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Real Life

WOMAN: Jeffrey... Belle...

We're going to be late if you don't hurry.

Come on, now.

Line up next to the door, children.

Your father's ready to leave for work.

Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

All right.

Show me your fingernails.

Very nicely done.

Are your shoes polished?

Perfect.

I'm very pleased, children and I'm sure your father will be, too.

I want to be first to say good-bye to Daddy.

Jeffrey always goes first.

You were first yesterday.

Now, children, little birds in their nest get along.

You're right, mother.

I'm sorry, Belle. You can go first.

No, it's really your turn.

I did go first yesterday.

( door closes )

Here he comes! All right, now.

Bright, happy faces.

The coffee was quite good this morning.

I'm so glad you like it.

I replicated a new blend from Paksor Three.

I'll be home at the usual time.

Now don't let them over work you.

You should save yourself for the important things.

Others can do the busy work.

I couldn't agree more.

I hope you have a good day, father.

I'll have my homework finished by the time you get back.

I'll look forward to reviewing it, Jeffrey.

And is my little angel going to get an "A" on her history exam today?

Of course I will, daddy. And can we do some algebra problems when you get home?

Gladly.

And don't forget-- your going to ask some of your friends from work to have dinner with us.

I'd like to meet them.

I haven't forgotten.

Well...

Good-bye, all.

Good-bye, Daddy.

How's the new holo-family, doctor?

They're everything I could've hoped for.

Captain's log, stardate 50836.2.

We've had long-range communications

with a seemingly friendly race known as the Vostigye.

We'll be rendezvousing within the hour

at one of their space stations.

Ensign Kim, perhaps you could direct your attention to the sensors and tell us if we're nearing the Vostigye space station.

We should be getting close.

That's funny.

I'm not detecting it.

You've checked the coordinates they sent us?

Yes, and... hold on.

Now I'm getting something.

It's... debris.

Debris?

TUVOK: Confirmed. I am reading a debris field encompassing nearly 80 cubic kilometers.

What's the composition of the debris?

Boronite, sarium, carbon 60 composites.

Sounds like it could've been a space station.

On screen.

What happened to it?

Something ripped it apart, and from the energy decay readings,

I'd say it was no more than an hour ago.

I'm not picking up any life signs, captain.

There don't appear to be any survivors.

There were 60 Vostigye scientists on that station.

I don't read any recognizable weapons signatures.

Maybe somebody in this part of space has weapons that don't leave a traditional signature.

I'd like to know who they are and why they'd annihilate a science station.

Maybe we can find out, captain. There's a strange pattern that seems to be emanating from subspace.

Looks like some kind of plasma particles.

I've got it, too.

It's like a... a wake leading away from the debris field.

From a ship?

I can't tell.

Set a course to follow it, Tom.

Yes, Ma'am.

Optical processors, imaging array-- they all check out, doctor. You are in perfect health.

I'm sure I could've told you that.

Yes, I'm sure you could have.

But, with all the tinkering you've been doing with your program lately

I'd feel better giving you these little tune-ups on a regular basis.

The tinkering you speak of has been for the sole purpose of improving my performance as a physician.

I can hardly be faulted for that.

I'm not faulting you for your intentions, doctor.

I think it's rather commendable that you want to improve yourself.

That's why I've created a family.

A family?

I've listened to enough patients talk about their families to realize how meaningful they are to biological beings.

For better or worse, yes.

The doctor has created a holographic wife and two children, so he can experience family life for himself.

Interesting.

And how's it going so far?

Splendidly. From what I heard

I thought it would be difficult but I'm enjoying the experience.

You are?

Funny. I never thought of you as a family man, Doc.

I'd like to meet them.

As a matter of fact, the "little woman" has been asking me to bring some of my colleagues home for dinner.

Perhaps you and Kes would care to join us tonight?

Charlene is a wonderful cook.

I'd like to meet them, too.

Well, Doc, tell your wife to haul out the good china.

