I — Wrote This At 4am Sick With Covid [exclusive]

I’m sitting here, illuminated by the blue glare of a laptop screen, because sleep has become a foreign concept. My joints feel like they’ve been replaced with rusted hinges, and my brain is wrapped in a thick, grey fog that makes simple sentences feel like marathon sprints.

Now go change your sweaty pillowcase. You’ve earned it. i wrote this at 4am sick with covid

3:52 AM: Googled if you can "over-hydrate." (You can't, keep drinking). I’m sitting here, illuminated by the blue glare

This post has no conclusion. I have no call to action. I’m not going to tell you to "stay hydrated and rest" because if one more person tells me to drink water, I’m going to scream (which will hurt my throat, so I won't actually scream). You’ve earned it

The Fever Dream Diaries: What I Wrote at 4 AM While Positive for COVID

You drift in and out of sleep. You are not sure if the dream you just had—about your 3rd grade teacher explaining how to fold a fitted sheet to a raccoon—actually happened. The line between your fever dreams and reality has dissolved. You check your phone. You have sent three incomprehensible texts to your group chat. One of them just says "Cough. Ouch." Another is a voice message that is just 27 seconds of heavy breathing.