Penguin - 1. Chapter 1

Daniel

The man walking toward me had a cat on his shoulder. A real, honest to God cat sitting on his shoulder! It was a black and white tuxedo cat and it wore a pink harness and leash. I couldn’t stop staring at it, which meant that I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.

“Look out!” The man with the cat’s warning was a few seconds too late.

I tumbled down the short embankment and ended up face-down in the creek that ran through the park where I took my daily run. I tried to push myself up, but felt a stabbing pain in my left wrist and I cried out as I fell back into the water. I felt someone help me into a seated position so at least I wasn’t in immediate danger of drowning. I cradled my wrist in my right hand.

“Let me see. I’m a nurse.” The cat man gently reached for my hand. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“I don’t think so. Just some scrapes and bruises and a wounded ego.” I stated ruefully.

I winced as he prodded my wrist. He grimaced at me. “I’m sorry to say, but I think it’s broken. You really ought to get it x-rayed immediately.”

I made a face. “Great.”

“C’mon. I’ll give you a hand.” He smirked at me.

I raised my eyebrow at him. “Wow. That was really lame!” He laughed and I took my first good look at him. Damn, cat man was freaking hot! “Where’s your cat?”

He held out his hand and helped me to my feet. As I stood up I could see the cat sitting at the top of the embankment, licking its paw and watching us with feigned interest.

“I’m Sean and that’s Penguin.”

“Daniel.” I said and held out my right hand. Sean shook my hand and held onto it slightly longer than most men would. It felt warm and secure, and I had to let go before I embarrassed myself in front of Mr. Hot Cat Man. I cleared my throat and looked at the steep embankment I had tumbled down. I was lucky I only broke my wrist.

“The bank isn’t quite as steep over there. We can climb up and then walk down to the bridge. Where did you park?”

“My car is at my apartment. I live about three miles down the road. I really like this place for my daily run.”

“Penguin and I really like it here, too.” Sean gave a short whistle and the cat launched himself from the bank into his arms, and then perched on Sean’s shoulder as we started walking down the creek.

“That’s really impressive! How did you teach him to do that? My cat would have me in shreds if I ever tried anything like that with him.” I laughed.

“With lots of patience and treats.” Sean smiled at me. “I’ve been taking him with me everywhere I go since he was a kitten. I’m taking him next week to get him certified as a therapy cat.”

“A therapy cat? I’ve never heard of such a thing. What does he do?” I was intrigued by this hottie of a man who walked around with a therapy cat perched on his shoulder.

“I’m a nurse at the Hospice Center. Penguin usually comes with me when I work. He has a real knack for knowing which patients need him the most.”

“Wow. That sounds like a really sad job. How do you deal with it?”

“It can be very sad, especially when the individual is young. It’s a much needed service, though, and if I can provide any measure of comfort during someone’s last days, then I’ve done my job. Penguin is an absolute Godsend. He helps me just as much as he helps them.”

We walked in silence for a little bit as I digested this information. I looked up as I heard a honk followed by “Hey! Danny Boy!” It was my friend Robbie. I hated it when he called me that.

I walked up to his window. “Hey asshole. Can you give me a lift to the hospital? I think I broke my wrist.”

“Of course, babe. Get in. What happened?”

I got in the car and started to relay the tale, when I realized that I had just left Sean and Penguin standing there without so much as a “thank-you”. I tried twisting in my seat to see if they were still there, but I forgot about my broken wrist and was reminded in a big way when I grabbed the seat with my left hand.

It turned out that Sean was right. My wrist was broken and I was broken up inside at the cold way I just left him and Penguin standing there. He was so nice and took the time to help me and I just blew him off when Robbie arrived. I had meant to thank him and give him my phone number. The next day I went back to the park, but didn’t see them there. I went back over the next few days with the same result. I told myself I was nuts obsessing over a guy that I knew for a sum total of ten minutes. He was a nurse. It’s his job to help people. I stopped dead as a realization hit me right in the face. He worked at the Hospice Center! Instead of going home, I jogged over to the nearest florist shop. The clerk thought I was nuts when I relayed who the flowers were to be delivered to and what I wanted the card to say.

To Penguin:

Best of luck with your therapy cat test. I know you will pass with flying colors. Please ask Sean to forgive my rudeness and give me a call. 123-4567 Explain to him that I’ m just a stupid human. Thanks.

Daniel