He felt the Presence join him for the first time since the night he'd been shot, and felt warmth and love and a friendship that was greater than anything he'd ever felt before.

"Where have you been?"

There was a feeling of amusement surrounding him, and the deep voice that still didn't have a face to put to it spoke.

"I've been around. How do you feel?"

"Oh, just fucking ducky…"

"You're doing fine, though."

"Yeah. I'm going to be okay. Thanks to you."

"I didn't do anything."

"You kept me awake until Dotty showed up – and helped pull me through the surgery."

"I would love to know how you remember that, Ian…"

The cadet shrugged.

"I never forget-"

"I know. But it's just not possible."

"I don't know what to tell you," he said, almost feeling the need to apologize. "It's the way I've always been. I don't forget dreams, I don't forget names… I don't forget anything. I never have."

He could feel the Presence's exasperation and an undercurrent of annoyance that wasn't directed at him, although he knew he was the cause for it. This time he did apologize.

"Sorry."

The annoyance turned to amusement, and there was a deep chuckle.

"Don't be. There's plenty of time to figure it out, and it's hardly your fault. I didn't come to make you feel guilty, I just thought I'd check on you and see how you were doing."

"I'm fine."

"Not yet."

It was Ian's turn to smile.

"No, not yet, but soon."

"And then you're going off-world…"

"How did you know that?"

There was amusement.

"It's a secret."

Bah.

OOOOOOOOOOO

A throbbing in his head woke him from his sleep, and when Ian opened his eyes he found he wasn't in the hospital anymore. Well, not in the public hospital, anyways. The room he was in now was just as much a hospital as the room he'd been in before, only the walls were concrete, and there was no sunshine coming through the window. For that matter, there wasn't a window. He was in the infirmary in the SGC.

He tried to move, and found that there was a heavy weight pinning him, looked down and saw that Jaffer was in his bed with him, the black lab's big head resting heavily against his stomach, which would have hurt if he hadn't managed to find the only spot that wasn't bandaged and bruised. Now he knew he was in the SGC, because the hospital had refused to allow Jack to bring Jaffer any closer than the elevator, and never would have allowed the dog in his room. Obviously Janet didn't have the same prejudices.

Janet.

Why did that trigger an alarm? He frowned, and thought back to what he could remember of the day so far. He'd woken up. He'd been given medication. He'd been told to sleep but hadn't been able to. Sam had come into his room and had-

Oh, shit.

A groan escaped him – not a pained groan; a chagrined groan. He'd told Sam she was a good kisser. Jesus, he'd told Sam about the voice. Again. His mind was quick to grab the conversation he'd had, now that he was thinking about it, and he winced at the way he'd asked Fraiser about the other dwarves. She was going to kill him.

Oh, God… even worse; Fraiser knew Cassie and him had kissed. She was going to kill him – or worse, she'd-

"You're awake."

He flinched at the voice so close to him when he hadn't realized anyone was nearby but Jaffer, and groaned in real agony when pain went lancing through his skull as his brain threatened to explode. He closed his eyes tightly and brought his hand up to his right temple.

Janet frowned, and rested her hand lightly on his forehead, concerned.

"What's wrong?"

"My brain's trying to come out my nostrils…"

"I'll get you something for that," she told him, starting to move away from his bed. Ian reached out and barely managed to catch the hem of her lab jacket with his uninjured hand.

"No."

She turned, "What?"

"I don't want any medication. I'll be fine… just…" He shook his head, "Just don't give me anything. I don't like… them…"

"I won't give you a shot, Ian," she told him, incorrectly assuming he was tired of needles – and maybe feeling a little guilty for drawing blood so roughly the night before. Right up until she thought about him kissing Cassie. Then she wished she'd have taken more. "I'll just put it in your IV…"

He shook his head, his eyes glazed, but with pain now.

"No. Don't bother. It doesn't hurt anymore."

She didn't even have to be a doctor to know he was lying. She wasn't sure exactly what he had against the medication, but there was no way she was going to let him sty in that much pain. His entire body was tense with it.

"It won't hurt-"

"I'm not worried about it hurting."

Jesus, he couldn't hurt any worse than he did just then, could he? What he was worried about was the fact that he couldn't keep his fucking mouth closed when he was medicated. Had he really told her that he was going to pass Cassie off onto River once the cadet had gotten his shit together? That certainly made him sound like a bastard, didn't it – even though he actually did think that River would be a better choice for her once he'd straightened up and decided it was time to settle with one girl and devote all that energy he had to her. A blind man could see Cassie was attracted to him, after all, despite the fact that she'd kissed Ian.

How the hell was he going to explain that one to either of them? Oh, God… what was Sam going to think of him for telling her she was a good kisser? What would Jack think, for that matter?

Ian groaned again and reached for the blanket that had him covered to the waist, and pulled it all the way up and over his head, to the complete bafflement of Fraiser, and the annoyance of Jaffer – who wasn't all that happy to be completely covered like that. The lab sneezed; spraying Ian's side with snot, and Janet took the blankets and pulled them down, looking at him like he'd grown an extra nipple.

"What in the world is wrong with you?"

Oh, geeze, where to start?

"Nothing… I just don't want-"

"Fine. How about an aspirin?"

"No."

She scowled. She couldn't have him in pain.

"You can choose; an aspirin or a shot."

Ian's jaw clenched, his temper snapping – even though he was only mad at himself for being so stupid while medicated.

"I'll say it in little words so you can understand; I. Don't. Want. Either."

Janet's scowl turned thunderous, and she lost her temper as well.

"A shot it is. With a great big-"

Jaffer woofed softly, drawing her attention to him, and Janet looked down at him and then followed the lab's gaze to the entrance of the infirmary. Coming through the door was Jack and Sam – accompanied by Ian's parents, who both looked relieved to see him awake.

They all headed over to the bed – Ian's was on the very end of the row so he'd be disturbed as little as possible by the coming and going of medical staff at all hours of the day – and Janet saw Maggie's expression change from relief to concern when she came closer. Obviously she knew when he was in pain and upset and Ian was both at that moment. At the same moment, Sam's expression turned to concern as well, when she realized from Janet's expression that the doctor was about as angry as she'd ever seen her. She looked down at Ian, realizing that whatever it was, he was the problem. He looked at least as mad as Janet did. Had they gotten into it over Cassie already? That hadn't taken long.

"Why do I feel like the temperature on this side of the room is 50 degrees cooler than it is on the other side?"