Wow - thank you all so much for the awesome reviews! it was so great to hear from you - and, in appreciate for taking the time to read and review, here is my next chapter. I'll keep them coming fast and furious.

"Colonel O'Neill."

"Jack."

"Come on Sir – you can do it."

The voices were disturbing him again. He used the word 'again' because he was pretty sure he'd heard them before. They kept calling his name, and he kept ignoring them, because somewhere, at a deep level, he knew that to pay attention, to respond was to invite in something he really didn't want.

He was comfortable in this 'nothingness'. He didn't have to worry about anyone or anything and he didn't have to feel anything. He could simply exist in a void, and for now he was happy to be there.

"Colonel O'Neill?"

Except the damn voices were becoming ever more insistent and ever more annoying. He let go an inner sigh, knowing that sooner or later he'd have to answer them. But not right now – and maybe not soon. Later – he'd respond – later.

"Why isn't he waking up?" Daniel's voice was tight with worry. "It's been almost three days. Shouldn't he be waking up by now?"

Janet exhaled, not knowing who she was more frustrated at – the Colonel, for not waking up, or Daniel for not shutting up. "Daniel, I've told you – he'll wake up when he's ready to wake up."

"But shouldn't he be ready? I mean, the doctor says he's doing better. There's no reason for him to still be unconscious."

"The doctor said he's doing better", the doctor answered. "That doesn't mean he's out of the woods yet. He's still very sick Daniel."

"Maybe he doesn't want to wake up", Sam said softly, peering down at the still form of Jack O'Neill. He looked terrible, although not quite as badly as those first couple of days. There was a bit of color in his cheeks, although they were still way too pale. The respirator hadn't yet been removed – the doctor didn't want to chance it until the Colonel was conscious and he was confident his blood oxygen would stay level.

"What do you mean?" Daniel looked at her in shock. "Why wouldn't he want to wake up?"

"Daniel, his last waking memory must have been of crawling across his basement floor, trying to get help. He probably thought he was going to die down there." Her voice cracked and she clenched her fists. "What if he doesn't realize that we found him, that he's safe?"

The archaeologist swallowed and then took a deep breath. "Oh God – I hadn't thought of that. Could that be true Janet?"

Janet looked as if she didn't want to answer but finally she shrugged. "I don't know, but it's a possibility. It's not uncommon for victims to wake up, not knowing they're okay, but still thinking they're back in the same bad situation as when they were hurt."

"What should we do?" This time the younger man was staring down at his friend, clearly wanting to help but not sure how.

"Talk to him", Janet said gently, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Let him know that he's safe, that we're here. Eventually we should get through to him and he'll want to come around."

"I think only one of us should speak to him at a time", Sam was also still looking at the Colonel. "He's probably hearing a bunch of voices and it's confusing him."

"I agree. Look, I'm going to go and see if I can talk to his doctor and see if the latest test results are back. Daniel – why don't you go and get some coffee and let Sam stay here for a while. She can talk to the Colonel without all of us bothering him."

Daniel laughed sheepishly. "You know, that's probably exactly the problem. There's no one who can tune people out quite like Jack when he doesn't want to hear what you have to say. I know – he's done it to me a million times."

Janet snorted and patted him on the back as they walked to the door. "Sam – we're leaving you in charge of the Colonel. Just talk to him gently, maybe that will bring him around. But don't get upset if it doesn't work. He'll wake up in his own time. Remember – it's the Colonel!"

She couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped as her friends left and she remained with the unconscious man. "Don't tell me you're just being obstinate Jack O'Neill", she told him quietly. "We want to see those beautiful eyes again. Daniel told us you woke up once, so you can do it again."

The ICU nurse came in at that moment and checked the Colonel's IV and his blood pressure and oxygen levels. She smiled at Sam. "Still looking good", was all she said and then she left.

Sam was silent all the while the nurse was checking the still unconscious man but after she'd gone Sam started speaking again. "You know Sir, Daniel is going to be hurt if you refuse to wake up for him. He may just come back and start telling you all about the ruins we found on the planet Hadrasha. She chuckled again. "Hey – I know what to do – I'll start talking technobabble to you if you don't wake up. How about that for an incentive? I know how much you enjoy it and that you'll do anything to get out of listening to it. So, let's see … hmmm – why don't I tell you about cosmic inflation? And no – I don't mean blowing up the cosmos like a balloon – nor do I mean the rising prices across the galaxy!" She looked at Jack closely, but he hadn't moved at all and certainly didn't seem aware of anything. She sighed.

