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Chapter Twenty-Four

JACK

T he storm had passed and only a light, somewhat pleasant breeze remained. The river was still impassable, and it seemed it would be that way for a few days, maybe longer. I stared down at the rushing water. It was murky and filled with debris. I’d seen more than one good-sized tree trunk float past. As I stared into the churning water, the moment of terror came back to me. Ava came dangerously close to being swept away in the deadly current. Just thinking about it formed a knot deep in the pit of my stomach. When I pulled her into my arms, all I could think was that I never wanted to let her go. I never wanted to lose her.

Ava was busy wrapping Norman’s ankle. It didn’t appear broken, but it was definitely sprained, so he’d be stuck in his cot for the next few days. I decided to pull out one of the shovels from the small shed behind the mess tent. A shovel seemed my best option for cleaning up the debris. The mud was thick. I started with the firepit and the sitting logs. We were going to need both if we were stuck here a few days.

I managed to uncover what was left of the firepit and was busy getting started on the logs when a large, leafy branch on the ground began to move on its own. The wind had died down completely, so there could only be one explanation for a broken branch moving on its own. I assumed a snake, so I used the shovel to move the leafy branch aside. Big, sad eyes stared up at me. A baby sloth, not more than a few weeks old, made a high-pitched squeak as it dragged its body across the muddy ground. Sloths could move vertically up and down trees with ease but walking across the ground like other terrestrial mammals was nearly impossible.

I put down the shovel and walked toward it. It squeaked as it stared up at me with a look that broke my heart. It seemed that, if nothing else, this trip was proving to me that my heart was not as encased in stone as some, including me, liked to believe.

I picked the frail creature up, and it immediately gripped my arm and climbed higher toward my neck where it finally settled, apparently feeling safe for the first time since the storm began. I headed to the mess tent where I’d heard Ava moving around, preparing some food.

“I was going to rehydrate some chili mac. I don’t know about you, but I’m—” Her words fell off as she spotted the little critter tucked against my neck. She squealed with delight, something I wouldn’t have expected from Ava Lovely.

“Let me have that little darling.” She reached greedily for him.

“Uh, hold on, I have to release the claws; otherwise they’re liable to leave big grooves in my neck.” The tiny sloth squeaked as I unfastened him from my neck.

Ava’s face nearly split in two with an adoring smile. She hugged the sloth to her, and the baby immediately snuggled against her. She stroked his head gently. “You poor thing.” She looked up. The baby sloth had wiped away the earlier angst we were all wearing heavily, like a wet wool coat. “Where did you find it?”

“Well, interesting story. I was digging the firepit out from the mud, and I noticed a leafy branch making its way across the ground. Frankly, I was expecting a snake, one big enough to move the branch. But no snake. Just little Buster.”

“Buster?” she asked as she stroked him. “I guess that works. We need to go look for his mom. I don’t think he’s old enough to be weaned yet. She can’t be far. Food first—that way I can be sloth mommy for a little longer.”

“I’ll take care of the food while you babysit. What about Norm?”

“He’s resting, and he said he wasn’t hungry. Poor guy was so shaken after what happened.” She grew quiet for a second. “I haven’t had a chance to?—”

“Not necessary, Lo. You would have done the same for me.”

“I might have pulled us both in.” Her voice wavered. “You took a big chance.”

“You don’t weigh that much. Besides, may I remind you about this?” I waved my hands in front of myself. “I don’t spend all my waking hours at the gym, but I do take care of myself.”

“Yes, you do. Not bad for a science nerd.”

We sat down to something that the package claimed to be chili mac but was mostly plain noodles with a dash of chili powder. Ava cuddled the sloth and could barely eat her lunch for fear of disturbing the little guy. She was in heaven but also visibly worried that we wouldn’t be able to help the baby sloth. It desperately needed its mother.

“Never thought of you as the maternal type.” The second it left my mouth, I knew it was a mistake.

“That’s because you base your opinions on nothing more than air.”

“And I’ve stepped in it again. For a second, I thought we’d—” I stopped.

“What?”

“Never mind. Where should we start looking? If I think back to my zoology minor, sloths prefer the cecropia trees.”

“Yes, and I definitely saw some during our mushroom expeditions.” She smiled down at the sloth as it released a big, adorable yawn. “Sorry for snapping. I guess sometimes I worry that I don’t fit in well in the world with all its rules and generalizations. I’ve always been different, even amongst my sisters, and I think I’ve already made clear how close we are.”

“Yes, very clear, and that story of yours was a proper humiliation moment for me. Only it seems I haven’t quite learned my lesson. And I didn’t mean it in a negative way.” I turned my eyes up. “At least I don’t think I did. I guess we’re both always on defense when we’re near each other. I wish there could be a restart, but without a time machine, we’re stuck in this endless cycle.”

Ava looked up from the tiny sloth with a smile. “Who says we need a time machine?” She stuck out her hand. “How do you do, I’m Ava Lovely.”

I took her hand in mine. It was small and warm and, considering how hard she worked, amazingly soft. “How do you do, I’m Jack Sinclair.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Jack. Now, I don’t know about you, but if I take another bite of this weird food, I may never eat macaroni again, and that would be a shame because macaroni and cheese is my favorite food.”

I nodded. “Aha, I had you pegged as a pizza person, but I suppose mac and cheese usually tops people’s lists.” I carried the bowls to the trash and scraped out the remnants of the nearly inedible concoction. “I wonder if they’re all eating pizza right now.”

“Probably. When I spoke to Harold, he mentioned everyone was showered and dry and he was pulling some pizzas out of the oven.”

“Lucky punks.”

“Yes, but we’ve got little Buster to make up for not having pizza.” She cuddled him again. “I’m in love.”

I gazed at her. As she said it something inside of me jolted, and for the briefest second, I allowed myself to think something so ridiculous and crazy I wasn’t entirely sure why it popped into my head. I shook it free, reminding myself that it had been a wild day fraught with stress.

“Well, let’s go see if we can find mama sloth,” I said.

Ava sighed. “Gonna miss the little guy, but I sure hope we find her.”