You're having company.

Ah.

Please, have some more wild mushroom pilaf, B'elanna.

Uh, thanks. I've had two helpings already.

It's delicious.

I took a course in continental cuisine so I could replicate interesting meals for Kenneth.

Kenneth?

My husband.

What do you call him?

Oh, we call him Doctor.

Oh, of course.

Anyway, he works terribly hard and he's under such great stress.

I want this home to be his sanctuary the place he can come and have all the cares of the day disappear.

How nice for him.

My daddy is a very important man.

He's the best doctor there ever was and he saves people's lives all the time.

A slight exaggeration.

It is not! You said...

Belle, eat your dinner.

They're well aware of my talents.

Jeffrey, why don't you tell our guests about your new project at school.

I've designed a micro-filter input which will make it possible to cleanse blood of harmful microorganisms too small to stimulate an immune response.

Jeffrey is extremely bright.

He's in the accelerated physical sciences program at school.

A regular chip off the old block, right?

And don't forget about our little belle.

She's already studying algebra and trigonometry, and she's quite the budding athlete.

You must be very proud of your family, doctor.

Oh.

Well, we're proud of him, too.

In fact, we think we have just about the most wonderful husband and father in the quadrant, don't we?

Computer, freeze program.

KIDS: Yes, we do--

Lieutenant, what are you doing?

I am stopping this before my blood sugar levels overload.

Doctor... Yes?

If you think this is giving you an accurate impression of being in a family you are sadly mistaken.

I don't understand.

They're kind of perfect.

They are ridiculously perfect.

No one has a family like this.

This is a fantasy.

You're not going to learn anything from being with these... lollipops.

I provided the computer with my requirements for a mate and children.

If I were to choose a real wife my taste would be the same--

Intelligence, education, organizational skills...

There is nothing wrong with your premise, doctor.

It just needs a little tweaking to bring it closer to real life.

I can help... if you'd like.

Captain, the particle wake we've been following is beginning to thin out.

Is there any indication what caused it?

I am detecting no ships, no structures no weapons signatures.

Wait a minute. Something.

I see it, too.

A subspace disruption.

What's causing it?

Can't tell, but it's getting more intense.

Shields up. Red alert.

Tom, back us off.

Something's coming out of subspace.

JANEWAY: Tom, move us away!

I don't have engines!

Propulsion is off line.

So is navigational control.

Bridge to Engineering-- we need power.

B'ELANNA: I'm on it, Captain.

The anomaly is bearing down on us, heading 0-4-7, mark 1-9.

Brace for impact.

KIM: It hit our starboard shields!

There's damage on deck three.

Ready weapons. We're going to disperse it.

Phasers on line...

CHAKOTAY: Wait a minute.

I'm not afraid to say it.

I've never seen anything like that before.

Damage report.

TUVOK: 20% loss of the starboard dorsal shields and minor buckling of the hull on deck three.

No indication of casualties.

PARIS: We've got propulsion systems back online

I think I can put some distance between us and whatever that was.

Maybe we don't want to.

We've just witnessed a phenomenon none of us has ever heard of before much less experienced.

On a purely scientific level

I think we owe it to ourselves to investigate.

I'm looking at the telemetry we collected.

It was an astral eddy that seems to have formed at the confluence of space and subspace.

KIM: It was highly charged with plasma.

That explains the particle wake.

If we could harness some of that energy we could go off replicator rations for a while.

Captain, we don't have any idea what caused that phenomenon or what made it dissipate.

So how do we investigate it if it's gone?

I suspect there are conditions in this part of space that lend themselves to the formation of those eddies.

Set sensors for continuous scans of subspace.

Maybe we can anticipate the next one.

DOCTOR: I thought for a long time about what Lieutenant Torres said and I finally concluded she was right.

If I'm going to have the experience of a family it should be as authentic as possible.

What changes have you asked her to make in the program?

Oh, she's already made them.

