The next day, after all of Molly's playgroup friends got picked up and Mrs. Davis had tucked Molly into her toddler bed for a nap, Buzz stood in the hall with Woody. They leaned against the side of the bookcase that was just outside Andy's room. Woody had taken attendance and thankfully, all the toys were safe inside. All except for one, that is. Molly had grabbed Jessie hours before when her friends had started to arrive, and she'd taken her down to the family rooom where Mrs. Davis had set a place for the children to play.
Buzz held onto the banister with both hands and peeked his head out in between two of the bars. He looked down and scanned the room for the cowgirl, but she was nowhere to be found. "Should I go down after her?" He worriedly asked Woody.
Woody shook his head. "She knows what to do. Just give her some time," he said calmly, but he was secretly a little worried too. He just hoped that Jessie had been paying attention to the part of the meeting where they'd explained where to meet up if anyone got separated.
Buzz recalled the conversation he'd had with Jessie the night before about her not being a damsel in distress, but he knew how rough toddlers could be while they were playing. What if she'd been hurt? Besides, she was probably still shaken up after the two of them had almost gotten caught playing tag by Andy and one of his friends. What if she was too afraid to move? Buzz turned back to Woody impatiently.
"I'm sure she's just being extra cautious. We'll give her ten more minutes and then one of us will go searching for her," Woody said in a tone that left nothing up for discussion.
Downstairs, Jessie was pulling herself up from the floor after she was sure that Mrs. Davis wasn't coming back down. She sighed inwardly. What a long day it had been. She loved playing with Molly and all her friends, but it had been quite some time since she'd been around so many energetic children all at once, and she was exhausted. Plus, the playgroup had gone on for an hour longer than expected, which had given her even more time to anxiously anticipate her night with Buzz. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered excitedly everytime she thought about it and she realized with a smile that she actually liked the feeling and hoped it would never go away. All her reluctance about going outside again had melted away when Buzz had promised her that they would be more careful, and it did help her nerves to know that this time they had Woody's approval. Now that she was actually looking forward to it, her impatience was getting the best of her. The afternoon spent with the slightly rowdy toddlers had actually been a welcome distraction.
Jessie kept her steps light as she walked across the wooden floor slowly, being very careful not to make a sound. She tiptoed to the bottom of the staircase and looked up cautiously before continuing. Her heart leapt into her throat when she saw that Buzz was waiting for her at the top of the stairs with Woody and she grinned. Another wave of excitement bubbled up inside of her and she struggled to fight the impulse to just run up the stairs and into Buzz's arms. She hesitated before gripping the step in front of her with her hands.
Woody waved her on encouragingly and Buzz stretched out a hand, although there were still quite a few steps in between them.
Jessie made her way up the stairs slowly and without making a sound. She grinned proudly when she reached the top and took Buzz's hand, letting him pull her the rest of the way up. She slapped a hand on the side of the bookcase in triumph and regarded her friends with a wide smile.
"So you were listening to me," Woody teased.
Jessie stuck her tongue out at him and they all laughed. "Come on," she urged. "Let's get back into Andy's room."
Bo greeted them eagerly when they stepped inside. She started to take Jessie by the hand, but Woody tapped Jessie lightly on the shoulder to get her attention.
"You did a really great job with the whole playgroup situation today," he told her and Jessie smiled warmly at him. "I want you to know that I meant it when I said that I trusted you and Buzz," he continued. "I hope you can put your worries aside and really have a great time tonight."
"T-thank you," Jessie said, her cheeks flushing a slight pink.
Bo laughed and continued to pull her away from the guys. Jessie rolled her eyes, knowing that she was in for a really girly conversation.
Buzz slapped Woody on the back. "Thanks, Pal. We won't let you down," he said.
Woody shook his head. "Just make it worth it," he said with a wink.
