

Pain cants through her lower back and she is frozen. No movement possible from her waist down. A desire to move unfulfilled. Deep breath into her lungs held as she forces herself over onto her back and endures the searing shots down to her ankles. Seeing red as she exhales. Eyes closed again she finds relief in a new position. Of course now she can not sleep as the pain has awakened her sufficiently and no more sleep will be had.
Rolling up and swinging her legs out feet hit the cold hard wood and are immediately incensed at the chill. Stretches alleviate the protestation of her hips and sacrum at the force of gravity foisted upon them.
She shuffles slowly eyes shaded against impending light and ever-present dark shadows her real eyes rest on the dresser. Feels for them and opens them as soon as they are discovered. More cold on the brass doorknob. A shriek from the hinges as she pulls. Once again her eyes open and the shadows take form to objects and she can take care to avoid them. 
Three steps north to the bathroom and she doesn't bother with the light switch. A place all too familiar as she does her business and creates a hurricane in a bowl. Reaches into the shower stall and turns the water on, a fall of cold water which will puff into steam in mere moments. She undresses and tests the water. Scalding and just how she likes it she finds her way into the stall and begins her ablutions for the day. First her hair scrubbed clean a smell of citrus rising in the steam and suds coursing down her back. Her feet are warm now.
Next a scrub of vanilla against her skin, pruning and gleaming and red from the water scald. She turns the dial and the water is gone at its source only great gray steam rising in its wake. Steps out and her feet are cold again against the stark beige stone. She finds a fresh fluffy oversized towel and embraces it surrounding herself against the cold air. 

She secures the towel under her arms and reaches for the sink replacing her glasses on her face and seeing again into the mirror where she sees the face she has seen every day for her entire life. Her four year old self is there. Her ten year old self is there. Her sixteen year old self is there.  Her twenty nine year old self is there. Her current self is there and she wonders what her seventy two year old self will look like.

A brush of mint and her teeth feel renewed, a drink of cold water shivers down her throat. Her feet art still cold. She gathers her clothes from their discard pile on the floor and creaks back to the bedroom next door. The siren call of the bed is too much to overcome and she drops her towel and crawls back into the still-warm bedclothes.