She simply added some randomized behavioral algorithms to the program I constructed.

How will that affect your family?

Events will simply unfold as a natural evolution of probabilities within the program.

But there's no way to predict what those might be.

That could mean a few surprises.

Are you sure you're ready for this?

My database contains everything there is to know about pediatric care and childhood development.

I can't imagine a parenting problem I couldn't handle.

Your wife will have changed, too.

Well, I have had some experience with romantic relationships.

I don't anticipate any problems there.

Sounds like you have it all worked out.

When do you plan on meeting this new, improved family?

Right now. I'm due home for dinner.

Computer, initiate Doctor's family program beta-rho and transfer the E.M.H. to holodeck two.

Hello! I'm...

Home.

CHARLENE: There you are.

I thought you'd never get here.

It was a busy day.

I was quite challenged by the task of preparing a DNA probe to test ensign parson's glial cells.

It seems he has a microbial infection.

Rather unusual.

Tell me about it when I get home.

I'm late already.

Late?

It's Wednesday, remember?

I'm speaking at the Bolian embassy.

Ah, right.

Is dinner ready?

It's your night to cook.

BELLE: Mom, I can't find my ion mallet!

If you cleaned your room, you'd have better luck!

( pounding, shrieking music playing )

What is that noise?

I've had to listen to it all day.

Maybe you can do something about it.

Daddy! You've got to help me!

I'll be late for practice.

Coach Morgan will be furious if I'm late again.

If you put your mallet in your closet when you were done with it you'd know where it was.

I know that, Daddy!

Ugh! Tell Jeffrey to turn that off!

It makes my eyes hurt! Mine, too.

Jeffrey!

Jeffrey!

What?

What is that music? Klingon.

Well, turn it down! You can't do your homework with that noise.

BELLE: Daddy, I can't find my mallet!

I know that, Belle.

The coach will send me down to the second team!

Well, perhaps that will teach you a lesson.

You don't understand anything!

Belle, you have to realize... ( banging at door )

Where's Jeffrey?

Who are you?

Friends.

Do you have names?

Larg.

K'kath.

Well, Larg, K'kath, you'll have to come back later.

Jeffrey's doing his homework.

LARG: He invited us!

BELLE: Daddy! I need my ion mallet!

I...!

Just a minute.

I'm sorry, but Jeffrey can't see friends until he has finished his homework.

Dad... I asked them to come.

Daddy! Jeffrey, this is unacceptable.

It'll only take a minute.

We have some business we have to do.

Business?

Yighos pa'wijdaq.

Qay'be'.

Where's my mallet?

I need it now! Young man!

You're mean! You don't love me as much as mommy does she'd help me find my mallet!

I want mommy! I want mommy!

I want mommy! I want mommy!

( door slams )

( crying )

( pan contents sizzling )

Nothing striking your fancy, lieutenant?

Isn't this the fourth day in a row we've had the same casserole?

Pleeka rinds and grub meal-- very tasty, if I do say so myself.

Well, you did a great job with it, no question.

It'd just be nice to have a little variety.

Well, you're perfectly free to use the replicators.

Um, I'm out of rations.

Then... enjoy the casserole.

A beautiful woman should never have to eat alone.

What are you reading?

It's nothing important.

Ah.

Women Warriors at the River of Blood?

It's just... escapist reading.

Ah.

"Rorg turned his fierce eye upon her

"and M'nea felt her heart begin to quicken

"even as her hand went to her dagger.

"she had intended to plunge it into his throat but something about him made her hesitate."

B'elanna, is this a Klingon romance novel?

The Klingons do have what you might call a romantic side.

It's a bit more vigorous than most.

I think I'll read it.

Maybe it'll give me some ideas about how to make your heart quicken.

It's not a technical manual, Tom.

Well, that depends on what you mean by "technical."

To an engineer, that means...

"specializing in particular systems."

I think that definition works.

Well, I can't promise I won't put a dagger in your throat.

