Chapter Five

Eight Weeks Later.

Back on Earth, Trip saw his family for about five days when he returned home, but was so different, far away and closed off, that they knew something was wrong with him. His mother thought he had been taken over by an alien, and his father just thought he was crazy.

Charles Tucker II watched his youngest son running on the beach. It was early, around 6:00 am. Trip had always been an early riser, but never a runner. Now here he was running 10-12 miles every day. He was also eating right, only grilled chicken and fish, fruits and vegetables, but none of his favorite things. If that was odd, he practically got no sleep, and when he did, he had woke up everybody in the house several times screaming.

Sometimes he sat on the back porch and stared into space for hours. He refused to see any of his other relatives and wanted no part of a big family gathering, so he saw no one other than his brother Danny and his sisters Lizzy and Jenna. But, they too thought Trip was strange. After his run, he came back to the house drenched with sweat.

"Mornin' Dad," he said as he came in and headed for the refrigerator for water.

"Mornin' son," Charles replied. "Still can't get over the fact that you've become a runner. I mean, I know you had to be physically fit to be in Starfleet, but this is different. You seem driven."

"I am," Trip said between gulps of water. Charles stared at him for a few moments before leaving the room. He sat in the adjacent room pretending to watch a news screen, but he was watching Trip. He saw him retrieve a small bag hidden behind some items in a cabinet. Charles watched Trip as he popped something into his mouth before tossing several small bottles back the bag and slipping them back into their hiding place.

"Been meaning to ask you, what's all that crap you're taking?" he asked as Trip passed through the room. Trip stopped and looked at his father suspiciously.

"It's nothing, supplements."

"Trip, c'mon son, it's me, Dad. I've seen your little stash. I know what Seroquel is and what it's for. I also know what Anafranil and Depakote is too. What the hell is the matter with you?"

"Dad, I can't believe you're spying on me," Trip snapped.

"Believe it," Charles said unapologetically.

"Well if you know what my meds are and what they're for, then why are you askin?"

"Cause I want you to tell me. Look, I know you went missing for a few weeks a couple of months ago, Jon told us. We were worried sick. We were so relieved when they found you. I know they did somethin' to you…"

"Well if you know Dad, again I ask, why are you askin' me about it?"

"Cause you've changed. You seem so far away, so troubled. I just wanna help, if I can; if you let me. Your mother really thinks the worst."

"There is no way in the world she could possibly think or even imagine the worst," Trip replied oddly. "I'm dealing with it. There's nothing you can do, there's nothing anyone can do, okay! So why don't you give it a rest! I'm doing the best I can! I'm seeking professional help, exercising, trying to eat right! Takin' those lousy pills everyday! I'm trying to get better! And I could do without you drilling me and questionin' me! So just stop it with the third degree! Can you just give it a friggin' rest!"

"Charles Anthony Tucker, III!" Ellen Tucker called out as she entered the room. Trip straightened up like he did when he was a little boy. Whenever his mother called him by his whole name he knew he was in deep trouble. "Why are you yelling at your father at 6:30 in the morning?"

"Sorry Mom," Trip said looking down. "Sorry Dad."

"Trip, what's the matter?" Ellen pleaded. "Honey, we love you and we just want you to be alright."

"I know mom, and I'm working on it, I swear I'm working on it. But I gotta do it my way, so please, just give me some time. You all keep tellin' me I've changed, well you're right I have, and I may not ever be the person I used to be. I've seen too much, been through too much. But I am trying. So can you please just give me some space and some time?

Ellen and Charles looked at one another. They both nodded at their son. "Great," he said. "I'm gonna go have a shower now, and then I'm going for another run."

"Another run!" Charles said. "You just ran 10-12 miles, and you're gonna go for another one, after you take a shower no less?!" Trip did not answer. He just shot up the stairs and disappeared. His parents looked at one another again.

Later that Day.

Lizzy and Jenna arrived together. Danny would join them shortly. They were all gathering to have dinner together. It was supposed to be a barbeque, but Trip had informed his family that he wasn't going to eat any pork or beef. Everyone was stunned. He also refused his mother's pecan pie. She knew he was sick then.

"Where is he?" Jenna asked.

"He's up there in his room."

"Doing what?" Lizzy asked.

"Probably lifting those weights. That's all he's been doing, running and lifting weights," Ellen replied.

"Is he sleeping any better?" Jenna asked.

"Well, he didn't wake up screaming last night if that's what you mean," Ellen said. "He just walked the floor half the night, up and down the stairs."

