as he fell into a peaceful sleep. After watching him and making sure he was fully asleep, she stood from her spot, planted a small kiss on his forehead, and went to his kitchen to put the ice pack back in the freezer.

She then proceeded to do his dishes and laundry while he slept. She knew he would be mad that she's doing so much for him, but she didn't care. She wanted to make sure nothing would worry him while he was sick like this.

After she finished cleaning, she decided to make him something to eat before he woke up. She went into his pantry, searching the shelves for something that could help with his cold. She decided on some chicken noodle soup. She opened the can and set the soup in a pan on the stove to allow it to cook.

After it was done, she walked into the living room, set the soup on the coffee table, and gently began to shake him awake, "Stickers, it's time to wake up."

He moaned and slowly opened his eyes, yawning, "Man, how long was I asleep?"

"Only a few hours. I made you some soup. I thought it would help with your cold."

He slowly sat up, Sally supporting him by helping to pull him up, "Aw, Sal, you didn't have to do that."

He began going into another coughing fit as Sally rubbed his back to try and bring him comfort. She handed him the bowl of soup and he started eating it, a smile on his face, "Oh yeah, this helps a lot."

She smiled and continued sitting beside him, her arm around him, as he ate his soup. When he finished, she took his bowl and set it in the dishwasher and walked back to him, sitting back down beside him. He wrapped his blanket tighter around his shoulders and cuddled into her shoulder, "Love you, Sal. Thanks for taking care of me," he said, smiling up at her. She smiled back, cuddling next to him.

After what seemed forever, she looked up and read the clock. It was already 9:00 p.m. "Stickers, you need to get to bed so you can get better quicker."

He nodded and slowly got to his feet. Sally looped their arms and they walked together to his room. She helped him to get comfortable in his bed, tucking him in. He smiled and looked at her through sleepy eyes, "I love you, Sally."

She smiled, leaned down and kissed his forehead, "I love you too, Lightning."

He smiled and closed his eyes, feeling relaxed. She smiled at him sleeping, turned off his lamp, and walked out of his room and to the front door. She opened it, locked it, and walked out and to her office to close it up for the night. After shutting up the office, she went to her own cone, crawled into her bed, and also fell into a relaxed and deep sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, McQueen woke up feeling a lot better than yesterday. He got up out of bed, got dressed into his sweatpants and a t-shirt, and went to the kitchen to get some breakfast. He had just made a bowl of cereal, when there was a knock at the door. He stood up from the table and walked to the door. He opened it to find Sally, still in her pajamas.

"Hey, Sal. Good morning," he said as he bent down to gently kiss her lips.

She smiled, "Morning, Stickers. *cough* How are you feeling?"

He looked at her, skeptically, "I'm feeling a lot better. Are you alright? You look a little sick."

He put the back of his hand to her forehead, "Sal, you're really hot! Are you feeling okay?"

She nodded, but then flung herself into his arms. She snuggled her head into his chest, going into a coughing fit.

He chuckled, "Looks like I get to take care of you now, huh?"

She giggled, looking up and slightly nodding at him. He smiled, pulling her closer to his chest and kissing her head, holding her in his arms. Yep, nothing could break this couple. Not even a little cold.