Donna Myer was on the phone with her father talking of plans for the new babies room with colors and curtains. It was a Saturday morning. Her husband Mike and their 6 year old son Eric were up early to fish in the pond at the local park it was sunny and perfect.

"We were thinking of a neutral color, we don't want pink or blue because that would be too common, you know if it's a girl and the room were blue it wouldn't look right and if it were pink and it was still a girl we would have to change it because pink is so ugly, I think."

"That's a good idea, just make it neutral who's going to notice as time goes by."

"I still want it to be color not just white."

"Right."

"So when Mike comes back we're going to the paint store and get some paint, I don't want to get the curtains yet untlil I see the actual colors on the wall that would give me a better idea on what to get."

"Well it all sounds good."

"Yea, it does. Is Mom around."

"Sure I'll get her. Nancy! She's coming, okay honey talk to you later."

"Bye Dad."

"Donna?"

"Hi Mom."

"Hi honey, how do you feel?"

"Okay, not bad actually feel better then with Eric."

"Oh that's good"

Donna went on to converse with her mother for a while about plans and complaints until a ring at the door interrupted.

"Someone’s at the door, got to go."

"Okay dear you take care of yourself."

"I will."

Off the phone out of the kitchen and towards the front door. Curious moment, hardly ever anyone at the front door unexpectedly.

She opens the door to two policemen. Her heart races, she's surprised. They ask to come in and they do. This is bad, what is this? They give her the news, striking her like a steak in her heart. Her husband and son were in a horrible car accident and are in the hospital. Donna nearly faints. The policemen help her to a chair in the foyer near the door and she lets out a loud cry. Pleading with them, "Are they all right are they all right please tell me?"

"They've been taken to Memorial we can drive you there."

At the hospital she is still with the policemen at the waiting room. A doctor comes out after what seems like a very long and anxious time, but really minutes.

"Mrs. Myers"

"Please tell me they're okay."
"They are both in critical condition, they've had some head trauma. Right now we're keeping them stable and we're going to have to wait and see, I can't promise anything.."

Donna passes out at the news.

Donna awakens in a hospital bed. Her parents are at her side.

"Hi Mom, Dad. Where am I"

"Your at Memorial Donna."

"What happened, why..."

"Everything is all right honey, you passed out."

"Where's Eric."

"He's here too, you remember anything."

"No, not really."

Donna's parents explain about the accident and that she was taken to the hospital and passed out and while she was out, had the baby prematurely and the baby was fine, a girl. Mike and Eric were okay too. Everyone was intact.

"Oh my God." Donna says with her hand over her mouth. Relieved. She does remember.

"Where are they?"

"We'll let them know your awake then we'll take you to see the baby."

"Oh my God. Please I want to see them, all of them."

Donna's mother leaves the room to summon Mike and Eric.

"What do you remember honey."

"Not much."

"Do you remember being in the hospital."

"Not really, I do remember that Mike and Eric were in an accident."

"Do you remember what the doctor said."

"What doctor, why are you asking?"

"Never mind just get some rest. Oh there is a bit of bad news I think I should tell you."

"What?"

"Your sense of touch won't be the same, can you feel the bed, the pillow, blanket right now?"

"Yea, why? What did the doctors say."
"Well they said you may have trouble, it's nothing, if you can feel things now then I guess it's okay then."

Mike enters the room. He has a head bandage, he's okay. They embrace tearfully. Eric then enters. All okay. Later on she's taken to the maternity window and she watches her new baby. All is well again.

And they all leave together two days later. Mike and Eric fully clothed no bumps or bruises with baby Angela.

Back at Donna's parents house her father is on the phone with Gerry, Donna's brother.

"The baby's name is Angela."

"Angela?" Gerry says in confusion.

"Yea."

"How did you come up with that name?"

"She did."

"Amazing"

"Why, she can function just like anyone else."

"I guess she could. Why not."

"You can contact her."

"How?"

"I can arrange that."

At home Donna receives a call from Gerry.

"Hi Don, heard the good news."

"Hi Gerry I was about to call."

"Everyone okay?"

"Everyone's fine, can you believe what I just went through."

"I know, we were worried for awhile there."

"Are you still in New York?"

