Copyright 2000, Susan S. McCrackin  Reprinted with permission of the author.

"The bridge to the Doctor."

He sat up in his bed, immediately, "Doctor here."

"Doctor," it was Chakotay’s voice, "we are responding to a distress call of a damaged ship. They are reporting wounded. You will be needed in sickbay."

"I am on my way. Do you have any details?"

"It’s a small vessel with a crew of three. All three are injured, but only one seriously. We will be beaming them directly to sickbay."

"I will be there."

He stood, "Computer, EMH uniform." His pajamas dissolved into his uniform ,and he grabbed his mobile emitter and started out the door, pausing to look wistfully back at his bed as he did so. Then, he turned and walked out of his bedroom, slapping his combadge as he did so. "The Doctor to Lieutenant Paris."

B’Elanna’s sleepy voice came back to him, "Which one, Doctor?"

He could not suppress his grin, "Actually, since I seem to have woken both of you, I need help from each of you."

"What’s up?" The voice was more alert. 

"There is a medical emergency I need Tom for, and I can use your help with Kathryn B’Elanna. Can you stay with her?"

"Where is Seven?"

"Regenerating in her alcove."

"Oh, right. I forgot that was tonight. I’m on my way." There was a pause and then, B’Elanna’s amused voice continued, "And so is Papa Paris."

He grinned and left quickly for the sickbay.

He was already preparing his equipment when Tom walked in, a huge smile on his face. The Doctor met him half way, hand extended, "Congratulations, Tom. I am so pleased for you and B’Elanna."

"Thanks, Doc," Tom shook his hand vigorously, then grabbed the Doctor in a bear hug, not quite able to say anything else.

The Doctor laughed, "Well, let me tell you, if you think you are happy now, wait until you hold your child for the first time." He reached up to grasp Tom’s shoulder, "You will truly know what happiness is when that happens."

Tom shook his head, still struggling to speak. Finally, he looked at the Doctor and said, "Doc, I just hope I am half the father to my child that you are to Kathryn B’Elanna."

Now, the Doctor could not find any words. The two men stood facing each other, enjoying the brief moment. Then, figures started to materialize behind them. They stood, waiting for the figures to solidify, then moved quickly to help. Two figures were standing, holding a slumping figure between them. The Doctor and Tom reached to grab the middle figure, lifting him to the biobed. The Doctor activated the biobed while Tom moved to do a quick scan on the other two members of the crew, making certain they were not seriously injured. Then, he had them lie down on biobeds, while he turned to help the Doctor.

The Doctor gave him a grim look, "He has internal injuries and he has lost a lot of blood. You will need to replicate some," he handed Tom a sample of their patient’s blood, "and prepare for surgery." He glanced over at the other beds, "How are they?"

"Minor injuries, Doctor." He took the blood sample from the Doctor and turned to the replicator, "They can wait."

They worked together over the man on the biobed, moving as a well-practiced team. The Doctor barely looked up during the entire surgery as Tom assisted him. Finally, the Doctor stood back and gave Tom a grin, "I think that’s it." He looked down at their patient, "He should be fine. After about a week." He deactivated the biobed, for the first time, noticing the PADD held tightly in the man’s hand. "What is this?" He reached for the PADD and tried to take it, surprised to discover the man held it tightly in his grip despite being under anesthesia.

"He will not let her go."

The Doctor looked up at the man who spoke in surprise, "Excuse me?"

"The PADD," the man nodded his head in the direction of his crewmember lying on the main biobed, "it contains the control program of our ship. Otoro was injured downloading her."

The Doctor moved closer to the man who was speaking, "Her?"

"Yes," the man gave him a smile, "I know you will probably find this difficult to believe, but our control program is actually a….." He stopped and looked over to the other man on the biobed next to him, "What did he call it?"

The other man grunted, a laughing quality to his voice, "He called it a hologram."

"Right. A hologram."

The Doctor and Tom exchanged glances and the Doctor asked, "A hologram?"

"Yes. It is like she is there, but she isn’t real. She talks to you, and you can talk to her, and you can see her." The man shook his head, "It’s strange."

