After a few attempts, I made my way out of the dumpster just as the sun began to rise. I quickly ran back to Ryan's house, hoping to see him there, in his room, drawing at his desk like he always is on Saturday mornings. I climbed up into his bedroom window...
...but Ryan wasn't there. His mother wasn't home either.
I was confused. 'But they're always home on Saturday!' I thought. 'Are they out shopping? No, they go shopping on Sunday!'
I pulled myself up and into the room, and as I climbed onto Ryan's bed, I saw my old friend Wiley emerge from the closet.
"You looking for Ryan?"
I nodded.
"Well, you won't find him here for a while."
I gulped. "Where...where is he?"
"Ryan's in the hospital." Wiley said, with a grave tone in his voice. "From what I heard, it was that pool party. He was so worked up about not being able to color, that he threw a tantrum and, by mistake, fell in the pool, smacking his head on the ground. He's getting treatment now, but he's losing a lot of blood."
I gasped. "My gosh, that's terrible!"
"Yes. I knew his autism would get to him at some point or another."
I was about to agree with him, when I heard footsteps in the hall. We both froze, as another woman, (I'm pretty sure she was one of Ryan's mother's friends) came in and gathered even more crayons in a bag. But as fate would have it, she saw me lying on the bed, and decided that Ryan would like my company. So she picked me up and put me in the bag as well.
As we walked out of the bedroom doorway, I saw Wiley wink at me.
"Good luck." he wispered.
Before I knew it, I was inside Ryan's hospital room. He was on life support, and had a bed table where he could continue to draw. Ryan's mom put me next to her son on the bed, so I could keep him company. Hours passed, and he focused on his drawings even though his life was on the line.
Soon, some of the kids from Sunnyside brought their favorite toys from the daycare to remind him of his happy days drawing in the Butterfly room. But as the toys were placed on the windowsill, I realised that they were the same ones that had banished me the day before. Barbie, Ken, and all the others were now observing me and this child. I had my cane with me, but even if I didn't, they would still know that I was the real Lotso.
As the hours and days passed, I cuddled up to Ryan whenever he slept, and watched him as he drew. I loved him now, almost as if he was my own son. As the other toys continued to watch me, they started to realise that I really HAD changed, and that Ryan really loved me and vice versa.
I was helping him fight for his life. My days with Daisy didn't matter. My reign at Sunnyside didn't matter. The dump didn't matter. The truck didn't matter. All the bad things I said and did in the past didn't matter. I forgave and forgot my past, but all that mattered now was that it was just me, Ryan, and a true love between a child and a toy.