I had that miserable cold for a week before it finally started to go away. I missed a couple of days of classes and work, which worried me, but there was nothing I could do about being sick. Keith took very good care of me, and once I thought I’d made him sick too because I heard a faint sneeze but he was fine when I saw him.

Now, the sneezy, snotty, achy everywhere sensations were gone and my head was clear again. I got out of bed and got ready to go to class. By the time I made it to work, I’d started to feel tired but I...