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"A friend of mine at work told me her brother-in-law had had really good results working with you. I think she said his name was Martin or Mitch. I can find out if you need the referral."

"That's fine. We work with many veterans with your symptoms. If you're interested in moving forward at the end of our chat, I can get you started on our program. We'll do a lengthy initial workup and go through not only your symptoms but also your experiences on the battlefield. I get the feeling you were in a war zone."

"Many different war zones," he said, speaking truthfully about that. "Some in places no one would ever want to go. I worked in Special Forces. We went where we were needed. We never knew what we would be doing from one day to the next."

"David is being modest," Rachel put in. "He's a hero. He saved a lot of lives. He was an elite soldier, as good as they come."

Megan nodded. "It sounds like you could definitely benefit from our program, Mr. Burke. One of our physicians has worked successfully with high-level operators."

"That's excellent," Tyler said. "What's his name?"

"Neil Levitan. He's quite renowned in the field of post-traumatic stress."

"I like the sound of that. One more question. Are there drugs involved? Because I need something more than just talking."

"We definitely do more than just talk."

"I'm just afraid," Rachel interrupted, "that if David takes too many drugs, he'll get addicted, or his personality will change. I'm worried about that."

Her comment was absolutely the kind of thing a girlfriend might say, and he was curious about Megan's answer.

"I completely understand. We are very careful not to overprescribe and to avoid drugs that may lead to dependency." She turned to him. "At your first appointment, you'll meet your personal team of doctors, and they will be happy to answer any question you have."

"How soon can I start?"

She pushed a button on her computer, bringing up a schedule. "It looks like we had a last-minute cancelation for Thursday morning."

"I can make that work."

Dr. Prescott smiled and stood up. "You'll be very happy with the care you get here. Stop at the front desk on your way out, and they'll give you more information on the programs, the fees, that kind of thing."

"I hope this will be good," he said as he rose. "The VA hasn't done much for me at all. I feel like I'm at my wit's end. I'm willing to try anything." He shook her hand once more, and they stepped through the door, following the signs to the exit, which took them back to the lobby where the receptionist handed him a packet and an appointment reminder.

As they left the desk and walked into the outer lobby, an Asian man was just coming through the building door. He stopped abruptly, his gaze moving to Rachel. "Dr…Dr. Thorne," he stuttered. "What…are you doing here?"

"Mr. Kimoko. How are you?" she asked. "I missed seeing you last month."

"I…uh…something came up. I gotta go. I'll see you soon." He brushed quickly past Rachel, but instead of going into the reception area, he moved down the hall to the restrooms.

Rachel stared after him with a speculative and disappointed gleam in her eyes.

"Let's go," he said, grabbing her hand once more and pulling her through the front door. He walked her quickly to the car.

"What's the rush?" she asked breathlessly as they got inside.

"He called you Dr. Thorne. I don't think anyone heard him, but I didn't want him coming back out of the restroom and talking to you again."

"Oh, right. We were in the entry, and we were alone. I don't think anyone heard him say my name. That aside, I don't get it, Tyler. Just like Jack, Mr. Kimoko missed his last appointment with me and now shows up here. What's going on? Why are these patients going from me to this place?"

"It does feel like a pattern. Maybe someone at East River is offering frustrated vets a different opportunity and getting a kickback."

A grim look entered her gaze. Clearly, she did not like that idea. "I can't imagine anyone doing that. But maybe that is happening. Do you think it's just my patients they're approaching? That it's like you said, I move too slow; I'm too cautious. Too conservative."

"Slow down." He could see the agitation growing in her beautiful blue eyes. "It's probably not just your patients. It could be anyone who hasn't seen marked improvement within a certain amount of time, which might make them a good target for outreach."

"Do you think I should reach out to Mr. Kimoko?"

"Maybe. But I'm not sure that's the best approach. We don't want to tip our hand."