Have you heard about the Doctor's new family?

How's it going?

I think he was a little overwhelmed at first but I have to give him credit.

He's sticking with it.

It's hard to imagine the doctor with children.

( both chuckling )

JANEWAY: Senior staff to the bridge immediately.

Tom, I want to send a probe into that anomaly.

Can you hold position close enough for us to get accurate telemetry?

I can try.

CHAKOTAY: Be ready to move away quickly if it starts moving toward us.

Sorry about that.

Just trying to find a way to ride the gravitron waves it's throwing off.

There.

That's a little better.

We're in as good a position as we're going to be.

Tuvok?

The probe has been launched.

Actually, this is kind of fun.

Speak for yourself.

KIM: We're starting to receive telemetry.

Captain, this is one weird disturbance.

I'm reading a temperature gradient of nine million kelvins, massive discharges of plasmatic energy, and there's a perfectly calm eye at the center.

TUVOK: Apparently, some of the matter inside it is being exchanged between space and subspace.

What about the plasma? Is there any way we can transfer some of it to Voyager?

I don't see how. We can't transport with this kind of turbulence.

Maybe we could try a... we lost it.

Where's the probe?

It's disappeared. It's still transmitting but there's a lot of interference.

I'm detecting some kind of unstable interfold layer not in space or subspace.

It could be where the eddies originate and where the probe is now.

We've got another particle wake.

Since we can't get plasma directly from the eddies, maybe we could collect some from their wakes.

The bussard collectors could be modified to gather plasma particles.

We could do that, but Voyager's energy emissions are so high they'd corrupt the particles.

I'm not sure the plasma would be much use to us.

PARIS: What if I took a shuttle out?

The energy emissions would be a lot lower.

That sounds like it's worth a try.

Well, you'd be exposing yourself to radiation poisoning.

Check with the doctor. Maybe he can give you some protection.

Yes, ma'am. I'll head to the shuttlebay as soon as I'm done.

I've given you a combination of hyronalin and lectrazine.

That should give you temporary protection.

But I can't guarantee its duration.

That's all right, doc.

I don't think I'll be out there too long.

If I know you, you'll push it to the limit.

You enjoy flirting with danger.

You know me too well.

You were undoubtedly one of those children who had to climb the highest tree... scale the tallest cliff. That was me.

I can only imagine what you must have put your parents through.

How's the family, Doc?

I hear they're a real handful.

Indeed. However, I have analyzed the situation and come up with a solution.

There should be no more problems.

You make it sound like you're treating a sick patient.

I'm not sure you can diagnose and cure a family.

We'll see.

You're in fine physical shape, lieutenant.

You may go ahead and engage in this reckless activity.

Thanks, Doc.

Where's Jeffrey?! He's coming.

I asked everyone to be here at 1600 hours, precisely.

Jeffrey was asleep.

Asleep? In the middle of the afternoon?

( sighing )

Is this true? Were you asleep?

Are you sick?

I had a late night.

That's one of the matters I want to discuss.

Thank you all for coming.

I thought it would be good to have a family meeting.

In fact, I'd like to do this on a regular basis.

That's something to look forward to.

If you have something to say, Jeffrey say it so everyone can hear.

Nothing.

I've been feeling that this family is beginning to spin out of control.

As husband and father

I believe it is my duty to set some parameters.

It's part of good parenting.

What are parameters?

Limits. Boundaries.

To that end, I have drawn up a revised family schedule and a list of rules and regulations.

I'd like you all to study them carefully.

You've rearranged my lecture nights!

I had to do that in order to make everything work.

Everybody has had to make some sacrifices.

Daddy! You changed parisses' squares from Monday-Wednesday-Friday to Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday!

Mm-hmm--that puts me on the second team!

I'm good enough to be on the first team!

You shouldn't be on the first team.

You're not old enough.

As I said Belle, we must all make sacrifices.

What sacrifices did you make?

I will make dinner on the nights your mother lectures.

