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Bonnie didn't want to.
Bonnie didn't want to face Andy and tell him that she lost Woody. Just remembering the day she came home from school and didn't find him made her eyes fill with tears. That day she had emptied her backpack, rummaged through her whole room in order to find him. She repeatedly asked her mother if she had seen him and asked her to look for him, since she had the ability to make appear as part of magic what she couldn't find.
But she didn't find him, nor did her mother.
She spent every night crying and hugging her other toys in order not to notice his absence, but it was impossible for her. She lost him and the worst of all is that she had lost one of Andy's toys, one of the ones she promised to take care of and the one he wanted the most.
He was going to hate her. Surely he was going to hate her forever, probably even regret trusting her with the task of taking care of his toys, which is why she didn't want to tell Andy that she lost his toy. However, she knew she had to tell him, Andy had to know.
The doorbell rang and her mother was heading to open it. Meanwhile, Bonnie hid behind her legs, holding the folds of her pants with her trembling hands.
"It's a pleasure to see you, Andy," she said smiling. "Please, come in," making a gesture with her hand for him to enter.
He did, but before taking another step, he stopped when he noticed that Bonnie was poking her head out from behind her mother's legs.
"Bonnie?" he asked puzzled when he saw her hide. Just like the first time he met her. "Is something wrong?" he questioned now because it seemed strange to him that the shyness with him had returned, since after several visits, she would hang around his neck and sometimes even ask him to give her a piggyback ride.
After his mother gave him a gentle pat on the head, she slowly poked her head out from behind her legs. She looked at him again raising her gaze and then at Andy, who crouched down to be at her height.
"Is something wrong, Bonnie? Whatever it is, you know you can trust me," he said, flashing a sweet smile.
She bit her lower lip, lowering her gaze to the floor, feeling the desire to cry again. She averted her gaze multiple times, unable to utter a single word, swallowing saliva several times, but her mouth began to tremble as she held back, until she could no longer and broke down crying, apologizing over and over again.
"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please forgive me, Andy, please forgive me."
As the tears slid down her eyes like a waterfall and her hands took them to her face, rubbing the tears that wouldn't stop coming out, also sniffling.
"What hap-"
Before he could finish the question, she interrupted him, saying through sobs: "I-I lost Woody."
He remained motionless at this revelation, his eyes dilated by such a confession. He swallowed and looked at the poor girl crying inconsolably and deeply distressed.
"Bonnie," he called, looking at her with pity.
Hearing her name pronounced, she couldn't lift her gaze. She didn't want to be scolded, but she deserved it for not taking care of the toys as she had said she would. She closed her eyes and tried to hold back the sobs, uselessly, but the scolding never came, instead Andy placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair slightly.
"Bonnie, don't cry anymore," he asked her, taking a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping her cheeks and nose.
"Do you hate me?"
He shook his head and smiled. She raised her head skeptically because she was sure he was going to hate her and not talk to her anymore, not visit her anymore, nor play with her anymore. Probably even take with him all the toys he had given her and entrusted her with the task of taking care of, which she had horribly failed at.
"I could never hate you," he added.
And it was the truth, even if he lost all his toys, destroyed them or threw them in the trash. He knew it would only be an accident because Andy had seen how she took care of them, how she cherished them, how she loved them.
He remembered the time Jessie's arm came unstitched. He had offered to fix it, but she shook her head and said she was going to do it because she was now taking care of them. With a smile, she began to sew and despite the multiple pricks she got on her finger with the needle, Bonnie finished the job on her own.
"B-but... I lost Woody."
"I also lost Woody and Buzz once. I had looked for them everywhere, you know," he began to tell, getting lost for a few seconds in his mind by those memories. "And I was going to move very soon and I still couldn't find them, I thought I would never find them, but they appeared. I found them as I was heading to my new home, they were in the car. The first place I looked, the first place they should have been," he said, and saw Bonnie's astonished expression and continued, "What I mean is, maybe you didn't look well and it wouldn't hurt to take a second look, maybe you'll be in for a surprise."
"Do you think so?" she asked, regaining hope. He nodded.
"Let's go, I'll help you look," with that said, he got up from his position and took her small hand in his.
Then they started looking everywhere, under the sofas, behind the curtains, among others. But even though they spent hours looking for him, they didn't give up.
After a while, he couldn't think of another place to look, since they had even checked the garden and the backyard, but before they could decide where to go, Bonnie headed back to her room (which was one of the first places they checked) and looked for her backpack. Remembering Andy's words.
"I found them as I was heading to my new home, they were in the car" "The first place I looked, the first place they should have been"
Then she opened her backpack, her heart racing. The zipper slid until she opened it completely and there he was...
Woody.
Her surprise was enormous because she was very sure she had checked the backpack. She had shaken it numerous times, opened it so many times in a row that she thought she would break the zipper.
But before her little mind could try to think of how Woody could have magically appeared in her backpack, her eyes brightened seeing the cowboy and a smile filled her face and in milliseconds she hugged him to her chest. Forgetting everything else.
"Andy! Mom!" she began to call, quickly going down the stairs. "I found Woody! I found him!"
"You found him, honey?" She nodded, showing him.
"Where did you find them?" Andy now asked, coming up to her. Smiling at seeing Woody.
"Like you said, he was in the place where he should have been," she replied, smiling.
"That's good," her mother added. "Bonnie, why don't you watch a little TV while I prepare the snack? Or would you rather play?"
She looked at Woody and the idea of playing tempted her, but she felt a little tired after going here and there looking for the cowboy. She shook her head and sat on the couch, turning on the TV. Andy sat next to her and watched some cartoons that had a similar theme to the Power Rangers.
After a while, she felt something hitting her arm and was surprised to see it was Bonnie, who had fallen asleep. He looked at her and couldn't help but smile as he gently stroked her hair, noticing how she shifted in the seat, visibly tired. Surely she had been looking for the cowboy all the previous day, all the previous days.
Andy was moved to see her hugging Woody tightly while a tender smile graced her dreams, and as he watched her sleep peacefully, he knew and was sure that Bonnie would take good care of his toys.