Author's note: This one's a little short, sorry! But there will be more coming, I promise!

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Fraiser checked on Ian first. He was, after all, the real reason she was there. Not the little girl.

The room she was led to was small, but it was well lit, warm and cozy, and the white walls were softened by several framed pictures hung in different areas. In the center of the little room – which really looked more like it belonged in a bed and breakfast than in a clinic – was the bed that Ian had been put in, and sure enough, the young man was out like a light.

He was on his back – not his natural position, she knew – and had been dressed in a set of white scrubs that only made him look more pale than he already was. Janet could see the bruises on his cheek and chin when she opened the door, but the gash in his forehead that she'd heard about was covered with a bandage. She walked over and looked down at him, with the two doctors beside her.

"These bruises aren't new…" she said, reaching down and touching the bruise above Ian's right eye.

"That one he received playing softball," Mandy explained. "A couple of days ago."

"Ah."

Why didn't that surprise her? After all, Millcreek was like the Bermuda Triangle when it came to sucking in perfectly healthy Air Force personnel and spitting them out battered and bruised, and Ian was simply carrying on a legacy that Jack and Daniel had started years before. Add to it that Shawn had managed to break his ankle – and who knew how many bruises he had under his clothing? – and she had to wonder if River Hayden had managed to make it through the last few days without any injuries. For some reason she doubted that.

"His reflexes are fine," Doctor Kennedy said, handing Janet the x-rays they'd taken. One of his head, one of his chest and one of his leg. "We just can't get him to wake up…"

Janet checked the head film first, holding it up to the light and looking for damage to the skull, although Kennedy seemed to be more than competent enough to check for fractures and the like on her own. She didn't find anything to suggest any damage to Ian's skull or brain, which was a relief. A look at his chest x-ray showed that he hadn't even broken any ribs – although she could see some swelling around individual ribs that suggested there might be a fair amount of strained muscles and probably some heavy bruising. Again, nothing that was life threatening. His leg had taken a beating – the same knee that seemed to bear the brunt of every fall or injury Ian had ever taken was once more swollen and battered, but Janet didn't see any sign of a break or dislocation in the x-ray, so it wasn't going to be the most serious of his injuries.

"Ian's difficult to wake up," Janet acknowledged. "This isn't the first time it's happened…"

"I noticed the scars on his chest," Kennedy said. "Mandy here tells me he was actually attacked by a bear…"

"And shot," Mandy added, more or less hoping that maybe she would have a chance to hear more of the circumstances behind that. Ian had been fairly close-mouthed about that, after all, and it had to be an interesting story.

Janet didn't do anything more than nod, however.

"Yes, he's had his share of serious injuries," she acceded. "But he's a tough kid…"

She reached her hand out and touched his cheek with her fingertips. And he didn't move, which told her that he was out completely. If he'd been anywhere near waking, he would have responded to her touch and most likely moved his head away – at least a little.

"He'll probably be out for a while," she said, checking the bandage on his forehead, and then checking his eyes with a pen light – just to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with his pupils. "It's not dangerous for him, so just allow him to wake up naturally."

"You'll be around?"

She nodded. Like she was going to go anywhere? They had to have someone close by – someone with security clearance – just in case he woke up and started talking. Which wasn't usually an issue with Ian as long as he wasn't given any medication.

"You didn't give him anything?"

Kennedy shook her head.

"Nothing."

"Good." Before she could ask about the supposed allergy that Ian had to medication again, Janet changed the subject. "I'd like to see the little girl's x-rays, please?"

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Shawn was talking to Jack, Sam and Gary when Janet and the others finally made another appearance half an hour later. All of them looked up – except Jake, who was sound asleep once more in his fathers arms – and waited for a prognosis.

"He should be fine," Janet said. "There's nothing seriously wrong with him and Doctor Kennedy is doing a good job getting the swelling down on his leg and head."

"Is he awake?" Sam asked.

"No." Janet smiled, telling them without words that he wasn't asleep due to an injury, but because of another reason entirely – and Jack and Sam were pretty sure they knew what it was, so they didn't ask for any more of an explanation. "He'll probably sleep all day."

"That long?" Gary asked.

"Maybe longer," Janet said.

"Can we see him?" Jack asked.

She nodded.

"As long as you don't try to wake him up."

Jack and Sam both headed for the door – Sam a bit more awkwardly than Jack, and Jaffer close on their heels, although he was making sure to keep a fair distance from Sam so she wouldn't trip over him. Fraiser looked at the two doctors, apologetically.

"I'm not here to take over, really," she explained as Shawn and Gary both got up and headed for the room that Ian was in as well – although they'd wait their turn. "It's just that Ian is privy to some classified materials, and we have to make sure that when someone in that kind of situation is injured that they don't start spilling secrets they shouldn't."

"I understand," Doctor Kennedy said, nodding. "Are you going to be staying here, then?"

Janet nodded.

"If you don't mind."

"Not at all. Mandy needs to get back to the camp, and I can always use company." She smiled. "I'll even feed you breakfast."