"Mom, what are we gonna do about this?" Jenna asked. "This is not the Trip Tucker we know." Ellen beckoned for her two daughters to come in closer.

"Girls, I think while he was gallivanting around in space…that he may have been taken over by… aliens. I don't even think that's my boy up there at all."

"Oh mom, don't be silly," Lizzy said. "Look, it's Trip. Sure he's acting a little strange, but he's still our Trip. Maybe it's a woman. Maybe he's in love."

"Hadn't thought of that," Jenna said. "But that still wouldn't explain his behavior."

"Explain what?" Charles asked as he entered through the back door where his grill was going.

"Hi daddy," the girls said together, and each moved over to kiss their father.

"We were just speculating about what was going on with Trip," Jenna said. "Lizzy thinks it's a woman."

"Well Danny said when he came over to his place, he wouldn't drink a beer, didn't wanna watch a movie, wouldn't even talk," Charles replied, "just sat on the couch and stared up at the ceiling for two hours. Now, does that sound like our Trip? Like someone who's in love?"

"It's alien possession I tell you," Ellen added.

"Oh mom," Lizzy said. Just then a hover car pulled up. It was Danny. Out jumped a large brown Labrador Retriever who bounded onto the front porch.

"Oh look," Jenna said, "Danny brought Sam." She rushed to the door and let the dog in. She barked and jumped on Jenna who rubbed her back and scratched her behind her ears.

"He told me he was bringing the rest of the puppies by to see if anybody wanted one before he gave them all away," Charles said.

"Hello Tuckers!" Danny greeted his family carrying a box. They were all very excited to see three little light brown labs playing and jumping on top of one another. "Where is he?" Danny asked.

"He's up stairs," Charles said.

"How's he acting today?"

"Still a little off," Charles replied. "You know I caught him taking a whole bunch of medicine; I sneaked a peak…antidepressants, high blood pressure meds, anti-anxiety meds."

"Yeah?" Danny said. "Well, that's a good thing isn't it? I mean if he's sick, he's doing something about it, right?'

"I wanna know what's got him so messed up", Lizzy said. "I mean, we all know he was kidnapped. Just what did those aliens do to my brother?"

"If that's even your brother," Ellen said. They all sighed and moaned over the alien possession theory.

"You know what, that's it!" Lizzy said. "That's Trip up there, our Trip, and all we've done is talk about him behind his back for the last few days. I'm going up there and bring him down." With that Lizzy bound up the stairs. They all waited silently, listening for any sign of trouble. They didn't know if they would hear Trip yelling at Lizzy, and her running down the stairs or something being thrown across the room at her. Then, suddenly they heard laughter. This went on for several minutes and finally the two came down the stairs arm in arm.

"Hey Danny," Trip said. "Didn't know you were here. "Hey Jenna, you either."

"Hey little brother," Jenna drawled in the famous Tucker drawl and went over to hug and kiss her brother. "You feeling better today?"

"Better than what?" Trip asked.

"Well better than the last few days. Mom and Dad said you've been havin' trouble sleepin'." Trip pursed his lips and put his hands on his hips looking at his parents.

"What've you been tellin' everybody?" he asked incredulously.

"That you been waking up screamin'," his Dad answered unapologetically. "And not acting like yourself, running 20 miles a day and takin' 20 pills a day to boot!"

"Charles!" Ellen interrupted. "Please don't fight with Trip, please. Dinner is almost ready, can we just all sit down and have a visit before we eat?" Trip glared at his father, but Charles did not waiver. He just stood there with his arms folded glaring right back. Danny tried to break the silence and ease the tension when Sam came bounding back into the room.

"Oh Trip, I almost forgot," he said. "Sam had her puppies and I wanted everybody to see 'em, in case you all wanted one. There's only three left, but you told us that Captain Archer has a dog on the ship, so I thought, what the heck…" but Trip had spaced out. He didn't hear a word Danny had said. He just stared at the box of tiny dogs Danny had thrust into his arms. After a few minutes of staring at the box he began to shake violently, he dropped the puppies and started screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Get 'em away, get 'em away from me! No! No! Noooooo! Oh god, don't bring those things near me! Get'em away! Get 'em away from me! Noooooo!"

Trip's father ended up calling mobile crisis as they were unable to calm Trip down for some time. Then he became frozen, unable to move off the floor where he had crawled up under the table trying to get away from the puppies. He would not let anyone in his family other than Lizzy touch him. She had crawled under the table with him and was cradling his head in her lap as he sobbed.

Mobile Crisis finally arrived. "Where is he?" one of the medics asked as the other one followed close behind with a med kit.

