Edward layed on an orange table, made of a spongy material, waiting for Charlie and Willy. His heart was thumping rapidly and he swallowed the lump of fear that sat in the back of his throat. Everything would be okay. Chester's words had reassured him, yet the "what ifs" were still at the back of his mind.

A door to Edward's left opened and Charlie emerged, followed closely by Willy. Willy carried a medium sized purple box and Charlie carried a suitcase. Charlie smiled at Edward and put the suitcase on the table and opened it. Inside there were an arrangement of tools such as a screwdriver, or pliers, wrenches, thins of that nature.

Willy moved over to Edward, "I would like for you to take a peek at what I've got inside this box,".

Edward sat up and Willy set the box on the table next to him. Willy's purple-gloved hands slid to the edges of the box, lifting off the lid. Edward's eyes widened and his mouth turned into the tiniest smile. Willy reached inside the box, pulling out a set of hands. They were pale to match Edward's skin, and slightly feminine-looking. The fingers were perfect. The knuckles and fingernails were perfect. They were a beautiful set of hands.

"So Edward, have you made your decision? Are you ready to leave those old scissors behind?" Charlie asked.

Edward looked at his scissors, flicking one of them nervously. The overhead light beamed down on them, illuminating part of Edward's face with the gleaming metal. He glanced back at the beautiful pair of hands Willy was holding.

"Let's do it," Edward said confidently.

"Great," Charlie said with his toothy grin.

"Alright Edward, I'm gonna give you a sedative so you'll go to sleep. You won't feel a thing. Don't worry, you're in good hands," Willy said reassuringly.

"Open," Charlie said as he held out a pink pill in front of Edward. Edward opened his mouth and Charlie placed the pill on his tongue.

"Go ahead and chew it up," Charlie said, nodding.

Edward's head got heavy as he chewed up the medicine. He started to sway and his eyelids started to flicker. Willy and Charlie helped him lay back down on the orange table.

"When you wake up Edward, you'll be a new man," Willy said.

Edward's eyes closed and everything went black.

Charlie and Willy worked slowly, taking every precaution. They cut away the scissors and exposed 5 sharp digits on each hand that had apparently been used so he could move each individual blade on his scissors. There was no blood; He was a machine man. They connected the hands to the digits and secured then with screws and stitches. They polished his fingernails and washed his hands. When they were finished, they stood back to admire their work. He was perfect.

Edward was out for another half hour. Meanwhile, Willy and Charlie worked on making a special dinner for Edward. They made pot roast, carrots, peas and baked potatoes: his favorite, or so he told them. Dinner was in the oven and Willy and Charlie waited for Edward to wake, in the mean time playing Chinese checkers, Willy's favorite game.

Edward slowly opened his eyes. Sitting up he shook his head, scratching his forehead with his fingernails. Edward paused suddenly in his actions and threw his arms out in front of him. His new hands were there and Edward smiled in wonder and awe. He slid his fingers over his palms and bent and unbent his fingers. He rapidly moved the digits as if he were playing a piano, smiling ear to ear the whole time. He touched his face, feeling his soft skin, running over old scars from cutting himself. He touched his messy jet black hair, pulling on it for the sake of grabbing something. Laughing joyfully, Edward leaped off the table and ran down the hallways, jumping up and touching the ceilings, walls, doorframes, anything he could get his hands on. His HANDS.

Charlie and Willy jumped as Edward burst through the doors, arms flailing.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" Edward screamed hysterically running to embrace Willy and spinning his around. Willy widened his eyes in alarm and squealed as he was lifted off his feet. Edward did the same with Charlie who smiled and laughed.

The trio ate dinner together that night, Edward cherishing the meal, moving slowly, lifting his fork gently, making the most of his new pair of hands. He looked at his two friends and smiled as they laughed and talked about the simple things, and in that smile was the feeling of great contentment; the feeling of great appreciation. Even though his journey was over and he parted with his friends, in the end he had won something much greater; a family.