A week went by with no change on Jacks condition. Michelle had come down on her day off to surprise Tony. She walked into the hospital and showed her badge to the people guarding ICU and they let her in. It was easy to find Jack's room because she could hear a fight going on inside between Tony and a woman who's voice she didn't recognize at first.

Michelle walked into the room and saw Jack who still had the breathing machine hooked up to him. She looked over all of the visible bruises and she said, "I thought they just shot him."

Tony noticed Michelle in the room as did Kate. "They did." Tony answered looking at his wife in shock.

"He has to much damage to just have been shot." Michelle walked over to Jack and looked him over closely she could notice a lot of the bruises were older as they were already starting to heal over it had to of been more than a week since the damage was done. "Who did this to him?"

"Nina's people." Tony lied knowing she meant the beating.

"Tony Almeida don't you lie to me." Michelle said turning to him clearly angry with him.

Kate interrupted, "Michelle what are you doing down here?"

Michelle turned to face her, "I was going to ask you the same. But I think I figured it out." Michelle turned back to Tony, "You helped them didn't you." She said thinking she knew what they had done to Jack.

Tony looked down the guilt to hard to bear.

"You lied to me Tony. You deceived me." She walked out of the room angry.

The doctor entered a few minutes later and Kate ordered, "Take him off the machine."

"I was just going to do a quick trial run to see if his lung was able to support itself now."

"Take him off completely." Kate said glancing at him. That was what her and Tony had been fighting about. She wanted Jack off the machine and off the drugs they had him that kept him asleep.

The doctor complied. He gently pulled out the breathing tube and turned the machine off. He watched the monitor that kept track of Jack's respiration rate and heart rate. He was relieved when the man started to breath on his own without any major difficulties that had been detected so far. The doctor was getting ready to leave when Kate stopped him, "I said everything. That includes the IV."

"Ms if he wakes up he's going to be in a great amount of pain. I can take the medicine back some, but not all the way. He will wake up, and be disoriented but he'll be awake." The doctor tried to compromise.

"No everything. And we are moving him tomorrow." Kate said to Tony's surprise. Tony went to argue again and Kate said, "CTU has no jurisdiction here so keep your mouth shut or I will have you removed. If you even attempt to speak to the press in any way you will pay." She said threateningly. Palmer had told her to use any means necessary to keep Tony at bay and that meant using his wife if need be.

Tony glared at her knowing after what he saw happen to Jack to what extent they would go to keep people the way they wanted them. Tony sat down and stayed quiet the rest of the time. He watched as the doctor reluctantly pulled the IV's out of Jack. Tony closed his eyes and felt himself slowly fall asleep, he couldn't stand the people in the room anymore.

Tony jumped up when he heard a slight pain scream come out of Jack. He opened his eyes sure that the big muscled geek was hurting Jack. But the man sat in the chair and looked at Jack the same way Tony did, with worry. Tony got up and quickly walked over to Jack's bed side. He saw that Jack's eyes were still closed even if he had called out in pain. His heart rate was up and so was his respiration. Tony worried because he knew this was not a great time for Jack to be breathing quickly because his lung was still weak. He noticed the sweat coming down Jack's face and he felt like an even worse arshole. Tony went out to find the doctor to let them know what was happening the doctor politely told Tony, "Get use to it. He'll probably be awake within the hour and in a lot of pain. I can't do anything about it because your lady friend."

Tony interrupted him, "she's not my friend."

"Fine the lady that outranks you decided to take him off all of the pain killers. He will not be the happiest camper for awhile."

"Thanks anyways." Tony said returning to the room not wanting to leave Jack alone to long. When he walked in he noticed Jack's eyes were opened, and he was looking around the room. Tony noticed the look of defeat cross Jack's face when he saw the big arshole from before. Tony walked up next to him and he got the same look, it hurt Tony to see Jack look at him that way. "Hey Jack. How are you feeling?"

Jack didn't answer him he just closed his eyes, he wasn't asleep but this was his best way of ignoring the men in his room. Tony left the room again to tell the doctor that Jack was awake.

The doctor came in with two nurses. "If you two would please step outside of the room I need to examine Mr. Bauer."

Grant went to refute the doctors request, but Tony grabbed his arm and pulled him out. "There aren't any windows in the room and unless Jack turned into the incredible Hulk recently I think it's safe to say he won't be leaving the room anytime soon." Tony told the man who glared at him in the hallway.

