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To Part XIII To Part XV
Silence: He has left, gone to the TV room. She gets up off the floor and goes to a cabinet to get a zip-lock bag. She goes upstairs, slowly, because movement makes the ribs hurt and brings blood pressure to her face, swollen and cut. She goes into the bathroom with the plastic bag and closes the door behind her. She takes off her robe, leaning backward slightly in order to avoid contact with her body as much as possible. She hangs up the robe on the hook on the door. She goes over to the toilet and stands with her back to it. She pulls down her panties, holding them in place when they reach her knees, and steps out of them. She turns and holds her underwear by the elastic over the toilet, turns it inside out and shakes it gently. Then she flushes the toiled. She reaches for the bag and puts her underwear in it. She zips up the bag, puts it next to the toilet, and starts the shower. She gets in after letting the water heat up, but not too much because it will make the cuts on her face sting if the water is too hot. She gets in and cleans herself up, cleans the fecal matter and urine out of her groin, rinses thoroughly, and gets out. She dries off, blotting her face and ribs on the left side and puts on her robe again. She looks in the mirror and touches the cuts lightly. She slicks back her hair with a brush. She exits the bathroom and goes to the bedroom for a new pair of panties. She finds them, pulls them on and then goes to the closet for her house slippers. She goes back to the bathroom to retrieve the bag. She walks down the stairs, slowly, holding on to the rail with one hand and the bag in the other. She goes to the back door, opens it and goes to the trash can and throws the bag in. She walks back inside, finds some ibuprofen in a kitchen cabinet and takes three with a little water. She sits down at the kitchen table and pulls a pack of cigarettes and an ashtray toward her. She pulls one out and lights it. She wonders what she will do when this pack runs out.