I woke up shaking early Saturday morning. I didn’t really understand it at first, i was just shaking so hard that i could barely make it out of bed. As i got a little closer to my radiator i realized that my fever had spiked and the result was that i was shivering so hard i could barely stand.


Times like these i am appreciative of my conveniently located bathroom.

I don’t know quite why, but whenever i feel sick i head for the bathroom. It’s not always the best equipped place for me to be, but i always run to it anyway. Its big draw to me this time was that it’s a tiny room with its own radiator, so it would be at least twice as warm as my bedroom. And it was, but i was still entirely too cold. I sat on the floor with my fingers carefully woven into the open bits of the radiator for several long minutes, shivering and chattering, until i finally steeled myself to go get more clothes.


I came back in three layers and a winter jacket, and i was still midly shaking. The radiator’s waning heat wasn’t enough to pierce through all my layers, and i sat on my bathroom floor for another couple of long minutes trying to decide what to do. Eventually i turned on the faucet as hot as it would go and plunged my hands into the water. At first it was so hot that i could barely take it, but every time i pulled away my hands stung so badly that i had to put them back. Soon the temperature of my hands was responding to the water, and i could feel every pulse beating against the tips of my fingers as if they should open up so my hot blood could seep out and pour down the drain.

I sat like that for as long as the water lasted – maybe a half hour. When the temperature got too low to sustain me i pressed my warm hands tight against my face until i felt strong enough to crawl back to the bedroom, zip up my flannel sleeping bag, and crawl into it still wearing my winter coat.

I was fine in the morning; it almost seemed as though i dreamed the whole thing except how i was pasted to my tee-shirt in sweat and there was a discarded winter jacket kicked down to the bottom of my sleeping bag.