Ashcroft, 61, was discharged shortly after noon from George Washington University Hospital, where he was diagnosed with severe gallstone pancreatitis and operated upon.

CNN: Ashcroft discharged from hospital

Doctors at George Washington University Hospital, also in the capital, reported an increased in reports of pain and chronic illnesses in the week after the attacks.

BBC: Pain problems 'worse after terror'

Doctors at George Washington University Hospital shocked the VP's heart.

NPR: Annapolis Peace Conference Begins

That prompted then-White House Counsel Gonzales and President Bush's chief of staff, Andy Card, to go to Ashcroft's bedside in an intensive care unit at George Washington University Hospital.

NPR: Cheney Blocked Promotion of Dissenting DOJ Official

Doctors at George Washington University Hospital described his prognosis as "terrific" and said that Cheney, who has suffered four heart attacks in the past 25 years, could return to work Monday.

CNN: Cheney goes home after heart device implant

All the more reason for George W. to look so relieved when he appeared before reporters on Wednesday, a few hours after Cheney had been admitted to George Washington University hospital in Washington.

CNN: Heart Murmurs

Shock waves emanating from bomb blasts can cause bruises to the lungs and intestines that don't become symptomatic for a day or two after a blast, said Babak Sarani, chief of trauma and acute surgery at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.

WSJ: Injuries Resemble Traumas of War