29:
The next week seemed to drag on like an eternity for Woody. He tried to distract himself, focus on Bonnie, playtime, and room duties. He even started new biweekly meetings comprised of himself, Dolly, and Shakes, the respective leaders of each of their three clans, so they could compare notes and come up with new ideas together.
It was the next Saturday, a week later, when Woody was sitting with Dolly and Shakes, writing in a sparkly turquoise spiral notebook, that his mind began to wander again. I hope she's all right. What if the surgery didn't work? Calm down, Woody. It worked. Just keep telling yourself it worked. It's gotta…
"Hey Cowboy!"
Woody blinked and shook his head. "Huh? What?" Dolly and Shakes were staring at him. "Sorry, what?"
"You zoned out," said Dolly.
"You missed half of what we were just talking about," Shakes added.
Woody looked down at the paper then back up. "How come I'm the glorified secretary?"
Dolly held up her hands as Shakes held up her paws. "No fingers," they chorused.
"Right."
Dolly sat down next to Woody. "Cheer up, Sheriff. She'll be just fine."
Woody sighed deeply. "I know. I keep telling myself that. So," he held up his pencil. "What were we talking about again?"
"We were brainstorming ways to make our three groups feel like one."
"Right. How about…"
"They're home!" Hamm suddenly yelled. "Someone's coming!"
As the other toys rushed to their spots, Woody found himself frozen in place, staring at the door. A hand clamped down on his shoulder and he jumped. "Buzz!"
"Woody, come on! Don't wanna be caught out of position, do you?" He shook his head numbly and followed the Ranger to the bed.
They climbed to the top and sat on Bonnie's robin's egg blue blanket. As Woody adjusted himself against the pillow, Buzz reached over and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "No matter what happens, you two will be fine."
Woody smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks Buzz."
The door swung open and the two froze. Bonnie skipped in, holding the white box. Humming, she placed it on the bed in front of Woody. He felt his toy heart begin to beat fast as she put her hand on the lid…
"Bonnie, Grandma's calling from Arizona! Wanna say hi?"
"Yeah!" Bonnie turned and ran to the door.
As it shut, Woody stood. His phantom heart pounding in his ears, he quickly made his way over to the container. There was tape connecting the lid to the underneath and he slid his finger under it to break the seal.
Opening the lid, the Cowboy could see lots of white tissue paper. He pushed it aside.
He could see a face. It was almost as white as the paper around it.
Two blue eyes stared at him. They were very large and almond shaped.
His voice cracked as he spoke. "Howdy."
The paper rustled. She sat up out of the box. Slowly, she reached out and touched Woody's face. In one of her new eyes, he could see a lone tear beginning to form. "Just as handsome as I remember."
They both wept.