You do that anyway.

That's not a sacrifice.

What's this mean about no Klingon friends?!

Exactly that.

They're a bad influence on you.

They're prone to violence, they keep you out till all hours.

Why don't you find some nice Vulcan friends?

You can't just decide who my friends will be!

CHARLENE: Hold on.

Kenneth, that may be a bit unreasonable.

Charlene?

( whispering ): You know very well how important it is to keep a united front.

I expect you to support me in these decisions.

Well, if that's what you expect then maybe you should have asked my opinion before you started unilaterally deciding things.

I'm not one of the children, after all.

I believe I should have some say in just what rules and regulations are established!

And I think it's unfair for you to tell Jeffrey what friends he can and cannot have.

Right! This whole meeting is a Vulky idea!

And you can have it without me.

Jeffrey, you were not excused!

You've upset him. Let him go.

I don't want to argue this in front of the children.

We'll discuss it later.

You really made a mess of things didn't you, daddy?

Apparently so.

Although, I must admit, I fail to understand the reaction.

I... I'm just trying to help the family function better.

How does it make the family function better if I go to parisses' squares Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday?

Belle, you've been playing with children two and three years older than you.

That's much too dangerous.

But that's what's fun about it.

( sighing )

You're not old enough to realize how hazardous that game can be.

It's up to me to keep you safe.

I...

I'm just trying to be a good father.

If it'll help, Daddy, I'll be on the second team.

Thank you, Belle.

That's very grown-up of you.

And I think you're a very good father.

Why... thank you.

I love you, daddy... even if you did make a mess of things.

JANEWAY: Voyager to shuttlecraft Cochran.

Do you read?

Loud and clear captain.

I'm about 3,000 kilometers from the eddy.

As soon as it dissipates

I'll head for the particle wave.

If this one follows the pattern of the others it should begin to collapse within a few seconds.

That's good.

I'm beginning to wish I hadn't had that second helping of French toast this morning.

KIM: Captain, the eddy is starting to dissipate.

Stand by, Tom.

I'm ready.

I'm in position, captain.

Activating the bussard collectors.

It's working.

This may save us from Neelix's

pleeka rind casserole after all.

We'll all thank you for that.

KIM: Captain, subspace disruption.

Is another eddy forming?

It looks that way.

Tom, get out of there now.

I'm going.

Harry, can you beam him out?

KIM: Transporters are off line.

I'm working on them.

Tom, are you there?

It's pulling me in!

I don't have enough power!

Where are the transporters?

I can't access them!

The shuttle's being drawn inside the eddy.

Janeway to Paris, Do you read me?

Captain, the astral eddy is beginning to dissipate.

Harry, when the probe disappeared, it kept transmitting. What about Tom's shuttle?

We're getting a lot of interference.

I can't tell if it's a transmission or not.

See if you can clean it up.

I've adjusted the encoding filter. Try it now.

Voyager to Tom Paris. Can you hear us? Respond.

Calibrate to a theta band frequency.

Maybe that'll help.

PARIS: I can't hear you, Captain.

There's a lot of plasma interference.

I can't clean it up.

Say again, Tom. You're breaking up.

Adjust your transceiver lock and try again.

I can hear you. That better?

Yes, a little. Where are you?

Captain, I wish I could tell you.

( sighing )

Doctor? Hmm?

Can I help you with something?

Oh, no, no.

Uh. Perhaps.

I've been trying to do an immunogenicity analysis on Ensign Parson's cell culture and I can't seem to get the measurements right.

I'd be happy to give it a try.

Thank you. I'd be grateful.

Actually, I've been having a few problems at home.

I can't seem to stop thinking about them.

Well, there's nothing important going on here.

Why don't you take the afternoon off and spend some time with your family?

I'm not sure they'd appreciate it.

Doctor, you can't just ignore them.

Computer, initiate Doctor's family program beta-rho and transfer the E.M.H. to holodeck two.