"In there," Charles pointed to the dining room. "He finally stopped screaming but I can't get him to come from under the table, and… he can't seem to stop cryin'." The paramedics nodded and followed Charles into the dining room. One of the paramedics bent down to where he was still holding onto Lizzy as if for dear life.

"Hello Trip," he said, using the name Charles had advised him to use. "I'm Tony and this guy behind me is Rodney." Trip did not respond. Tony then gestured for Lizzy to move away from Trip. She shook her head no.

"Ms. Tucker, you've got to move away from him so we can get closer to him. We may be able to get him to come from under there on his own." Lizzy shook her head no again, through tears.

"Lizzy," Charles spoke up, "let these men do their job. It's out of our hands now, so c'mon," he said reaching his hand out to her. She took her father's hand slowly and tried to move, but Trip grabbed her around her waist and held onto her tightly. This made Lizzy break down in a sob.

"Trip," the paramedic tried again. "Please come on out. It's safe out here, your family is here and they're very concerned about you." Trip looked up from where he had buried his face against Lizzy's shoulder and shook his head no.

"We're not gonna let anyone or anything hurt you," the paramedic promised. "So why don't you come on out?"

"NO!" he shouted.

"I'm sorry Sir," the medic said to Charles, "but we're going to have to take him by force."

"Do what you have to," Charles replied. Then, the medics crawled under and pulled Trip from under the table, as he screamed.

"Have mercy!" he yelled. "Mercy! It won't happen again, I swear it! Please don't punish me! …. I can't take anymore! Help! Help! Help!"

Trip's mother and sister cried as the paramedics strapped him down to the gurney. They transported him to the local hospital where he was admitted for stabilization. The family was told that he would be transported to Starfleet Medical in San Francisco the next day. Everyone had stayed at the hospital over-night except Charles. He had one very important phone call to make and it couldn't wait.

Jon was surprised to see Charles Tucker II on his view screen, especially at 1:40 am. "Mr. Tucker, this is a surprise. What can I do for you?"

"If I woke you too bad," Charles spat out. "Jon, we need to talk and I want the truth."

"What? What are you talking about?" Jon said wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"It's Trip, he's in the hospital." That woke Jon up.

"In the hospital! What happened?'

"That's what I wanna know! He shows up here five days ago, acting really weird. He's doing things I've never seen him do before. He's not talkin', not socializin', won't see the rest of his family. He's doing nothing but runnin' for miles and miles and lifting weights day in and day out; he's eating differently, taking a lot of damned pills, staring off into space or up at the ceiling for hours, waking up screamin' at night!" Jon shifted uncomfortably on his bed. It sounded like Trip was regressing instead of getting better like he was before he left Enterprise.

"Mr. Tucker, I'm so sorry to hear that. I'll catch a shuttle out first thing in the morning…"

"No need, no need. Hospital already contacted Starfleet. They're having him transported to their medical facility tomorrow. Jon, he freaked out, totally lost it… over some puppies; three little puppies. He was scared to death, no, terrified, of three puppies! I have never seen anything like it in my life! The paramedics had to drag him out of here strapped down like an animal."

"Oh no," Jon moaned putting his hand over his eyes.

"What has happened to my boy Jon? I want to know, I have a right to know, and to hell with Starfleet and their regulations! I wanna know how to help my son!"

Mr. Tucker, please sit down," Jon conceded. "I will tell you everything I know, and I'm sorry Sir, but it's not pretty. I don't have all the details, but I will tell you what I've seen and what his psychiatrists have reported to me."

Jon went on to tell how Trip was kidnapped by the Lisyrians, that part Charles already knew. What he didn't know was about the slavery, the beatings and the gruesome details of the torture and the executions of others that Trip witnessed. He told him about the whips and the chains, that the species were sadists. He told him that they were also cannibals and about the dog-like creatures Trip was forced to serve at the banquet. About how they named him the "Beautiful One" and forced him to parade around in a loin cloth.

When Jon was finished telling the tale, Charles Tucker was stunned, and doing everything he could to keep from breaking down. He thanked the Captain for his honesty, hung up, then made a mad dash for the bathroom and threw up. Then he sobbed uncontrollably for a few minutes. No wonder his boy was so different; no wonder he was so not himself… no wonder he was so crazy! Anybody would be.

Charles gathered himself and headed back to the hospital. He would not share this information with the rest of the family. He just wanted nothing more now than to get to Trip. He had to sit with him, to hold his hand, to protect him, to be with him and assure him that everything would be alright. But Charles was not sure that it would be alright, ever again.