The Doctor looked at him, an amused look on his face, "Yes. I imagine it is." He reached down and grasped the PADD tightly, this time managing to pull it from the man’s grasp. He placed the PADD on the console and initiated a diagnostic. Then, he turned his attention to his remaining patients.

After healing a few cuts, he said, "I think you two are in much better shape than your crewmember over there."

"Yes." It was the first man who had spoken who responded, "We ran out of the engineering bay when the impulse engine control panel started to overload. He tried to save Meloka."

"The hologram?" The Doctor asked, still amused.

"Yes. He said he wouldn’t leave without her."

"He acts like she’s a real person," the other man was shaking his head. He looked at the Doctor, "Can you imagine anyone thinking a hologram was real?"

Tom turned his back, his eyes raised, trying hard not to look at the Doctor. This was going to be beautiful. He could feel it. 

"I agree." The Doctor’s voice was sympathetic. He moved back to check the diagnostics he was running on the PADD. He studied the diagnostics for a moment, "Well, I think our systems should be able to handle…" he looked up at the first man who had spoken, "what did you say her name was?"

"Meloka."

"Right. Meloka." He nodded solemnly, "As I was saying, I think our systems should be able to accommodate Meloka’s programming." He asked the two men on the biobeds, "Do you think he would mind if we loaded her program into our system here in the sickbay?"

"No," the first man answered again, his voice puzzled, "but what good is that going to do? Otoro said there had to be special things for Meloka to be…" he groped for the right words, finishing lamely, "displayed."

"Displayed. I see." The Doctor concentrated on his scans. He was quiet a few moments, then he said, "I think the special things you are talking about are called holo-emitters."

"Right! That’s what he called them. Holo-emitters." The man was grinning at him.

The second man spoke up, "You can load her program in your systems, but without those holo-things, you won’t be able to see it, I mean, her."

"Well, you gentlemen don’t need to worry. This sickbay is equipped with state of the art holo-emitters. Once downloaded, Meloka should be able to be…displayed without any problems."

The two men looked at each other, wide eyes. Then, the first said, "You’ve got holo-emitters in here?"

"Yes," the Doctor replied matter of factly, "we have holo-emitters in a lot of areas on this ship. The bridge, engineering, even in private quarters." He walked over to them, smiling, and turned slightly presenting his left arm, "This device is a mobile holo-emitter. It allows me, or any hologram wearing it, to be…displayed anywhere." Then, he gave them a confident nod of his head and started to return to the console. The two men exchanged surprised glances. Suddenly, the Doctor stopped and turned back to his patients, "Oh, I hope I didn’t startle you by telling you I was a hologram. But," he stood straight, his hand to his side and gave them the slightest of bows, "you two were already aware that I was a hologram. As you yourself said, who could imagine anyone thinking a hologram was real." He gave them a huge grin and returned to the console, focusing his complete attention on the diagnostics.

Tom kept his eyes down, pretending to work, trying hard not to laugh at the blushing faces of the two men on the biobeds.

The two men looked at each other. Then, the first man lay down and shrank down into the biobed. The second gave the first a grimace and mouthed, "A hologram." He, too, lay down on the biobed.

The console beeped and the Doctor keyed in a series of commands. Suddenly a figure began to materialize in front of them. Once she solidified, she looked around the room, moving toward Otoro as soon as she spotted him.

"His status."

All business, thought the Doctor.

He walked to stand on the opposite side of the biobed from her, "He is recovering. He was seriously injured, but he is out of danger."

She looked up at him, and he was surprised to see she was humanoid in appearance. Well, mostly humanoid. He looked down at Otoro, noticing the scaly gray skin and the protruding nasal passages. She looked nothing like him.

She was small and delicate with a round face and soft brown eyes. Her coloring was pale, like snow. Her hair was dark brown and short. He was surprised to realize he considered her beautiful. Shaking himself, he realized she was speaking to him.

"Excuse me?"

"I asked, what happened to him?"

"He was hurt in the explosion. It is my understanding your ship was destroyed. We managed to beam you out before that happened."

