CBC News: Harper treated in Ottawa hospital:

Prime minister-designate Stephen Harper, who has a history of asthma, sought treatment for a chest cold at the Ottawa Hospital on Thursday night.

The politician spent about an hour at the hospital and was given a prescription for antibiotics before returning home to Stornoway for the night.

“I have a chest cold and it was precautionary because of my medical history,” Harper told CBC News on his way to work Friday morning.

The PM-designate picked up the bedside phone, roused from early-morning slumber.

“Hello?” he croaked.

“Feeling better?” asked an unfamiliar voice.

“A little, thank you,” he replied. “Who is this?”

“Let’s just say… a friend,” the voice said. Harper thought he could detect a faint drawl in the man’s gravelly voice. “A friend who’s pointing out what a coincidence it is… that on the day the American ambassador gently suggests you all drop that damn fool ice-breaker idea, and you rebuff him like some yard dog what’s been rolling in the mud… you come down with a cold that very night.”

A chill, unrelated to his 99.3-degree-Farenheit fever, crawled up Harper’s spine.

“Now, speaking as a friend,” the voice went on, “I would hate to see that cold develop into something worse. Maybe next time Mr. Ambassador says something, you give it a good, long listen. What do you think?”

“Where did you get this number?” Harper demanded.

The voice only chuckled. “Son, we already listen to everything on this line. Don’t you think we’re entitled to make a few calls on it?”
There was a click, and the line went dead. Harper gingerly eased the phone into its cradle.

“Honey?” asked his wife, blearily. “What was all that about?”

Harper rolled over and turned to her, a faltering smile on his face. “Nothing, nothing at all,” he said. Seeing her look of uncertainty, he shook her hand reassuringly. “Say,” he added, trying to be non-chalant, “do you have any idea how much money we’d save if we didn’t build those icebreakers?”