Free Hot Water by Erin Brockovich

by their bodies.
    The driver honked his horn, trying to scatter the crowd. I didn’t wait but hopped out of the car and began to push my way through. The heat hit me again. For a moment it felt hard to breathe, as if the air was too hot and heavy to drag into my lungs, but I ignored the sensation.
    “Make a path, give her some room,” I shouted as I kicked and shoved my way past people standing around doing nothing except making things worse. To my surprise, Morris was on my heels, following me, while Grandel and the driver and security guards worked to move people back.
    I made my way to the fallen woman. She wore a tight-fitting ankle-length black dress with long sleeves and a high neck buttoned up to the top. She was pale, sweaty, not moving except for one hand grasping at her throat. As I knelt beside her someone jostled me, kicking me so hard that I almost fell on top of her.
    “Back off,” I snarled over my shoulder.
    Gradually, the crowd receded, except for a few others dressed conservatively like the woman—they’d been the ones carrying the end of the world signs earlier. Reverend Vincent’s people, I guessed.
    The woman’s pulse was fast, skipping along under my fingertips. Her skin was hot—too hot. Because of David, I knew a little more first aid than most people. This looked like the kind of heat exhaustion he used to get when he was younger. With that black dress fastened up so tight, this woman—I looked again and realized she was younger than me, this girl—might as well have been buttoned into an oven.
    “Anyone have some water?” I asked as I began to undo her collar buttons.
    “Stop! Don’t touch her with your filthy hands!” One of the men with her grabbed my arm, but Grandel’s security guy hauled him off me.
    Morris crouched opposite me and handed me a bottle of water from his bag. “It’s not very cold, I’m afraid. I prefer my water at twenty-one degrees Celsius.”
    “That’s fine, don’t worry.” I poured some water over her hair and clothing.
    She was awake, watching me, although she still remained silent, but she nodded her head in thanks as I raised her head up with one hand and held the bottle to her lips with the other.
    “You fainted,” I told her. “Probably the heat. Have you been drinking fluids? How long have you been out here?”
    She swallowed hard but pushed my hand away when I tried to unbutton another button on her collar.
    “I’m fine. Thank you.” Her voice was a soft murmur, but the man who’d yelled at me before heard her.
    “Don’t you talk to my sister! Get your hands off her, you heathen whore!”
    The woman broke eye contact, her cheeks flushing.
    I bent close, pretending to steady her as she sat up, and whispered, “Don’t worry, I’ve been called worse.”
    “The ambulance is coming,” Grandel said. “How is she?”
    “I think she’ll be fine once she gets some fluids in her.” I looked around. The heat shimmered off the blacktop and stuck my jeans to my skin. I’d only been out here a few minutes—what must it be like to be out here all day? I turned to Grandel. “You need to have your people bring water out here for everyone. And a canopy to shelter them from the sun—”
    To my surprise, Morris chimed in, “How about an evaporative cooler? I can easily rig one—”
    “Morris, shut up.” Grandel jerked his head to the side, summoning me.
    I didn’t like his imperative manner, but the woman was fine, so I waited a moment—just to piss him off—before joining him on the side of the road. We were on the side near the river, standing beneath a branch draped in more Spanish moss than a Christmas tree had icicles.
    “What are you thinking?” Grandel’s voice was controlled but angry. “We’re not going to give these people water and air conditioning while they try to destroy my reputation.”
    “It’s not your reputation, it’s your plant’s,” I reminded him.
    “My future depends on this plant running smoothly