Her face expressed grief, and her eyes narrowed in pain, "He was trying to save me. He risked his life for me." She picked up his hand and held it tightly.

"Well," the Doctor cleared his throat, "it would appear as if his efforts were worthwhile."

She looked at him, her eyes asking her question.

"You are both…here."

She held his eyes for what seemed like forever, then lowered them back to Otoro. The Doctor stepped back, took a deep breath, "I think I should leave the two of you alone. I will be in my office if you need me." With that, he walked quickly away from them.

Tom watched him go, not exactly certain what had happened. Then, he frowned. While he did not understand what had happened, he was certain of one thing. He didn’t like it.

Seven of Nine stepped out of her alcove. She had had trouble regenerating again. Bits and pieces of memories had drifted through her cycle. A small breath of air escaped her. She regenerated better in the bed.

She put her hand to her forehead and stepped off the edge of her alcove, sitting down on it. Something. There was something there in her memories. Something she that would not come to her. Was it her memory of her child? Of her life with the Doctor? In the time since she had returned, she still had no memories of them.

It was hard for her to deal with them. The child wanted to be held. Doing so caused her pain. But, it wasn’t physical pain. It was something else. It was a pain she could not understand, but it hurt her just as much.

And him. She lifted her head, putting her hands down on the alcove platform on either side of her. He loved her. She knew that. But she still could not stand the thought of him touching her. He was not real. He was only technology. She could change him at will. She could reprogram him. It would be so easy. She could change the way he looked, the way he sounded. She could even change his gender or his race. All she had to do was change his program.

But they had been together for over two years. If that had been an issue, why had she not done it already? Lieutenant Torres changed the Doctor’s program all of the time. But she, herself, would not touch it. Had it always been like that? 

She was Borg. To the Borg, technology was to be mastered, not loved. It was to be used, not honored. It was to enhance, not stand equal. It was just…there. Things. Pieces. She looked down at her left hand. Like some of her.

She shook herself and rose. It was time to feed the child.

She walked into the living quarters and was surprised to find Lieutenant Torres-Paris helping Kathryn B’Elanna with breakfast. They were singing a nursery rhyme between bites. For the first time, she noticed the child had a sweet voice. It reminded her of when the Doctor had sung for her in the sickbay. She quickly suppressed the memory.

The Lieutenant looked up, "Seven! Good morning." Her voice was cheerful. "Did you regenerate well?"

She hesitated. She was not certain what to say. She did not know how to do anything other than tell the truth, but she was reluctant to do so. Still, she had been asked a direct question. She had to respond. Lifting her head, with a slight twitch to her mouth, she did so reluctantly, "No."

The Lieutenant gave her a concerned look, "Are you okay? Can I do anything to help?"

"No. I am fine. I will run a diagnostic on my alcove today."

"I’ll be glad to help."

"The technology is Borg."

The Lieutenant bit the inside of her cheek and Seven could see her force a smile, "You know, Seven, I have learned a lot about Borg technology over the years. I have helped you with your alcove before. I might be able to do it again."

Seven looked away, breathing quickly, "Yes. Of course. I…forgot." She struggled for words, "I did not mean to offend."

The Lieutenant smiled at her, and this time it was not forced. "No offense taken, Seven. I’ll go by later and see about your alcove." She turned her attention back to KB.

Seven crossed to the replicator, ordered breakfast and joined the Lieutenant and the child, "I take it the Doctor had a medical emergency."

"Yes, actually he did. We responded to a distress signal and picked up the crew of a small vessel. Actually, we got there just before the ship exploded. They are lucky to be alive."

"Were the injuries serious?"

B’Elanna tried to cover her surprise. It was the first time Seven had expressed concern about anything, much less anyone. Encouraged, she answered, "Only one was seriously injured. The other two just had cuts and bruises. Tom and the Doctor had to perform pretty extensive surgery on the injured man." She looked at Seven proudly, "They saved his life."

Seven saw the pride in the Lieutenant’s eyes and quickly turned her attention to her breakfast. After a moment, she said, "The Doctor told me you were pregnant."

