I COUGHED UP BLOOD AND HID THE TISSUE

Dear Delyara, During my routine perimeter patrol, I had a sudden, violent coughing fit brought on by the cold, damp river air and months of sleep deprivation. When I pulled my hand away from my mouth under the security light, the tissue was stained with a bright, unmistakable streak of red. My heart instantly skipped a beat. A normal person would call a doctor or arrange to take a week off work to let their lungs heal. I didn't do either. I crumpled the tissue up, shoved it deep into the bottom of the bin, and washed my hands with freezing water until the stains were gone. I can't afford to be sick. If I stop working these frontline shifts, the property accounts collapse, the Maison SEIFI launch capital vanishes, and everything I've bled for disappears. I am trading my physical tissue for corporate runway, and I am terrified of how far that trade will go.