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Water crashed in front of her as the one hand, still clinging to Saff's arm, plunged beneath the rushing water.
Maddie yelped, just barely keeping her balance as she lunged forward, throwing her other arm out to grab her.
Freezing water splashed up around her wrist as her fingers caught onto soaking wet fabric. She moved her hand, throwing her entire arm around Saff from behind, gripping onto her torso and pulling her tight against her own chest.
"Are you okay?" she breathed, as Saff's head and wet hair pressed against the side of her jaw.
Instead of answering, Saff struggled for a moment until she regained her footing.
Maddie loosened her arm, but kept a tight grip with both hands on Saff's sides.
Saff began pulling them forward once more. "Be careful. Some rocks have moss on them."
Maddie stepped carefully over the area, feeling her feet slip slightly as she walked.
Then finally, after a couple more feet, she could feel the water lowering down her stomach. They'd passed the halfway point.
"Almost there," Saff said, but her voice was low and quiet, and Maddie had to strain to hear the words.
With a few more steps, the rocky bottom returned to flat mud or dirt or whatever else was there. They took the last few splashing steps out before finally emerging from the water.
When they were fully out and up on the bank, Maddie pulled her cane out of the backpack once again. Then she immediately returned one hand to Saff's arm, where she knew she still stood in front of her.
The arm shook violently beneath her hand.
"Take off your jacket," Maddie commanded, hoping Saff wouldn't argue.
And when she didn’t, Maddie couldn't decide if that was a bad sign or not.
After a few seconds, she heard water being squeezed out, dripping onto the ground. Then she felt Saff's arm brush against her fingers.
Maddie lifted her hand and placed it on the now bare skin.
Then she immediately stopped.
"Do you have a fever?" Maddie asked with concern, as her fingers ran over the burning hot skin.
She felt Saff tug forward, trying to continue walking, but Maddie held her ground, keeping her there without budging.
"It's fine," Saff answered with an exasperated tone.
Unease filled her chest.
She pulled her backpack off and set it on the ground in front of her. Reaching in, she pushed past the food and items she had on the top of the pack down toward the bottom. Her fingers touched the soft, thick cotton of her spare hoodie and she pulled it up out of the pack.
"Put this on," she commanded. Then she paused. "Or—well—first take your shirt off too, if it's wet."
She could sense Saff hesitating for a moment, but then she heard her shifting around in front of her. That was another bad sign. She was positive Saff would have argued against that one.
Maddie shifted on her feet, waiting for her to finish. If she weren't so worried, maybe she’d feel a bit awkward or nervous about there being a half-naked girl within arm's reach.
Then she felt Saff taking the hoodie from her hands.
"Do you have pants you can change into?" she asked.
"No," Saff answered, her voice a raspy quiet.
Before Maddie could reply, Saff looped her arm over her hand and pulled them forward. Maddie followed without arguing, but couldn't help the uneasiness she felt. It was only once they had moved for a few minutes that she even remembered her own soaking clothes. She knew they weren't as bad as Saff's probably were, but even so, she was surprised she'd so easily thought only about the other woman instead of herself.