The doctor asked Jack, "How are you feeling? I know you're in pain, but some a Kate Warner has ordered you off the medication we had you on."

Jack tried to talk but his throat was too dry. The doctor noticed this and sent one of the nurses out for some water. "Jack we are going to lift you up. I need your help it's going to hurt some but I need to check the stitches and staples in your back. You do know why you're here?" The doctor asked worried.

Jack shook his head. He slowly sat up the nurse helping him. Jack tried not to call out in pain as he moved. It felt like he had a hundred pounds on his chest the way he slowly sat up.

The doctor examined the stitches and staples in Jack's back. He than said, "I'm going to listen to your lungs. I need you to take a deep breath when I put the stethoscope you your back."

The doctor put the cold metal to his back and Jack took a deep breath that was immediately let out with a cry of pain.

"Ok Jack. That was good. Just one more time take normal breaths if need be." The doctor said worried of hurting him any more.

Jack took a few normal breaths and felt the cold metal leave his back. "You can lay back down now." The nurse returned with the water. She put the straw in Jack's mouth and he drank half the cup before he was finished.

"So how are you feeling any unusual pains?"

"No." Jack said in a cracked feeble voice.

"That's good than." The doctor smiled at him. "They'll be moving you soon. I don't know where. I tried to fight them, but I couldn't win." He let the patient know. He had been warned about how dangerous the man could be but he had been nice so far.

"Thank you doctor." Jack said with a slight sad smile.

"You should rest, but I doubt" The doctor looked out to the hallway, "They'll let you."

The doctor left with the nurses and Tony and Grant came in. While in the hallway Grant called Kate to let her know Jack was awake. She told him to get him prepped to leave they were heading back to L.A. that night.

Grant walked in the room and smiled at Jack, an evil sadistic smile that almost said, "Your mine biotch."

Jack smiled back conveying with his eyes, "And I care because?"

Tony noticed it and almost laughed at Jack's look. Same old Jack, just different. "So what happened Jack?" Tony finally asked.

Jack looked at Tony and saw worry in his eyes, "Well they found out. You stupid arsholes didn't cover your tracks good enough and they found out. I tried to play it off that I wasn't going to help you but it didn't really matter." Jack said in his weak voice.

Kate came in when he finished and smiled at him. "Welcome back Jack."

"Fu(k you Kate." Jack said. It sounded funny coming from such a weak voice.

"Ok all pleasantries aside. Get him ready to go. We leave in ten." Kate said throwing some clothes to Grant.

"I'll do it." Tony said knowing Grant would be anything but helpful. They both watched as Jack slowly put the button on shirt on scrunching his forehead and biting his lip in pain. Once the shirt was one Tony helped him out of the bed. Jack had most of his weight on Tony, but he could already feel the staples and stitches in his back ripping. He quickly changed out of the scrub pants he had been put in, into a pair of black slacks. Kate pushed the wheel chair over towards Tony who grabbed it with his free hand and helped Jack into the chair. He smiled at Jack trying to be reassuring.

Kate walked over to the door and Grant took the wheel chair from Tony. He pushed Jack through the hall, once they were at the end of the hall he stopped and grabbed Jacks good arm and cuffed it to one of his own hands. Jack shook his head, as if he could escape he thought to himself. Kate signed the papers to have Jack released to her custody.

As they pushed Jack out he couldn't but help a nurse who looked exactly like Nina. She smiled at him, it was Nina alright. He glared back at her and entertained the idea of pointing her out to take all of the heat of himself, but he just closed his mouth and looked ahead forgetting she was there. He was not going to lower himself to that level. He had lost enough of his honor already no need to freely give it away. When they reached the car the big ars hole helped Jack out of the chair and into the back. Jack sat in the back and closed his eyes as a wave of pain and nausea overcame him. He opened them again to feel the car take off. Every little bump in the rode hurt, and so did sitting back. He was quiet through the ride. Halfway there he closed his eyes and fell asleep. Kate watched from the passenger seat. She wasn't sure how to feel or what to feel. She cared for him a great deal, and hated to see him like this but she had a job. She remembered not to long ago he was willing to give her up to that terrorist to save the country. In a way that was what she was doing, giving him to the government that destroyed him to help the government destroy the enemies that would try to destroy them.