A/N: Howdy! I always wondered how Emily could be so mean as to just give Jessie away, but then I thought: what would I do if I'd grown out of a toy I loved? And though I probably never will, I thought of this!
I Miss You
Emily was excited about finally being a mother. It was shortly after she'd found out that she wished she'd kept the little red-haired cowgirl doll she loved so much. But she knew she'd never want just another Jessie. She'd always want her Jessie back.
But when she'd donated Jessie, Emily had never thought of the possibility that she might one day become a mother. She'd looked back on all her memories of Jessie, relieved to finally know where she'd gone after all those years. After Jessie had disappeared from the top of her bed, Emily had been too upset to look for her. She'd simply had to move on.
But when she'd found Jessie, Emily had decided to donate her. Sometimes she wondered why. Then, looking at her beautiful new daughter, Emily had remembered – Jessie would have sat there, never being played with, for years. Possibly forever. And Emily thought it selfish not to let Jessie make some other kid happy.
Jessie, I really miss you, Emily often found herself thinking that one same thing late at night, most nights. And there would be an emptiness inside her, and she would curl up into a ball and she would cry herself to sleep.
Emily had only given Jessie away because it seemed good for her – Jessie was a toy; she should be played with, after all. Now Emily realised her mistake.
"Wow, Em," her husband said. Emily looked down at the baby girl again. "What should we call her?"
"You pick," Emily's husband said.
Emily looked. The baby – her baby – had big green eyes and the tiniest amount of rose-red hair growing. The baby grinned up at Emily; it was a familiar smile, and nostalgic, too. And the baby touched her father's cowboy hat with interest.
"Jessie," Emily said. "Let's call her Jessie."
At long last, after all the pain and crying, Emily had her Jessie back.