"So, the question is, if inflation happened at one point, is it self-sustaining through inflation of quantum-mechanical fluctuations, and thus ongoing in some extremely distant place?" When the Colonel didn't respond to that she went on to discuss in detail the extremely difficult question that physicists had grappled with for years. At first she watched the Colonel carefully, to see if there was any reaction (which there wasn't), but after a while she got carried away by her own soliloquy. It was actually an extremely interesting question and she wondered briefly if the Asgard knew the answer. She'd have to ask them.

Something touched her hand and she squealed in surprise, her heart beating a mile a minute. "What?" She looked around, expecting to see Daniel or Janet, but when it was clear no one had entered she paused. It took her two more seconds to realize – and then she looked down.

"Oh my God – Jack!" O'Neill was gazing out at her with open eyes, although they looked hazy and unfocused. His hand had moved slightly and had touched hers, but he clearly didn't have the strength to do any more than that. "You're awake!" She smiled and put her hand over his, giving it a slight squeeze. She was even more thrilled when she could feel his hand move slightly – it wasn't a return squeeze, but it was clearly a response.

"Oh Jack – it's so good to see you awake Sir! You're okay." She squeezed his hand again. If what Janet had said was true, he would need reassurance that everything was fine. "You're in the hospital but you're going to be okay. You were hurt but the doctor says you'll soon be better."

She could see him suddenly trying to swallow and then he frowned. She could tell by the heart monitor that he was beginning to panic and she stood up and leaned over him, her hands now holding both of his. "Listen to me Sir", she said plainly. "You have a breathing tube in – it's to help you. The doctor will take it out soon, but don't fight it. You're okay – I'm here and I won't leave you. You're okay Jack", she repeated.

He finally seemed to understand what she was saying and she could tell he was making a conscious effort to calm down. The heart monitor slowed down and his hands became relaxed. He continued to gaze at her, although every few seconds he would blink a few times as if to try and clear his vision – or maybe it was his mind.

"I bet it was my talk on cosmic inflation that woke you up Sir – wasn't it?" She smiled at him, hoping to see him try and grin in return. He only looked confused at her words and she wanted to kick herself. He wasn't in any shape to be teasing him. "It's okay – I'm here with you. Daniel went to get coffee but he'll be back soon."

That received a small nod and he relaxed even more. She smiled at him. "Janet will be here soon too – she's making sure the doctors are taking good care of you." At the sudden frown lines on the Colonel's face she tilted her head, wondering what was worrying him now. She thought back to what she's said.

He continued to stare at her and look worried so she started to explain, hopefully to relieve his mind.

"You're at Memorial Hospital, not in the Infirmary. They brought you here after you were hurt. Janet is monitoring you closely however. You know her – she'll make sure her chicks are well looked after."

Again O'Neill nodded, although his eyes looked as if they were growing heavy. The nurses had explained that he'd have trouble staying awake for quite a while once he started recuperating. His body had been through a major trauma – that and the extreme blood loss would cause exhaustion for quite a long time.

"You sleep Sir", Sam told him softly, reaching up and gently running her fingers through his hair. He continued to watch her until his eyes closed for the last time and he was sound asleep.

It was another few minutes before Daniel returned, followed almost immediately by Janet.

"He woke up", she told them with a smile. "He was awake longer this time and I think he understood me. He just fell asleep a few minutes ago."

"That's great Sam", Janet beamed and walked over to take a closer look at the man she still regarded as her patient. "His vitals look good", she said, for the first time sounding optimistic.

"How did you do it?" Daniel wanted to know as he handed her a coffee.

"I talked about cosmic inflation", she told them, and then giggled at their stares. "Well, you know how much the Colonel hates my technobabble – I figured if I started talking about physics he'd wake up just to make me stop."

Janet continued to stare for a minute and then burst out laughing. "Oh my God Sam – that's brilliant."

Even Daniel was laughing and soon all three of them were practically rolling on the floor. It wasn't really that funny – but for the first time since they'd found Jack they felt like there was real hope that he'd be okay. It was the relief from stress and anguish that caused their reactions.

The duty nurse walked in at that moment and smiled as well. She didn't scold them for disturbing the Colonel, rather she knew that being surrounded by laughter and happiness could only be good for him.

Laughter? He was sure he heard people laughing. He questioned briefly if he should be worried, but then realized he liked it. He allowed it to surround him and he slept.