LARG: Be certain everything is done in exactly...

Dad, what are you doing here?

I live here, Jeffrey, in case you've forgotten.

I mean... you're home early.

Am I interrupting something?

Uh... no, no.

Just talking with my friends.

I'd like to get to know your friends.

Larg, K'kath, please sit down.

What is that?

What?

You're holding something.

This? Yes. What is it?

It's a knife. What does it look like?

Why do you boys have a knife?

A D'k Tahg knife is an important part of our culture.

Every Klingon is given one in preparation for his rite of ascension.

Hmm.

I happen to know something about Klingon rituals and I believe this is actually a dagger of Kut'luch.

Isn't it?

Well?

Yes.

This dagger is used in a ritual of violence.

A first bloodletting in preparation for becoming a warrior.

Who's supposed to use this?

Well?

Is one of you preparing for the Kut'luch ceremony?

I'm waiting for an answer!

Dad, you're making something out of nothing.

I don't think so.

I'm going to have to ask you boys to leave.

JEFFREY: Dad...

And don't bring a weapon into this house again.

I told you, humans are weak... cowardly.

Call me later.

( door slams )

Now look what you've done! You've ruined it!

What, exactly, have I ruined?

Nothing! Never mind!

You were going to use that knife, weren't you?!

Did they talk you into some kind of ritual violence?

They didn't talk me into anything.

I asked them.

It's an honor to get to perform the Kut'luch.

They don't just let anybody do it.

They trusted me and now you've made me look like... like a human.

You were going to attack someone, draw blood, just so you could appear daring in the eyes of your friends?!

I was doing it to become honorable-- something that you wouldn't understand.

Jeffrey, how can I make you understand that what you were going to do is wrong?

It isn't wrong!

It's just the custom of another culture.

Who are you to say there's something wrong about it?

I am your father, and I expect you to be guided by my ethical standards.

Well, I'm not going to be.

Your standards are human standards.

They're weak and inferior.

Klingon ideals are much nobler and they are the ones I'm going to follow.

If you expect to live in this household you will abide by the rules.

If that's the way you want it then I won't live here.

Jeffrey... think about this.

Oh, I've thought about it.

I'm going to become a warrior, and I can't do that if I'm being led around on a leash by some bloodless patahk.

( door shuts )

( chime ringing )

Kenneth?

What is it? What's happened?

It's Belle. There's been an accident.

How is she?

Dr. Finley and I operated on her for three hours.

We've tried everything.

We shut down one hemorrhage and another starts.

I don't understand.

She just hit her head on the corner of the court.

How could that have injured her so badly?

She suffered severe cranial trauma.

It's compromised her brain stem and motor cortex.

No matter how we try to control the vascular injuries blood clots keep forming.

The hemorrhaging is... intractable.

Then what do you do? What's the treatment?

Unfortunately... the brain is still a... a somewhat mysterious organ.

What does that mean?

What's going to happen to her?

There's nothing more to be done.

Nothing medical, anyway.

Oh, but there has to be.

Kenneth, you can do something.

You have to. You can't just let her...

No.

No, I won't accept it.

I'm going to talk to Dr. Finley.

Belle...

BELLE: Daddy?

Yes?

I'm here.

Everything's all blurry.

What's the matter?

You took a tumble... hit your head.

It doesn't hurt.

No, because we gave you some medicine.

Is that why I can't feel my legs?

Yes.

What's going to happen?

When will I be able to see again?

Computer, end program.

KES: Oh, you're back. Yes.

Did you find the culture I did on Ensign Parson's glial cells?

I did, thank you. Good job.

How's the family?

I suppose they're fine.

I've actually finished the program.

Finished? Already?

Well, I'd gotten what I needed from the experience.

It was thoroughly pleasurable, of course, but to continue would be a waste of time.

I was hoping to visit them again.

I really enjoyed our dinner together.

Well, if I ever create a new family,

I'll be sure to invite you.