The Lieutenant’s face broke into a huge smile, "Yes. I am."

Seven spoke hesitantly, "That pleases you."

B’Elanna’s forehead furrowed in a frown, but she worked to keep the smile on her face, "Yes, Seven, it pleases me very much. Tom and I are very happy to be having this baby."

Seven looked at her, searching her face for any sign of doubt, but there was none. Her reaction surprised B’Elanna. She leaned forward, "Seven, would you like to talk about it?"

Seven took a deep breath, "It is difficult to understand. Borg do not…procreate. We assimilate."

"But you had Kathryn B’Elanna."

"But it was not natural."

B’Elanna’s face went blank at her words. She sat, trying to understand what Seven had just said to her. Finally she opened her mouth to speak, then noticed the strange look that came over Seven’s face.

During their conversation, KB had been sitting quietly, intently watching her mother. Now, Seven was looking at her child, horror coming over her face. B’Elanna turned to look at KB and immediately knew the child was reaching out to touch her mother’s mind.

Oh no, thought B’Elanna. She quickly reached for KB, trying desperately to stop her. But it was too late.

"NO!" screamed Seven, throwing herself away from the table, falling out of the chair, sending the table flying.

KB’s body jumped in stark fright and she started screaming. Seven was scrambling back to get away from them and KB was screaming in terror. B’Elanna grabbed the child and slapped her combadge, "Torres to Ketaria. Come quickly." She carried KB toward her bedroom, knowing she needed to separate the child from her mother, for both their sakes.

Seven had backed into a corner and sat, huddled into a ball, her head in her hands, grimacing in pain. But for once, her head was not hurting. There were worse pains than physical ones.

Ketaria could feel it before the turbolift doors even opened. She gathered her robes around her and ran for the living quarters. Seven was still huddled in the corner when she ran into the room and Kathryn B’Elanna was screaming in the bedroom. She hesitated, torn for only a moment, then ran into the small bedroom toward the terrified child. Seven would have to wait.

B’Elanna was on the bed, holding Kathryn B’Elanna tightly to her, rocking her back and forth, working to quiet her. As soon as Ketaria entered, she rose to hand the child to her. Ketaria sat immediately, concentrating to send the child a feeling of peace and comfort.

B’Elanna watched as KB slowly started to quiet down and as Ketaria settled back into the bed, pulling the child into their familiar position. She knew they would be going to their special place and that they would be there a while. She whispered to Ketaria, "I’m going to check on Seven."

Ketaria nodded and closed her eyes.

B’Elanna backed out of the door and closed it. She turned to look at Seven. 

"Damn." 

Seven of Nine was gone.

The Doctor was finishing his exam on Otoro. He could not help but allow himself a smile. The man was recovering nicely. He was lucky to be alive. The Doctor glanced up at Meloka. She had not left Otoro’s side.

"He is doing just fine, Meloka." His voice was soothing, "I think you can relax."

She raised her head to look at him, "I do not relax. It is not in my program."

The Doctor chuckled, "I have a friend who could write relaxation subroutines for you. She did it for me."

She looked at him in confusion, "I do not understand."

He responded, "I, too, am a hologram."

She face expressed her genuine surprise. "I had no idea."

"I am the Emergency Medical Hologram on Voyager. I serve as the Chief Medical Officer. I have done so since Voyager entered the Delta Quadrant over seven years ago."

"Impressive." Her bearing was stiff. "Are you accepted by your crew?"

"Absolutely."

"How much interaction do you have with them?"

"I interact with the crew all the time." He turned to show her his left arm, "This mobile emitter allows me to travel around the ship freely. I act no differently than any other member of this crew."

"But," she challenged him, "I would suspect they still think of you as a hologram."

"I do not believe I am treated any differently than any other member of this crew." He paused, "I would imagine there are a few crewmembers who just consider me a hologram, but most members of this crew treat me as an equal."

"Really?" Her tone was derisive.

