Sadie glanced at Briar. “Don’t I know it.”
Somehow, after all that had happened in the last few days, the thought of Wheeler and Sadie didn’t cause her any pain or jealousy. The current problems in her life so eclipsed any others that it was possible her heart was preparing to move on. She even walked beside Sadie all the way back to the mill without any churning bitterness in her stomach.
No one bothered to come back to Briar’s frames that afternoon, for which Briar was relieved. She was enjoying the new efficiency of her frames and didn’t want anyone getting in the way of it. But midway through the afternoon, there was a commotion on the other side of the room. Maribelle was busy doffing the far frame, so Briar moved down the aisles to see what was going on.
Sadie had collapsed next to her frames, lying like a lump of cotton on the greasy wood floor. Annie was hunched over her, yelling for the overseer. The call for help was carried on down the line over the pulsing noise of the machines.
Briar ran to see what she could do.
“She’s burning up,” said Annie, fanning the air over Sadie’s face with her hands. “We’ve got to get her out of this heat.”
“Back to work, everyone,” said the overseer, arriving on the spot. “Which house is she at?”
“Miss Olive’s,” answered Briar.
“Get someone to cover your frames and walk her home, then,” he said.
“Me?” She couldn’t leave the spindle unguarded.
“Would you rather I fired you so you could take the time?”
“No, I’ll do it.”
Briar raced back to her frames and got three other girls to each cover one. The bosses liked to see the frames running at all times, and when a girl was sick, the nearby operatives pitched in to help so she wouldn’t lose her wages. It was the only insurance they had. Helping each other.
She’d let frame number four stay off and hope the overseer didn’t notice. Briar wasn’t thrilled about leaving curious Annie alone with her frames, but gave her number one. Although, Annie didn’t look well, either.
“Are you okay?” Briar yelled above the noise. “You look flushed.”
Annie waved her away.
The girls who had gathered around Sadie were halfheartedly walking back to their frames when Briar returned. The overseer had gotten Sadie to sit up, and with Briar’s help she was standing. After looping the girl’s arm around Briar’s neck, Briar hoisted her up by the waist. She felt like a life-size rag doll stuffed with heavy cotton. “Can you walk?” Briar asked.
Sadie nodded. Slowly, they made their way through the room and out the door. Briar worried about descending the stairs. “Let me know if you need a break,” she said. “I don’t want us to fall.”
It took several minutes to descend the first flight, and several more for the next two. “Good thing we weren’t on the top floor,” Briar joked. There was no response from Sadie, and Briar worried the bright sun would make her fever worse. The girl was having trouble moving her feet now.
As they were inching their way across the yard, Briar spotted Wheeler coming out of one of the outbuildings. “Wheeler!” she called.
He took two seconds to register that Briar was having trouble keeping Sadie standing and sprinted over.
“Sadie.” He scooped her up in his arms and she rested her head on his chest. “What happened?”
“She fainted. I’m to bring her home. I think she’ll need a doctor. She’s getting worse by the second.”
He nodded toward the building he came out of. “Would you go tell my boss I’m helping you? He’ll need to unlock the gate anyway.”
Briar ran and got Wheeler’s boss, who opened the gate for them.
Wheeler’s long legs strode purposefully toward the boardinghouse while Briar almost had to jog to keep up.
“I won’t be able to stay,” Wheeler said as he took the porch stairs two at a time. “I’ve got to get back to work.”
Briar opened the door, calling out, “Miss Olive! Sadie’s taken ill.”
Miss Olive stepped into the hallway, wiping her wet hands on her apron. “This way to the isolation room.” She led the way to the first floor, to the room they kept open for any of the operatives who were sick. Wheeler gently lowered Sadie to the bed and then ran out the door.
“He’s in a hurry,” remarked Miss Olive. “Don’t you need to get back, too?”
“I should. Is she going to be okay?”
Miss Olive felt Sadie’s forehead. “That’s some fever. I’ll see what I can do to get it down. Meanwhile, I’ll send someone for the doctor. Don’t you worry.”
Sadie’s face had turned deathly pale, her breathing shallow.
“Shoo. Away with you.” Miss Olive shoved Briar out the door. “There’s nothing you can do for her, so go relieve the girls working your own frames.”