It echoed deep in his head over and over…a sound that was more familiar to him than any other in the world. He kept with the consistent beat, and he thought about it, the louder it got. Silly Kowalski, that's your heart beating. I thought that I was dead…Apparently not…
His eyes poked out behind his heavy lids, greeting the dim lit room he was resting in. Kowalski began to sit up but his body hissed in protest which had forced him back down on the pristine white bed. He groaned while examining the large bloodstained bandage that covered most of his chest and stomach.
Kowalski tenderly pressed on the red bandage giving out another wince. A sound of warning had come from behind the analytical penguin, if only his accursed body would allow him to turn around to see what had caused the sound.
"Whose there?"
"Nu-uh…" a raspy voice emitted.
"Whoever you are I suggest you stay still!" the bandaged penguin attempted to warn.
"Lay…"
Kowalski watched the figure come into his line of vision, another penguin. He hesitated.
"Down," the penguin pressed.
"If you insist…" Kowalski reluctantly mumbled, resting against the bed once more.
The penguin regurgitated a blade from within his gullet and cleaned it off with a small cloth. His blade moved down towards the bottom of Kowalski's stomach, which had made him flinch and tense up.
"J-just wait a minute lets not be rash!"
Taking what Kowalski had said for a grain of salt, he gave a devilish grin. Kowalski felt himself clench harder, waiting for more pain to ensue. To his surprise, he wasn't cut at all…he was fine.
His azure eyes popped from behind his lids once again and noticed that the other penguin had been slipping off his old bandages. Kowalski relaxed and let out an uneasy breath.
The bigger penguin chuckled and dropped off the soaked bandages into the small wastebasket beside him, grabbing a new roll.
"Up."
Seeing that this one wasn't an enemy Kowalski had done as he was told doing his best to get into a sitting position. This was the first time he was face to face with the other and the first thing that Kowalski had noticed about this penguin's face was that scar.
He felt rude for staring but it was enticing, his wing coming up and attempting to move forward towards it. This confused the larger penguin and grabbed for his flipper and set it back down to his side.
"Still."
A nervous smile crept on his beak, "uh- sorry."
"mmnh," was all he got in response while the scarred penguin began to examine the wound that resided on Kowalski's chest. It was some of his handiwork having to readjust his ribs and all. With a few more glances at the large cut he began to tenderly press his flipper to the other's ribs.
"Hurt?"
Kowalski flinched with each press against the area, "y-yes please stop…" he whined.
There was that silence again from this penguin that was prodding at him, examining his stitching job and massaging against his ribcage. It was certainly an odd feeling, pain with pleasure.
After what he assumed was a physical examination and dabbing the stitches with simple rubbing alcohol he was wrapped up fresh and was moved onto a more mobile bed, one that could be reclined forward if Kowalski wished to sit upwards.
"Thank you…" he had said staring at the penguin that was now making breakfast in the front of the room which had a small kitchen-like setup.
Another grunt was all that his thanks was acknowledged with, and a cup full of soup with a chopped up fish on a skewer to the side.
Kowalski held the cup and sipped from it a few times, the taste of something other than blood was rather nice.
Time passed and the other penguin had kept himself busy, Kowalski watching him as he idly sipped away at his own cup of soup.
His actions were amusing, when he cleaned it was always pristine afterwards, at each meal later on that day his cooking methods were excellent, it seemed the other could do nothing…but speak to him.
"Pardon me…I don't want to be a bother anymore but, could I ask for your name?"
Setting down his knife, he turned back to Kowalski looking him square in the eye. His breath was low, relaxed, and softer.
"Rico."