He was starting to get angry. "I have been allowed to expand well beyond my original programming." He walked around the biobed, moving closer to her, "As a matter of fact, I am married and have a child."

"It is not difficult to program a family."

"It is a real family. My wife and my child are not holograms."

She looked at him in surprise, obviously trying to determine if he was telling her the truth. "That is not possible."

He felt a measure of satisfaction at her response, "Possible or not, it is true. Kathryn B’Elanna is flesh and blood. And, she is my child." He turned from her, "I would like for you to meet her."

"I would like to meet her." Her voice was questioning. Then, she added, "And your wife?"

At that, he turned and gave her a strange look, suddenly unable to respond.

She twisted her head slightly, a curious expression crossing her face, "What?"

He looked away from her, taking a deep breath. But he did not answer her.

She moved closer, "What is it, Doctor?" She reached to put her hand on his arm.

He looked down at her hand, taking a moment before he tried to respond, "My wife is not…herself right now."

Meloka was quiet a moment. Then, she said, ‘Would you like to discuss it with me?"

He paused, then looked up into her eyes, "Thank you for your concern, but no, I would prefer not to discuss Seven right now."

She dropped her arm, "As you wish." She looked over to Otoro, "I will be here if you change your mind."

She walked away from him, and the Doctor felt a sudden emptiness. He turned and forced himself to walk toward his office.

She was standing in the middle of the living quarters, and they were staring at each other. This was the only place she could think of to go that offered her any comfort. But it was not right.

"I should not have come."

"This is exactly where you should have come."

She cut her eyes away from him. "Harry, I…."

"Seven, there is nothing for you to be afraid of here." He offered her a small smile, "Including me. There, um, there will not be a repeat of what happened in the cargo bay."

"That was not your fault, Harry."

"Well, I wasn’t the only guilty party, Seven, but I should have known better." He walked slowly toward her and reached down to take her hand, "I knew you were married, even if you didn’t. I also knew you were not ready to know about your marriage and your child. What I did hurt you even more, Seven." He pulled her hand to his chest, "I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I never wanted to hurt you." He reached up with his other hand and placed it on her cheek. "You can trust me, Seven. I will never hurt you again."

She looked deeply into his eyes, then closed hers tightly and squeezed his hand, "Harry, I just hurt the child." Her voice was strained, almost trembling.

He forced himself not to react. He softened his voice, "Tell me what happened, Seven."

"I…do not know." She dropped her head and he slowly moved his hand from her cheek and reached it around her, gently pulling her into an embrace. He stood there, holding her, giving her time, giving her comfort. Giving her himself. Finally, she started to speak. "I felt something in my mind. It was her. It felt like…being connected to the collective. I could almost hear her thoughts, and I knew she could hear mine. I could not bear it. I screamed at her, and I could feel the pain I caused her. Our thoughts were one, and I know I hurt her. And then, I could not give her comfort. I did not know how."

He felt the tension in her body slowly dissolve and felt her come fully into his embrace. He wrapped both arms around her, trying to comfort her. What she needed at this moment was not words.

B’Elanna walked into the sickbay, "Doctor, I need to talk to you."

He saw the look on her face. "What is it B’Elanna?"

"There was a…problem this morning. Kathryn B’Elanna needs you."

"Is she hurt?"

"No, she is all right now. But Ketaria thinks it would be best if you were there."

He looked around at his recovering patient, torn between his responsibilities as a father and as a doctor. It only took a second, "Can you stay here until I can get Tom to take over for me?"

"You go to Kathryn B’Elanna. I’ll get Tom back here."

He turned and left without another word. B’Elanna watched him go, then turned to see a humanoid woman looking at her.

"Hello. I am Lieutenant Torres-Paris."

"I am Meloka."

"Welcome to Voyager, Meloka." She glanced around, seeing the three figures on biobeds, "I thought we only picked up three crewmembers from the ship."

"You did."

B’Elanna glanced around again, confused, "Okay, but I count four of you."

"I am not a crewmember."

B’Elanna squinted her eyes, confused, "If this is a game of words, I don’t understand the rules."

Meloka walked toward her, "I am not a crewmember. I am the ship’s program."