B'ELANNA: The communications bandwidth is as wide as I can get it.

Janeway to Paris. How's the transmission now?

Loud and clear, Captain.

I've been analyzing the shuttle's sensor readings, and as nearly as I can figure,

I'm in the interfold layer that we talked about--

somewhere between space and subspace.

That's why we can't find you on any of our scans.

Harry was right.

This looks like the spawning ground for the astral eddies.

There are thousands of baby ones in here.

That's very interesting, Tom, but it doesn't address the problem of how to get you out of there.

Well, I've been giving that some careful thought, Captain, and it seems to me the only way to get out is the same way that I got in.

Inside one of the eddies?

Exactly. I've been watching one.

It seems about ready to erupt into normal space.

If I can position the shuttle on its leading edge

I should be able to ride it back.

If I had another idea, I'd suggest it, but I don't.

It's your call, Tom.

I don't see that there's much choice.

So far so good, captain.

I'm almost inside the eye.

I think this one is just about big enough to enter normal space.

Here it comes.

Captain? Yes, Tom.

I think you should get Voyager away from here .

What's wrong?

This one's turning out to be a whopper.

The biggest one we've seen by far.

I don't think you should put the ship in danger.

I'm not leaving, tom. We've got to stay in close if we're going to beam you out.

The eddy is moving toward us at a velocity of 300 kilometers per second.

JANEWAY: Chakotay, take the conn.

Keep us ahead of it, but stay within transporter range.

Right.

I'm going to try to get out of this.

( groans )

( panting )

Harry, can you get a lock on him?

Not yet! Everything's too unstable.

Tom, how much longer before you clear the eddy?

It had better be soon. The hull is beginning to buckle.

I've got the shuttle on sensors.

The hull is breaching!

Harry, can you get a lock on him yet?

I'm trying! Hang on!

Got it!

The shuttle's aboard, Captain.

One life sign.

He's injured.

Beam him to sick bay. Chakotay, move us away.

Yes, Ma'am.

DOCTOR: Your hard head has protected you again, lieutenant.

There was only a mild concussion.

It was worth it, though.

That was one wild ride.

I'm sure it was.

And it's a wonder you're not dead.

People like you who court danger should be thrown into the brig.

Doc... You never think of the consequences of your actions, the effect they might have on others.

Oh, no, live for the moment take risks you shouldn't...

I'm sorry.

Are you all right?

I... it's my family.

My daughter Belle had an accident.

She's a child who tends to take risks.

She's going to die.

I'm so sorry.

I'll be all right. I shut down the program.

I'm not going back.

Maybe you should think about that, Doc.

I couldn't begin... to face it.

It was too difficult.

I guess all of us would avoid that kind of pain if we could... but most people don't have that choice.

Well, fortunately, I do.

Is it so fortunate?

You created that program so you could experience what it's like to have a family the good times and the bad.

You can't have one without the other.

I fail to see why not.

Well, think about what's happened to us here on Voyager.

Everyone left people behind, and everyone suffered a loss but look how it's brought us all closer together.

We've found support here, and friendship, and we've become a family in part because of the pain we shared.

If you turn your back on this program you'll always be stuck at this point.

You'll never have the chance to say good-bye to your daughter or to be there for your wife and son when they need you and you'll be cheating yourself of the chance to have their love and support.

In the long run, you'll miss the whole point of what it means to have a family.

Computer, continue Doctor's family program beta-rho from the last point of deactivation.

Daddy... what's going to happen to me?

When will I be able to see again?

I'm not sure.

You're a very sick girl.

Am I going to die?

You're... you're too sick to get better.

So, I'm going to die.

Yes.

If you stay with me...

I won't be afraid.

I'll stay right here.

I promise.

Dad...

Here you go, shorty.

It's your blanket.

We're here, Belle. We're all here.

( sniffles )

It's getting darker.

I'm...

...sleepy.

It's all right.

Go to sleep.

We're all right here.

( sobs )