My condition only worsened overnight, for I spent most of the time with my head buried in the toilet. At one point, my mother must have heard me and began knocking on the bathroom door.

"Oswald, are you all right in there?"

I gagged and continued to vomit, feeling too weak to lift my head.

"Y…Yes," I lied. "Go back to bed."

By the time morning arrived, I was in no condition to work, but forced myself to do so out of fear that Fish Mooney would punish me for staying home. On top of that, I had that new girl coming in today, and needed to be present. I was burning up with a fever and could barely stand on my own two feet. After struggling to get dressed in my suit, I stumbled down the stairs and headed out the door without even saying a word to my mother. I was thankful that Fish had placed a bunch of paperwork on my desk, for it meant that I could stay out of sight for a few hours.

Writing with my left hand was a difficult task, but I needed to try, for my right hand was still useless. While Fish Mooney carried on with her men from across the room, I sat quietly filling out the forms she wanted me to complete. I had been so buried in Fish Mooney's paperwork, that I lost track of time, only being pulled out of my concentration when I heard a small voice.

"Excuse me?"

I paused from writing and looked up to find a woman standing beside me, a woman with brown shoulder length curls and piercing blue eyes, eyes that were blue like the sky on a cloudless day. In the past I had not been interested in women, but for some odd reason, this girl intrigued me. At first, I believed her to be one of Fish Mooney's new dancers, but little did I know that the girl standing before me was indeed Valerie Lakehurst.

"If you're looking for Fish Mooney," I snapped. "She is across the room."

"I…I was told to ask for a Mr. Cobblepot."

Mr.? Never had anyone been so formal with me before. Usually, if I was wanted, it was only to be humiliated or to be mocked in front of Fish Mooney and her men. Mr. Cobblepot… No, I still didn't like the sound of it, for it made me sound older than I actually was.

"Oswald, if you please," I answered. "And what can I do for you?"

Her eyes lit up with surprise. "You're Mr. Cobblepot?"

I cringed at the sound of that name once more, attempting to hold in my ill temper that wanted to break free.

"You seem a little surprised."

She nodded. "I…I'm sorry, I just pictured you being a little taller and a lot older."

I stood to my feet, my height reaching her own. I wasn't the tallest man in Gotham, but my strength made up for it.

"Don't judge someone by the way they look," I snickered. "A man is not made up by his appearance, but by what is inside his mind and soul. My strength is up here."

I pointed to my head. "Being book smart has its advantages and disadvantages."

"Mr. Cobbl…."

"Oswald," I growled. "Just Oswald."

"Oswald," she cooed. "I'm…I'm Valerie, the girl from…"

I immediately shushed her. "I know where you're from. You can't speak another word about your true identity, from now on, you have to become Valerie Lakehurst, understood?"

The girl nodded. "Yes, Oswald."

"Now, follow my lead and don't speak unless I tell you to do so. Fish Mooney is a dangerous woman, one that you do not want to cross paths with. Just do as you're told and keep your head down, are we clear?"

"Yes, Oswald."

"Oswald?" I cringed at the sound of Fish Mooney calling me by my true name, for the tone of her voice sounded more as if she were mocking me, than speaking kindly to me. "Around here, we call this useless soul by another name, one that is more fitting."

I squeezed my fist in anger and turned to face her.

"Isn't that right, my little penguin?"

"Y…You know I don't like to be called that," I cried. "It's humiliating."

Fish Mooney grabbed me by my throat and pushed me down onto one of the tables, her hand crushing my windpipe.

"I've been good to you, Penguin!" she cried. "Even gone easy on you, but I can't help but feel as though you're forgetting your place."

My face was turning blue and I was struggling to breathe. Fish placed her other hand against my chest, my heart beating a mile a minute from behind my ribs.

"Oh, is my little penguin scared? Your heart is racing from within that frail chest of yours."

I was on the brink of passing out, when the woman finally released me.

"Don't forget your place again, Penguin!"

I gripped my sore throat and gasped for air. "Y…Y…Yes, Miss Mooney."

"Now, who is this little beauty that has strolled in here off the streets?"

Fish brushed her long fingers through Valerie's hair, examining her closely.

"V…Valerie Lakehurst, the girl I told you about."

"Oh, she's perfect!" Fish happily cried. "How did you find someone like her?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but Fish silenced me. "I was asking her, Penguin!"

Valerie looked at me before opening her mouth to speak. I could only hope that what came out of her mouth was enough to satisfy Fish Mooney.

"I…I've been following Osw…"

"Penguin!" Fish corrected. "In my club he has no other name but Penguin."

The girl's lip quivered, for I could tell that she didn't want to use the hurtful name, but did so to protect herself from harm.

