He was well aware of the pain, but it was in some far off place just then, lurking close enough that he always knew it was there waiting, but dulled slightly by medications and his own very real exhaustion. Exhaustion that he welcomed, because he really wasn't looking forward to waking up any time soon, knowing that the pain was waiting for him.

Then suddenly the pain and exhaustion were completely overwhelmed by the very real and overpowering presence that was Alexander. He didn't actually dull the pain; he simply overcame it for the moment, and Ian was infused with a warm feeling of friendship and familiarity, tinged lightly with concern.

"I need your help."

Despite the warm gooey feeling he was swamped with, Ian scowled.

"I'm fine, Alexander, thank you. How are you?"

Now the presence he was feeling was lightly shadowed by chagrin, and a touch of impatience.

"Jack's hurt."

"I know. I-"

"You need to finish what you started."

"I'm tired…"

And he hurt, but he wasn't going to admit that.

Alexander didn't have time to bully – and he didn't need to. He paid attention just as well as anyone, and although he wasn't all that close to Ian, he was close enough to know where his heart lay.

"Sam needs Jack whole, and only you can do it."

Damn it. Ian didn't sigh – although he wanted to. And he didn't cry – although he felt like doing that, too. It would have been so easy to sleep while he healed and be far from that pain that was lurking, but now-

"I'm sorry, Ian…" Alexander told him, and Ian knew he meant it. "But it's serious, and I can't keep him stable much longer. If I had the choice, I'd let you sleep for a week. But he doesn't have that long."

Ian nodded, and took a deep breath.

And a lancing pain shot through his chest, jolting him awake as the deep breath forced his broken ribs to rub against each other. He gasped, his breath coming short to keep his lungs from expanding any further and hurting himself more. Opening his eyes hurt, too, but not as much as the aches in his chest and head. His chest more than anything. Ian stared up at the white ceiling, his hand moving to run along his side. He felt the bandages, and knew they were tight to protect broken ribs and who knew what else. Another breath, this one while he tried to gather his courage to move when lying still was so much kinder.

Forcing himself to move, he sat up before he could chicken out, and pain swamped over him in a wave that threatened to knock him flat. His vision turned dark for just a moment, and then blurry, and finally settled back to normality.

"Steady…"

A voice from beside him caused him to turn his head, wincing as he did. He saw a medic standing beside the bed he was in, obviously startled and looking a little concerned by how quickly he'd come to and had sat up. Ian ignored him. Beyond the medic, he'd seen another bed, this one with Jack laying it in. Jaffer was there as well, the black lab sprawled at Jack's side, his head up and watching Ian. Sitting in a chair on the other side of the bed, looking over at him with eyes red from crying, was Sam.

"Sam…"

He pushed by the blankets that had been covering him and rolled off the bed, almost falling but ignoring the medic, who was trying to keep him from getting up.

"Easy, Cadet," he said, his hand taking Ian's arm and trying to hold him in place without hurting him further. Ian brushed him off, and almost fell as his legs tried to decide whether or not they were going to support him.

"Ian…"

Sam stood up, obviously worried by his actions, and Ian felt a tiny stabbing in his arm that drew his attention from her concerned face. He looked down, realized he'd been attached to an IV and had just managed to pull the needle out. Ah well. Worse, though, when he looked down, he saw that he hadn't been wearing anything under those blankets, and he reached behind him, pulling one off the bed and wrapping it around himself as he staggered over to Jack's bed, tripping on the blanket and knocking a machine over that had been monitoring his vital signs. Another thing he'd been hooked up to without realizing it.

"Hey!"

The medic grabbed him from behind, but he was hampered by the knowledge that if he was rough with Ian he could hurt him. This made him use enough care that Ian was able to shake him off once more, and he leaned heavily against Jack's bed, looking down at the pale Colonel. Jaffer whined, softly.

"Ian, what-"

"It's okay, Sam…" Ian murmured, reaching out and resting his hand lightly on Jack's heavily bandaged chest.

"What are you…?"

Sam was interrupted by another voice, this one a lot sharper.

"What's going on here?"

Janet Fraiser walked into the room, irritated to see that one of her patients was up on his feet when he had no business being that way and just as annoyed to find him bothering her other patient. Ian ignored her, now focused entirely on what he was doing, the room completely vanishing as he sank his awareness into what he needed to take care of. Once more, he found himself in a three-way healing trance instead of the one on one that he was more familiar with, but he'd almost expected it this time. His other hand slid along Jaffer's silky fur, but his attention was only for Jack.

Janet scowled, thoroughly annoyed at being ignored, and she walked across the room, intending to pull Ian bodily back to bed. Sam and the medic were both staring at the boy, obviously wondering what in the world he was doing, and Ian's eyes had closed. Before Janet could reach him, she heard a distinctive change in the machinery that was monitoring Jack O'Neill's vitals, and incredulous, she looked over at it.

The heartbeat that had been so slow was steadying into a faster rhythm. The blood pressure that had been dangerously low was also changing, rising into more normal areas, and the labored breathing was starting to ease considerably.

"What the hell…?"

No one answered her. The room was completely silent except for the sounds of the machinery. Unsure what was going on, Janet stopped at the side of the bed, standing beside Sam, who had unconsciously rested her hand on Jack's, her eyes on Ian as she tried to understand what was happening. He didn't pay any attention to her, though. No more than he was anyone else.

For a full minute, and then another, they all stood like that. Then Ian opened his eyes slowly, and took a deep breath. And winced as the pain returned full force. Right after the stabbing pain came the exhaustion, and when he stepped back from the side of the bed he stumbled and almost fell. The medic caught him as he stumbled against him, and the action shook Janet out of her stunned paralysis.

"Get him back in bed," she snapped. "Now."

Ian didn't even hear the command. He'd already passed out.

Sam looked over at him, and then down at Jack, who was suddenly moving under her hand. His brown eyes opened, looking around in tired confusion – and then meeting her own.

"Sam…"