Page 32 of Gene

“Are you sure you want to go to work?” Daddy asked before she walked out the door.

“Yes. Packing orders won’t take a lot out of me,” she replied.

The only effort it would really take would be her standing to get to the bins, where the fruit was kept. It were high up and she wouldn’t be able to sit on a chair and do the job. But it was going to be okay. If she stayed in one spot, she would have put too much strain on her legs.

Or so she hoped. Her legs were always tired after work, even if she stayed in one position when milking the cows or packing. But hopefully, today would be different.

Sammi slowly made her way toward the barn. Her vision swirled as she stepped outside into the colder air. Instinctively, her arm shot out and landed on the wall. How was she going to make it through the day? Or should she have taken Daddy’s offer to stay in his office and relax?

Shaking her head, she continued to walk, determined to do her job. She told Daddy she was going to do this, which meant she was going to do it. He was relying on her now, and she didn’t want to put him in a pickle.

“Come on,” she whispered to herself.

With every step she took, it felt like she was trudging through knee-high mud. Her body grew weaker and weaker, her vision dancing as she looked at the barn.

“Sammi?” someone called out.

But she didn’t get to see who it was as she started to fall to the ground, blackness engulfing her vision.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

GENE

“Yep, we’re good to double the order,” Gene said over the phone.

“Good. I’ll pay you when I get back in town,” Deccan replied.

“Production should be increasing as we got the ing?—"

“Boss! Get your truck quick and meet me out by the packaging barn!” Ezekiel’s panicked voice came over the radio. It was full of panic. “Sammi’s down.”

“Gene?” Deccan’s voice filled his ear.

“Got to go. I’ll call you later,” he said, hanging up.

Gene shot up from his chair, grabbed his keys, and ran out of his office toward his truck.

Sammi was down?

Was she hurt? Passed out? Broken a bone?

What could have possibly happened in the few minutes since she left? It was a short walk to the packaging barn with no obstacles for her to fall over.

He knew he should have insisted she stay in his office all day so he could take care of her. He’d thought about sending her home, but he had a feeling she wouldn’t actually relax.

When he got into his truck, he turned it on and sped to the packaging barn. Ezekiel stood there with Sammi in his arms, unconscious. He put the truck in park before getting out and opening the door.

“What the fuck happened?” Gene asked.

“I’ll drive and tell you,” Ezekiel replied.

Carefully, Gene took Sammi from Ezekiel and got into the car with her in his arms. Was she going to be okay? What happened to make her faint? Her skin was sweaty and even more pale-looking than before.

Ezekiel got into the driver’s seat and started to drive. Nerves and worry ran through Gene as he stared at Sammi in his arms. Completely unconscious, she was a dead weight.

“What happened?” Gene asked as they got onto the main road.

“I don’t know why she passed out. She was walking out of the main building toward the packaging barn when she stopped and held the wall for a couple of seconds. That’s when I walked up and saw her. She started to walk again and was swaying, so I called out, but she just fell to the ground. That’s when I radioed you and picked her up,” Ezekiel explained . “She looked pale, but now she looks even worse. What’s wrong with her? This isn’t the first time she’s looked this way either.”

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