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Fuck.

She could hardly breathe.

Abe stepped out of her bedroom, looking worried. He and Immy were close. Close in a way that had often made Jenner feel jealous.

Which was ridiculous.

Immy loved them all like brothers. Which is how he felt about her.

Yep.

Exactly how he felt.

“How is she?” he asked.

Sampson was making her a honey lemon drink while Isaiah was sitting on their old, crappy sofa, tapping away on his laptop.

But they all paused to look up at Abe who ran his hand over his face. “Not good. She’s running a fever, she’s bringing stuff up when she coughs, and it’s hard for her to catch her breath.”

“She needs to go to the hospital,” Jenner said. “I’ll call an ambulance.”

Immy had always had a compromised immune system. No one knew why, exactly. Her mom had said that she’d had anemia when she was born and that it was some sort of genetic issue. Immy’s parents didn’t really believe in traditional medicine. Sometimes he wondered if the Deity had promised to make Immy healthy to get them to join the cult.

Now that she was out of the cult, she seemed to be getting sick more often. And he knew why.

It was this place.

They’d wanted to live together again. All of them had hated living apart after they’d left the cult. Abe and Immy had been with her parents. He, Sampson, and Isaiah had lived with his mom.

Now, the five of them were all old enough to live on their own. Maeve was away at college and Cat was in New York. Abe and Isaiah were going to college here while Sampson was working at a gym and Jenner had a few singing gigs.

They were barely scraping by. Immy tried her best to add to the pot, but she was often ill and could only work part-time.

This apartment was making her sick. They couldn’t afford better, but they really couldn’t stay here.

It was going to kill her.

They were in the worst part of Nashville. Immy wasn’t allowed to leave the apartment without one of them with her. They tried their best to keep the place well-ventilated and clean, but mold kept growing in the bathroom and kitchen. They didn’t have the money to eat as healthy as she needed.

She needed a safe environment.

Somewhere dry and clean that wasn’t overcrowded.

And he had to provide that for her. To make sure she didn’t keep getting ill.

“She’s refusing to go,” Abe said.

Jenner frowned. “What do you mean, she’s refusing to go?”

“Just what I said,” Abe said tiredly. “She won’t go to the hospital. Maybe I should call her parents. It might be best if she goes to stay with them.”

“She’ll hate that,” Isaiah told him.

“I know. But, fuck, you and I have exams, Isaiah. Sampson is working sixty hour weeks and Jenner’s work isn’t much better. And she needs someone to take care of her.” Abe rubbed his temple tiredly.

“I can take tomorrow off, I’ve just got a gig tomorrow night,” Jenner said immediately.

“I’ll be home by eight,” Sampson added. “I can look after her all night.”