The next thing he heard was something about Sumerians. He didn't have a clue what they were, but somehow knew he didn't want to know. Fortunately the voice stopped as soon as his eyes opened.

"Jack!" the voice said joyfully. "It worked again!"

He had no idea what had worked, but he was pleased to see Daniel sitting beside him. He was still unsure of what was going on, but he did know that he liked having his friends close by. He blinked a couple of times and looked around the room. Sam? Wasn't she here?

"Sam just went home to shower and change", Daniel told him, moving up and leaning down so that he was closer to his friend. "We were all getting pretty ripe."

Jack frowned at that, not sure what Daniel meant. He tried to speak and realized again that something was in his throat. He started to panic, but after a second figured out that it was helping him breathe. Damn – he hated that! Besides the discomfort, its presence must mean he was hurt pretty badly – which instantly worried him.

What was wrong with him? He could barely move – had he lost a limb? Was he paralyzed? God – he wished someone would –

"Jack! Relax!" Daniel's hand touched his arm and he looked at the man with the desperate question clear in his eyes.

"You're okay Jack" the younger man told him clearly. "You were stabbed in the chest, but you're getting better. The doctor just wanted to keep the ventilator in to give your lung a chance to heal. Other than that you just have a broken leg." For some reason, at Jack's serious frown Daniel felt the urge to laugh. He could just hear the Colonel start to bitch and complain about another broken leg. "It's not a bad break", he explained. "You should be up and around in no time."

This time Jack gave a small nod and allowed himself to relax and simply stare at the archaeologist. Daniel couldn't help but smile – even though Jack still looked like hell, he was alive and he was getting better. "So, you want me to tell you some more about the Sumerians?"

The look of panic on Jack's face made him laugh. "I was just kidding." The look of complete relief that greeted his statement made him want to laugh again, but this time he held back. He didn't think his friend was quite up to teasing, even though he hadn't been able to resist doing it a bit.

Instead he simply spoke gently to his friend, telling him how they missed him and about the various nurses who had been looking after him. It wasn't long before the man's eyes drooped and soon he was sound asleep.

"Doctor", Janet smiled at the pulmonary specialist who had been assigned to Jack's case. She was extremely pleased at the care the Colonel had been given and knew that this man had been largely responsible for keeping the officer alive – he and Dr. Laroque, the surgeon.

"Doctor Frasier hello – and how's our patient today?" He glanced over at Jack, who was lying staring at the ceiling. It had been four days since he was admitted and he'd been awake half a dozen times. For the last few times he'd begun to demand that they remove the breathing tube and even though he couldn't actually speak, his wishes had been loud and clear.

"He seems to be doing better although he's still pretty groggy. He also wants to get rid of the ventilator."

"Mmm", Dr. Benjamin looked again at the chart. "Grogginess is to be expected and he'll probably be that way for a while, both from the blood loss and all the medication he's on." He gave Janet a kind smile. "I know you know that. Uh, his oxygen levels are up, athough not quite where I'd like them to be. We can try and remove it but we'll have to monitor him closely and if it looks like his levels are dropping we'll have to re-intubate."

Janet nodded, knowing what the doctor was saying was reasonable. "May I tell him?"

"Of course. I'll just tell the nurse and we can get this done in the next few minutes. I'm sure the Colonel is anxious to be able to communicate and breathe on his own. Uh – you might want to have his wife with him when we take it out. It will help to have someone he cares about by his side. "

"The Colonel's not married", she told him quickly, although she decided at that moment that Sam should be here. She'd go and get her from the cafeteria in a minute.

"Oh, I'm sorry – I just assumed when I saw the young lady …"

"Samantha Carter – she's – uh – I'll go get her as soon as I tell the Colonel. He does care for her and I think it will be good to have her here."

The doctor nodded, not really caring what the relationship was, as long as it helped his patient. He left the room to get the nurse and have her prepare everything in case they needed to reinsert a breathing tube.

"Colonel", Janet gently touched his shoulder. "Wake up Sir."

At least this time he didn't resist waking up, although it remained difficult for him. He was so tired that it took all his energy to try and listen to those around him.

"Sir – the doctor is going to remove your breathing tube." Jack's eyes opened wide at that and Janet wondered what he was thinking. "They're going to be monitoring your oxygen levels carefully Colonel – and if they go down they'll have to put it back in. You have to understand that, okay?"

