They Demanded $20,000 At 1 A.M.—So I Told Them To Call Her

faint tide lines where the water pooled. I dipped my brush in clear water and touched it to the edge of a cloud, watching pigment soften and spread.

Some people think boundaries are cruel. That saying no makes you selfish, that stepping away makes you heartless.

But I knew, now, what it really was.

It was triage.

In the ER, we color-code incoming patients:continue reading …