"Oh. You are a hologram." She offered a smile, "Now I understand. Well, I guess you are doubly lucky."

"Because this ship is equipped with holo-emitters."

"Yes. Voyager has a sophisticated holo-emitter system. Because of the Doctor, the system has been expanded beyond the sickbay. As a matter of fact, there are a number of places we could transfer your program if you were interested in having a tour of the ship."

Meloka studied her carefully, "You are very comfortable with holograms."

B’Elanna laughed, "Well, I have been living on this ship for over seven years with one."

"You are Seven."

"What? No."

"You said you lived with him."

"No." B’Elanna laughed again, "I have lived on this ship with him. I don’t live with him. I am married to Lieutenant Paris."

"He assisted the Doctor last night."

"Yes. He did."

"He is a good man."

"Thank you. I certainly think so."

Meloka continued to look her full in the face, "The Doctor is really married."

B’Elanna noticed her questions were always statements, "Yes. He is married, and they have a child." B’Elanna broke eye contact for a moment, "He is a good husband and father. He loves his family very much."

"He loves."

"Yes. He loves. He loves and he laughs and he feels deeply."

"How is that possible?"

Finally, a question, thought B’Elanna. She replied, "I have helped him modify and expand his programming, but the Doctor’s program is highly adaptive. As he has lived and interacted with the members of this crew, his program has changed so that he is…much more human. I don’t think anyone on the ship even considers him a computer program anymore." She laughed, "Especially when they see him with Seven and Kathryn B’Elanna."

"There is something wrong with Seven."

B’Elanna cut her eyes away and sighed, "Yes, but she is recovering. We hope she will be better soon."

Meloka watched the Lieutenant’s face carefully, "I shall look forward to meeting her." Then, she turned and returned to the figure lying on the biobed.

B’Elanna watched her carefully, a puzzled look on her face, then raised her hand to her combadge to call for Tom.

She carried two mugs of steaming hot chocolate carefully across the room, handed one to Tom and put the other on the table in front of the sofa. Then, she sat down on the sofa, cuddling up close to her husband and reached for her drink, wrapping her hands around it.

"Oh, it feels so good to be home and be in a place of peace and quiet."

"Not one of our better days, was it?"

"No. It was a very disturbing day."

"How is Kathryn B’Elanna?"

She sighed, "Ketaria thinks she will be okay." She glanced up at him, "That was absolutely awful." She shook her head slowly, "I hurt so much for her and for Seven."

"Did you talk to Seven afterward?"

"No. She would not talk to me. She would not even talk to the Captain. She stayed in Harry’s quarters all day."

"Oh, that’s not good."

"Yes, the Doctor was very upset about that. But Ketaria ensured him that it was all right."

"Really?"

"Yes. Harry came out and talked to her. He promised her that everything would be all right."

"And she believed him?"

"Yes. She believed him."

"Good." He tightened his arm around her, "Are you okay?"

"I am fine, Tom."

"I really mean, how are you feeling? Any symptoms?"

"Oh, you mean because I am pregnant."

"Yes."

"No. I haven’t felt different at all. As a matter of fact, I have barely thought at all about being pregnant today."

"Really?"

"Really. Why?"

"No reason."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He hesitated, then added, "I just felt a little nauseous today, and it made me think about you and whether you felt anything."

"Are you sick?"

"No. I’m fine. It was just a passing thing. I scanned myself in the sickbay today. There isn’t anything wrong."

B’Elanna was quiet for a moment, "What did you think about Meloka?"

He gave a soft laugh, "She is…interesting."

"She seems interested in the Doctor."

It was his turn to be quiet.

"What is it, Tom?"

He took a sip of his hot chocolate, "The Doctor seemed to be interested in her, also."

B’Elanna pulled away so she could look at him better, "So you picked up on it also."

He nodded, "Under any other circumstances, I would not be worried at all. But, right now…. I have to admit, I am a little concerned."

"Well," she moved back to snuggle close to him again, "we’ll just have to make certain nothing happens with either Harry or Meloka."