He had a lot of trouble focusing on what was going on around him at first. When he was asleep – which was most of the time – it didn't matter, but even as miserable as he was when he was awake he didn't like the fact that he was hardly aware of much more than the fact that there was always medical staff around him, monitoring him and constantly writing on the clipboard that was hung near his bed.

Most of the time it was Janet. She'd give him a smile and a look that told him she was checking on him even when she didn't ask him anything and then sometimes she'd start to say something and he'd fall asleep and other times she'd hand him a small paper cup with water or ice chips in it to take the dryness out of his mouth and throat.

It didn't do much for the ache that never seemed to leave his body from the waist up, but he didn't complain. He was lucky to be alive, and he knew that she was doing everything she could to help him. Complaining didn't help. That much he'd learned long before he'd ever heard of the Ghouls.

Eventually, he found himself staying awake for longer periods of time. Sometimes even long enough to actually watch an entire test that one of the medics – or Janet – was performing on him. Sometimes he could even croak out a question of his own – or a response to one of theirs. Most of the time Janet would run cool, soft fingers along his forehead or cheek and tell him to go back to sleep. Which he always did, no matter how much he wanted to stay awake.

OOOOOOOO

Somehow he knew there was someone by him. Not that the person had made any noise, because he couldn't remember hearing anything, but it was just a sense that there was someone there. Most of the cops he knew had it in some form – that sixth sense that told them when they were near a person trying to hide from them, or when there was an ambush set up by some kind of psycho who just had a thing for hurting people – especially cops. Anthony had it, too. His was even sharper for his time spent on Ball's ship, and constantly on guard against the Jaffa and the Ghouls they served.

He opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling for a full thirty seconds before Jack O'Neill spoke up.

"You look a lot better."

Anthony turned his head, and realized that the headache which had plagued him almost continually was nowhere near as bad as he remembered it being.

"I feel like crap."

"Better than being dead…" O'Neill told him, shrugging.

Good point.

"True."

The colonel looked around the small room, almost guiltily.

"Is there anything you need?"

Anthony shook his head. He didn't feel like doing anything but simply be still.

"Where's Agustin?"

"Hammond's daughter is watching him. He's fine."

Jack looked over his shoulder again.

"You're not supposed to be in here, are you?" Anthony asked him.

O'Neill contrived an innocent look that was nowhere near good enough to fool the experienced deputy.

"What makes you think that?"

"You look guilty."

"Maybe I just have a guilty conscience."

"Do you?"

"No. I'm not supposed to be in here."

Anthony would have chuckled if it wouldn't have hurt too much to do it.

"Was there something you need, Colonel?"

O'Neill shook his head.

"I'm just checking on you. Now that I know you're not dying I can go report to everyone else."

"Janet could have told you…"

"She's a doctor. They don't always tell you everything you want to know."

Since Anthony didn't have a lot of experience with doctors – and O'Neill clearly did – he just nodded.

"Did she say anything?"

"Thor used some kind of device on you. Something to speed heal you or something like that."

"The Asgard?"

"Yeah."

"He helped me?"

O'Neill nodded, understanding the question and the suspicion at the same time.

Anthony could feel his headache returning with force. Whether because of the conversation, or the topic, he didn't know.

"Yeah. They're not all like the one who got you into this whole mess in the first place, you know. Most of them are pretty decent."

Ruff chose not to comment on that. For one thing, O'Neill might be right – he certainly seemed to believe what he was saying – and for another, Anthony didn't want to talk about the Asgard.

As if he understood what was going through the deputy's mind (or maybe just recognized a look of pain crossing his features), Jack stood up.

"I'd better get out of here before Fraiser catches me where I'm not supposed to be."

The deputy smiled.

"You afraid of her?"

Janet was, after all, a very forceful personality – for all that she wasn't very big.

O'Neill gave him an amused grin.

"I prefer silent prudence to loquacious folly."

Ruff snorted, impressed and amused by the Air Force Colonel who could quote Cicero at the drop of a hat like that.

"If I see her any time soon, I won't mention seeing you."

"Thanks."

With that, O'Neill was gone, and Anthony closed his eyes again. Sleep wasn't far behind and he was snoring lightly before Jack had managed to sneak past the guard that Sam was distracting for him.