"I…I've been living on the streets of Gotham for quite some time now. My husband was a mean drunk, and when he drank, he would beat me. One night, I couldn't take it anymore and so, I killed him. Since that night a few years ago, I moved to Gotham and have been living on the streets. Penguin caught my eye, for he took the alley to get to your establishment every day. I told him that I used to be a bartender in Vegas. I begged him to get me a chance to explain myself to you in person, and perhaps land a job at your club."

Fish Mooney patted me on the back and pushed me back towards my desk.

"Good job, Penguin! She'll be perfect! Now get back to work!"

Never had I been so scared in all my life, for the girl had said the right things to Fish. If she hadn't, I was sure she and I would be floating in the Gotham bay by now. Fish had taken a liking to Valerie, and for the remainder of the day, the girl was put to work, serving her new employer endless drinks. That evening, Fish was sat at her private table, watching a young man auditioning for her club. I had been sitting at my desk completing her paperwork, the man's jokes being witty and quite boring. But oh, how Fish laughed at him. She always did have a strange sense of humor, one that I would never understand. I had already worked over the amount of hours I usually did, but Fish insisted that I stay until all the work was finished for the evening. Of course, I knew that the only reason she was keeping me later than she usually did was because I had a fever and was feeling under the weather.

"Os…I mean, Penguin, would you like something to drink?"

I looked up to find Valerie standing over me, holding a cup of steaming liquid. She placed it down in front of me, and I gazed into the dark brown drink.

"I don't drink coffee," I barked.

"It's not coffee," she said. "It's tea. I…I know you're feeling under the weather and this usually helps me when I'm ill."

"I feel fine," I sheepishly replied. "I'm not sick."

"You've no color in your face and even as I stand beside you now, I can feel the unhealthy heat your body is giving off."

"Your job is to please Fish Mooney," I said. "Not me. Now, leave me alone."

Valerie was walking away when I noticed the cup of tea was still placed on my desk.

"And take this with you!"

My voice had startled Fish Mooney, for she looked away from the man on stage, her eyes burning into my skull.

"Is there a problem, Penguin?"

I quickly looked back down at my paperwork. "No, Miss Mooney."

There was a moment of silence, and then, her voice filled the room once more.

"Oswald, come here…"

Her voice was sweet, much sweeter than it had ever sounded. On top of that, she had called me by my first name; something that she barely ever did. Not wanting to make her mad, I approached the woman and stood before her. Her eyes went back to the comedian who was standing on stage.

"I'll get back to you in one second, baby… You're doing great!"

When her eyes looked back at me, she smiled and motioned to her bare feet.

"Oswald, be a doll and rub my aching feet…"

The thought of touching any part of this vile woman churned my stomach, but I did as I was asked, kneeling down and taking her left foot into my left hand. From the bar, I could see Valerie's eyes staring at me as she pretended to wipe down a few glassed with a rag.

"Oswald, you know you are like a son to me…"

I faked a smile. "I…I feel the same way, Miss Mooney."

"Is that so? Then why did you rat me out to the GCPD?"

My hand released Fish Mooney's foot and I backed away, shaking my head repeatedly as I did so.

"No…I…I would never do that! I am loyal to you!"

"You're the rat, Penguin!"

"No, it was Butch!" I cried. "He's the rat!"

Fish Mooney shook her head. "No, Oswald, you were the only one who saw me with Martha Wayne's pearl neckless. No one else, just you!"

Fish stood up, her height overpowering my own. Without another word, she tossed the wooden table at me, causing me to fall to the ground and for the table to smash into a million pieces around me. My ribs were throbbing with an excruciating pain, for I knew that my fall had fractured them. What I didn't expect was for Fish Mooney to grab a broken leg of the table and continuously bash it into my limbs. Bones cracked and all feeling left my legs as I screamed and pleaded for her to stop…but she didn't! After my legs were both mangled, the woman continued to beat me, bashing the broken table leg into my back as I pulled my bloodied body across the floor.

"Please, Miss Mooney!" I pleaded. "Don't do this!"

My beating had petrified Valerie, for she was standing behind the bar practically hiding behind the liquor cabinet. There was so much pain in her eyes, pain that was caused by pity.

"Butch!"

When my body was completely broken, Fish tossed the table leg aside and called for one of her men.

"Yes, Miss Mooney?" the large man replied.

"Toss this piece of garbage into the trunk. Harvey is going to swing by and properly dispose of him for me."

The large man lifted me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, tossing me into an open trunk of a car and closing the lid. I was too weak to move a muscle, for my body was gushing blood out of every inch of my wounds. This was it… I was going to be dead within a matter of minutes. Who was going to take care of my mother for me? Who was going to rule Gotham? I wasn't sure how much time passed by, but when the trunk was popped open again, I came face to face with Detective Gordon and another man who I had never seen before.