"Uh, yea. Why?" This is a surprise. After a week of touch and go, life and death, wouldn't Gerry be on his way to Connecticut at some point?

"Well Dad said not to bother that things were improving and that I should wait till you were home and I could take Jen and the kids."

"Oh, okay. Well we're home come on down."

"Sure, maybe this weekend."

"Great, see you then."

"Absolutely."

"Alright then." Words said on the phone just when the conversation comes to a close but Gerry interrupts the moment.

"So how do you feel."

"I'm okay dummy I told, you."

"It's good to hear from you"

"Aw, thank you. Were you worried."

"Yes." Gerry's voice is on the verge of tears and Donna senses it.

"Hey, it's okay."

"I know."

"Are you alright?" There is a long pause. "Gerry? Hey, geez I never heard you so emotional before."

"I'm happy for you, so happy.'
"Thanks Gerry, we're all okay."

"I know."

"Then shape up will ya, your making me cry."

"I'm fine kido. I'll see if we can make it this weekend."

"You better."

"I love you."

"I love you too, now get off my phone you sorry sap."

And life goes on. Mike, Eric, Angela and Donna. And life is good. Mike becomes promoted then starts his own firm and is very successful. Donna doesn't have to work. She just raises the children. All in good health. Eric does well in school no more problems with math, he seems to get it but miraculously his penmanship is near perfect, out of the blue he writes flawlessly as thought the summer of Angela's birth something had come to him. Angela grows and is a terrific baby then toddler. In the meantime Donna is feeling less close to Mike as time goes by. Then even less close to her own children. She finds herself confiding more and more with her Dad who seems to call more often, more so then before Angela was born seeming very curious, too curious about her detachments with her family.

It's a summer morning. Mike is up at 6:00, goes to the bathroom, showers, brushes his teeth, kisses Donna then leaves. Donna looks at the clock. It's 6:23. The next morning same thing, 6:23 out of the room after a kiss. Every morming 6:23. Odd. Saturday, 8:00 then 8:23 out the door to golf, home at 12:42. The next Saturday, 12:42. At 12:43 Donna takes a call, it's her Dad.

"Hi Dad"

"Hi Pumpkin."

"What's up."

"Nothing I want to know what's up with you?"

Donna is suspicious. It seems he always knows that something is troubling her. She won't tell him what's on her mind this time.

"Everything’s okay Dad, can I talk to Mom?"

"Sure, everything’s okay then?"
"Dad, what's wrong."
"Nothing. Why?"

"Nothing. Put Mom on the phone."

"Hi dear how are you?"

"Okay Mom, can we go out for lunch."

"Sure that'll be fun when."

"Today."

They arrange the plans. Mike will be home with the children and she will pick up her Mom and go out to lunch. It's sunny, warm. Donna drives through the suburbs to the main road. She looks at the cars and the people in them. Normal. The homes are normal. Everyone’s grass is cut, flawless. She picks up her mother who asks about the children, they're okay just like they were Thursday when she asked. It doesn't sound sincere anymore. She looks at her Mom looking out onto the road staring straight ahead. She stairs at her between looking at the road and she doesn't seem to notice. She then asks. "Mike go golfing today?"

"Yea, yea he went golfing."
"That's good."

"No he didn't go golfing."

"Oh, well that's fine."

"Why?"

Her mother turns to her saying nothing. Donna is a little frightened by this.

"Well, it's good to take a break." Still staring at Donna with eyes as though a robot, nothing behind them. Then she smiles and looks at the road again.

"You know Mom, I just remembered I have to attend a meeting could we do this another time?"

"Sure, anything the matter?"

"No, nothing."
"What meeting?"
Donna has to make something up really fast.

"A neighborhood club meeting for the kids."

"Oh?"

"Can I take a rain check?"

"Sure."
She drops off her mother and drives home. Not feeling well. A bit scared but not knowing of what, even frightened. She drives up to her home and enters the door to find Gerry in the living room.

"What are you doing here, where's your car?"

"We have to talk."

"About what Gerry, tell me, I'm a little frightened and I don't know why, where is Mike and the kids."

"Have a seat."

"Just tell me what's wrong, this is so strange so unreal tell me everything is okay."

