She noticed after they pulled the van into the garage.
Daisy turned to unbuckle her seatbelt and realized she was alone in the back, even though someone else had been there earlier.
"Daddy!" she exclaimed. "We left Lotso."
Her father glanced at her in the rearview mirror before turning to face her.
"Uh-oh."
"Uh-oh, what?" Daisy's mother asked from the house steps, biting a nail.
"We left Lotso."
"Oh," her mother said. "Oh, dear."
"We have to go back and get him, Daddy!"
"Sweetheart…"
She was pouting, tears already threatening to spill over her red cheeks. Her father sighed.
"I'm sorry, Sweetie. We can't right now. We will, just…not now."
"But…Daddy…"
"I know, Honey. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do right now. We'll get him later.
It looked like she was accepting the answer, but when it was time for bed, she began to persist again. The tears trailed down her face as her father tried to console her and get her to lie down.
"Daddy, I've never slept without Lotso. What if I have bad dreams?"
"Daisy, Honey, you have to try. I can't do anything about Lotso right now," he replied firmly. He heard the first sob from the hallway when he shut the door. He closed his eyes against the sudden heaviness in his chest.
This went on for two nights. During the days, she would plead with her father to go back and get Lotso. At night, she would sniffle until she finally fell asleep and wake up every few hours.
By the third day, her father knew he had to do something. He couldn't take another day of her pleading or another night of the tears. He decided to go by the park they had visited to look for Daisy's missing toys, Lotso especially.
But he couldn't find them.
After twenty minutes of searching, he drove home. While his daughter was finishing her bath, he spoke to his wife in hushed tones in the living room.
"You couldn't find him?" she demanded franticly.
"No," he answered, sighing as he ran his fingers through his thick hair. They shared a worried look and a moment of silence before his wife sighed and clapped her hands together.
"All right. Here's what we'll do."
They set the plan into motion as Daisy's father put her to bed.
"Daddy?" she asked hopefully as she leaned up in her bed. "Did you get Lotso yet?"
He inhaled as he took her hand.
"Yes, Sweetie," he lied. "We got him."
Her eyes lit up as she sat up in her bed, her wide grin showing off where her front tooth used to be. Her father saw his own tired reflection in her gaze.
"Where is he? I want him."
"Well, Sweetheart," he continued. "He's a little bit dirty from his adventures. Mommy's going to wash him tonight and he'll be back here by bedtime tomorrow. Okay?"
Daisy's face fell, but only slightly, as her mouth formed an "o" shape. Not quite as excited, she was still happier than she had been since the picnic.
"You promise?"
"I promise. I love you."
He kissed her forehead and left the room, shutting the door as quietly as possible. When he looked up, he saw his wife standing in her bathrobe with her arms crossed.
"So?"
He exhaled the breath he had been holding as he lied to his daughter. "It's all right. I'll stop by the store on my way home tomorrow. She'll have Lotso back by next bed time."
Twenty-four hours later, Daisy did. She hugged him to her tightly and smiled more than she had in three days.
She never knew the difference.