He scowled. “What I’m saying is, the fact that you came so close to dying—or worse—has taken a toll on your brain. You might have some PTSD.”

“I’ve come close to dying before, and other than a few sleepless nights, I’ve never had a problem. I’ll be fine.” Hopefully. She refused to admit the latest round of nightmares was worse than anything she’d experienced before.

“You should talk to the psychiatrist,” he said.

“I don’t need a shrink, General.” And if she did, she knew exactly who she’d go to. A trusted friend named Brooke Adams, not a clock-watching stranger. “I can’t believe those words even came out of your mouth. You think they’re a bunch of nonsense, remember?”

He let out a low sigh that morphed into a chuckle. She didn’t think she heard any humor in the sound. “You’re just like me, you know that?”

She cut a look at him, her heart going cold. She hoped her eyes reflected the ice flowing through her. “I’m nothing like you.”

His almost imperceptible flinch should have given her satisfaction. Instead a deep sadness grabbed hold and she looked away.

“Right.” He cleared his throat and stood. “I guess I’ll leave you alone then.”

“Have you heard from Dustin?” She wanted her father to leave, but she needed to talk to her younger brother.

“No, not in a while. I tried to call him, to let him know I was here and what had happened to you, but all I got was voice mail.” He shook his head. “You know him. He’ll check in when he’s ready.”

Usually with a text saying he was fine and would be in touch later. It had been at least six weeks since she’d had a good conversation with him. Longer than that since she’d seen him. “And Caden?” Her older brother would be pacing the floor.

“He’ll be waiting at the hospital in Greenville. You’re being flown home tonight.”

She tried to sit up and winced. Decided that was a bad idea and stayed still. “I’m fine—or will be. I’m not going anywhere. I have a job here, remember?”

“You’re being sent home to recover and given hero status for your actions in rescuing the girls. There’s talk of a medal of honor.”

Her jaw dropped. “But I didn’t do anything!”

“That’s not what I hear. You defended yourself and the girls. Because of you, Fatima has a fighting chance. And you killed one of your captors.”

Sickness welled. “I was trying not to think of that.”

“The nightmares?”

“No!” Well, not completely. Partly.

“He would have killed you if you hadn’t pulled the trigger, Rochelle.”