They sit in the living room, Donna on the couch Gerry right next to her.

"Remember the accident."

"What about it Gerry."

"Well, I don't know where to start, how to say this..."

"Say what, come on your scaring me."

"None of this, all of this that you see is not real."

"How can this...what are you talking about??"

When Donna passed out at the hospital she went into labor with major complications. It left her in a comma in which she never recovered, her husband and son died from the accident but she did have a baby girl which Gerry is now caring for. In a vegatative state for many months her father had found out about a technology in which Donna's brain would be hard wired, so to speak, to a computer program which would let her go on with her life, a false life, only she wouldn't know about it. Her father and Gerry would monitor her life. All television and radio news would be piped into the program. Her father and Gerry would communicate with her on the phone and if need be enter the program themselves as Gerry is doing now. Donna has caught up to the program and became suspicious. Now Gerry is explaining it all to Donna. Now her father has entered the room. Donna is crying. "Why? Why didn't you just let me die this is so cruel."

"We did it for you Donna." her father says as he moves to her to console her. Donna quickly gets up not wanting to be consoled.

"No no no, this isn't fair. It's cruel."

Her father looks to Gerry.

"We have to start over again."

"What do you mean all over again." Donna asks.

Gerry explains. "Well every time you managed to suspect something we start over again and try to cover the flaws in the program. Look, I wasn't fine with this."

"I can't believe this, none of this is real, none of it? Mike the kids, all gone."

"Gerry we have to go you shouldn't have done this."

"What are we going to do Dad, she's not a machine."

"What would you have me do she's my daughter."
"I'm right here you don't have to talk about me as though I'm not here."

"She has a right to know, this isn't right?"

Gerry stands. All three are standing in the living room.

"Lets turn it off." Gerry says.

"Wait." Donna says abruptly.

"What are you going to do, I have to know."

"We don't know honey, I don't know, I don't know anymore." Her father says in despair. "We thought we can give you a life, it was the only alternative we had. We just thought you can live a natural life. We just didn't figure you would notice.

"And you guys were watching my every move. My whole life like it was a game on the computer."

"Tell us what to do Donna."

"I don't want to die. But I don't want to live as a vegetable or without my family." Now crying realizing her family is gone. " What about Angela is she dead too?"

"She's with me Don, her name is Rachael."

"Gerry, could you pull the plug or something."

"No. Not while you have brain activity, not while your still in there somewhere."

"Can I see my daughter."

"You can."

It is quiet now. Just the sound of Donna sobbing, trying to pull herself together.

"No. I don't want to. I do but...tell me what you would have to do with the program." she asks.

"We can make it less perfect, give the character...uh, your family more dimension." Her father says, hopefully, optimistic.

"I think you ought to have the dignity to know this time Donna." Gerry says.

"What would happen?" Donna asks.

"We'll erase from your memory everything to the time where you suspect something is wrong, about the time of you monitoring Mike's schedule then let it play. You won't know anything happened."

"How long will it take."

"Some weeks, maybe months." her father says.

She pulls herself together and speaks in a normal tone, not crying. "What will happen with me, suppose something happens to you guys, what happens to my life."

"It just goes on and on, we don't have to do anything really. The only thing that's real is Gerry and myself."

"What about Mom?"

Gerry and father look at each other and Gerry says quickly "She's okay with it, she sometimes would not want to be, you know, real and that could complicate things."

"Whew. This is a lot to take in."

"What do you want us to do?" Gerry asks.

"Run it. Please don't let me find out, don't let things be so perfect don’t be greedy I can take a little hardship in my life, my son doesn‘t have to have perfect grades, I want problems, challenges even some pain. I have no other choice I guess. I don't want to lay there in your world mindless, I guess if I die then I die. How long do the doctors say I have to live?"

"We don't know that, no one does." Her father say.

"Then do it. I can‘t believe this. My father and brother are my Gods"

Gerry and her Dad vanish. Then everything vanishes. Donna finds herself in bed. The alarm goes off. It's 6:00am. Mike isn't up. She nudges him. He finally gets up and trips on his way to the bathroom. "You alright?" she asks.

"I'm okay just fell." he laughs. She falls back to sleep.