"Detective!" I cried, the blood causing me to choke on my own voice.

"Fish needs to know that you're part of the program," the other man said to Gordon. "Falcone wants you to take him to the end of the dock and put a bullet into this snitches' head."

Gordon looked at me with a worried expression, my eyes pleading with his own.

"Please, Detective!"

Gordon reached down for my jacket and hauled me out of the trunk. I screamed in agony as he forced me to my feet, for I couldn't even stand. After all I had done for this man, and now, he was going to kill me!

"Detective, please…"

Gordon pulled out his gun and pointed it in front of my face.

"Get moving…" he ordered. "NOW!"

I backed up, nearly falling to the ground as I did so. I was becoming closer and closer to the dock, my life quickly reaching its end.

"Gordon, I…I can be a big help to you. I know things, things about Fish that can be used to take her down."

But this didn't interest the man, for he pulled back the safety of his gun. I shuffled closer to the dock, wincing in agony as I did so.

"Shut up, Penguin!" he ordered, turning me around to face the bay. I felt the man's cold pistol touch the back of my head…This was it…I was going to be shot and thrown into the murky waters of Gotham, never to be seen again.

"Any last words?" Gordon barked.

My entire body was shaking with fear, for never had I ever been this close to death before.

"May God have mercy on me," I whimpered. "God, save me."

"Don't come back to Gotham."

When Gordon whispered those very words into my ear, I froze, for this could only mean that he wasn't going to kill me after all. Suddenly, the gun was removed from my head and placed in front of me. The silence was broken by a single gunshot, one that echoed over the rough waters of Gotham bay. Though, the moment the gunshot erupted, I was shoved off the dock and went plummeting into the freezing water. Luckily, I knew how to swim, but because of the condition my legs were in, paddling was not an option. The water swept me away, the current being so rough that I thought I was going to drown. I wasn't sure how long I fought against the bay, but eventually, my body washed up onto a rocky shore. I coughed and spit up the foul tasting water I had swallowed, finding it hard for me to catch my breath. I was still bleeding and I couldn't feel a single part of my broken body. Utterly exhausted, I passed out against the rocks, hoping that no one would spot me.

"Oswald…"

I heard an angel calling my name, her voice begging me to open my eyes. I lightly groaned and attempted to open my heavy eyes, but found that everything was blurry. My head felt like a ton of bricks, for I couldn't even move it. When everything finally came into view, I noticed that I was staring up at a ceiling that looked to be one that belonged to a warehouse. My eyes averted to my broken body, but I couldn't see a single part of it, for it was covered by a ton of purple and green blankets.

"It hurts," I whimpered, pressing my eyes closed.

"Oswald…"

When I heard my name being called, I opened my eyes, only to find Valerie Lakehurst standing over me.

"W…Wh…"

I couldn't even speak, for my throat was in dire agony.

"Relax," she ordered. "Don't waste what little strength you have left."

I opened my mouth to speak once more, but was cut off by a violent cough. Acting quickly, Valerie lifted me into a sitting position so that I could catch my breath. The fit had utterly exhausted me and left me completely breathless.

"Here, take a drink."

Valerie held a cup of water up to my lips and tilted it so that I could sip on the cold water. I only got a few drops down my throat before I became too weak to swallow anything more.

"H…How did I get here," I murmured, after being placed back against my pillows.

"I saw what Fish did to you. I was walking home after leaving the club and saw your body lying lifelessly on the shore."

"The…The shore?" I groaned.

Valerie nodded. "I live beside the bay. I couldn't have just left you there to die."

I pressed my face into my pillow, the excruciating agony plaguing my body like a wildfire.

"Y…You should have let me. Oh, it hurts so much."

The woman lifted the blankets off my legs, the cool air coming as a welcoming relief to my throbbing limbs.

"I…I haven't set the bones back into place because I don't know how."

My eyes slowly moved towards the end of the bed where my mangled feet lay. My left leg was extremely swollen, but my right looked deformed and I could see my anklebone protruding from the side. I gritted my teeth together and thrust my head back into my pillow.

"Fish is going to pay for this! She will pay dearly with her life!"

"You need medical attention," Valerie replied. "Or else you won't make it."

"N…No," I cringed. "No doctors, no hospitals…Fish will find out."

"I know…That's why I called someone else."

Suddenly, a knock occurred at the door. Valerie quickly hurried to the other side of the room and unlocked the front door, allowing a tall man to step inside. Oh, but this wasn't just any man, it was Detective Gordon!