He looked, for a moment, like he either didn't understand or didn't want to acknowledge that but finally he nodded. He wanted the damn thing out now!

"Colonel O'Neill – this is going to be a bit uncomfortable when we remove this – but just try and relax, okay?" Dr. Benjamin was standing beside his bed, all the equipment at the ready in case this failed.

Sam was standing beside the bed, his hand held in hers and Janet was over by the door, watching carefully but keeping out of the way. Daniel had been relegated to the hallway, which he didn't like, but there wasn't enough room for everyone so he'd shrugged and agreed to stand outside.

The Colonel looked tense and clutched Sam's hand as tightly as he could. He knew he wanted to get the tube out of his throat, but he was still feeling confused by everything and was having trouble understanding what people were saying to him.

Since he'd woken up he'd felt only partially here – it was hard to explain. He felt calmer when someone was with him that he knew, but he felt anxious when they spoke and smiled and laughed. Nothing much made sense, although occasionally something got through to him. For the most part he simply nodded and agreed, which seemed to make them happy. But there was something wrong and it frightened him.

Sam – he at least knew her, although he had trouble remembering quite what their relationship was. It bothered him, but for now he was grateful to have her with him. Right now she was his lifeline. As the doctor bent over him, and told him something, it was Sam who guided him – who made him feel safe.

"Jack – he's just going to remove the tube. You're to breathe out when he pulls it, okay?"

He nodded – he was pretty sure he got that. The tube began to move in his throat and his eyes grew round and he frantically searched for Sam.

"Jack – breathe! Come on!"

He remembered then – he breathed out and gagged as the tube left his throat. It hurt – but more than anything it made him want to throw up. He continued to gag for a moment, and had trouble catching his breath. It was the hand rubbing his back that finally calmed him – and he took a slow, shaking breath in.

"That's it", her voice encouraged him. He kept his eyes trained on her and wished that someone would do something about the raw meat that was his throat.

"Here Colonel", another feminine voice spoke to him from the side and his eyes moved over, to see Janet with a spoon. He dutifully opened his mouth and the next moment was relishing the icy cold that was soothing his throat.

"How are his oxygen levels?" Dr. Benjamin asked the nurse quickly.

She was watching the monitor. "They're dropping – 92, 90, 89, 87."

"Damn!" The doctor told her to prepare for re-intubating. "It looks like it's too soon", he told everyone. "I'm sorry Col -"

"Sir – they're going back up", the nurse said calmly. "It's back up to 88, 89, 90", there was a short pause. "It looks like it's stabilizing at 93 %."

Dr. Benjamin looked at Jack carefully. His patient's breathing was improving, although it obviously continued to hurt him. Still, the entreaty in his eyes made him hesitate. "As long as they stay there, we can leave him be. Colonel, it's very important that you stay relaxed and breathe as deeply as you can. I don't want to intubate you again, and I'm sure you don't want that either. Just keep breathing and you should be okay." He turned to the nurse. "Watch him carefully and at the first sign of a drop we'll need to act."

"Yes Doctor", she told him. She gave another look to the monitor. "It's at 94% now."

"Good – good. Okay Colonel, you rest now." He smiled at Janet and Sam. "Hopefully he'll be good after this. I'll check on him in a couple of hours."

"Thank you Doctor", Janet nodded to her colleague and then looked back at Jack. "How are you doing Sir?"

Jack blinked at her and then tried to speak. What came out didn't nearly resemble English and he looked frustrated. He tried again. "Wa –ter?"

"How about some more ice? You need to take it easy so that you don't choke. In a little while I'll get a cup and a straw, okay?'

"Kay", he nodded, opening his mouth like a little bird waiting to be fed. Janet spooned in another ice cube. "I'll go and get Daniel. Sam – you stay with the Colonel. It's good to see you doing better Sir", Janet smiled and headed for the door.

Sam was still holding on to the Colonel's hand and suddenly felt rather embarrassed. She tried to pull away but Jack frowned and tugged on her hand. It wouldn't have taken much to get him to release her – he was still incredibly weak – but she didn't have the heart. He was looking at her with eyes that looked confused and frightened.

"It's okay Sir", she told him softly. "You're getting better. Just do as the doctor says and close your eyes and sleep."

He nodded and allowed his eyes to drift. It felt so much better not to have the tube in his throat any longer, but now there was no excuse for not talking. The problem was – he didn't know if he could actually say anything remotely sensible. There was something wrong with him – and he was frightened.