Dear work
Since I'm ill with what is most probably one of the many horrible bugs going round this time of year, I CAN and WILL call in sick, since it is what is best for not only me, but also for other non-ill staff, and also vulnerable immuno-suppressed residents. What may just be a simple virus to us could potentially kill them since they're unable to fend germs off as easily as they once were.
So telling me that you're unable to cover my shift, and that I had "better not dare call in sick", I do believe I've gone and done it anyway! Sorry if this makes the shift a little harder to deal with, perhaps if we had enough staff to cope, having a member of staff off sick wouldn't be the end of the world... Especially as it wasn't even my shift to begin with, but one I got roped into working since "nobody else wanted to do it".
I'm also sorry that my damn body has the nerve to allow foreign germs to attack. How selfish of me