July 21, 2016
2:00 PM PDT

Marlene and Lila were eating salads at the Veggie Delight portion of the Courthouse Mall - as another one of their friends, Sheila, came to join them.

'So, Marlene, I heard that your dad is very sick,' Sheila said, smiling sympathetically. 'What was he doing, that he got so sick? Is it true that he might die?'

'Well, the doctors do give him an 80 percent chance of survival,' Marlene said, sighing. 'At first gance, this may sound rather positive and hopeful. On the other hand, though, there's a 20 percent chance that he might die. That, to me, sounds very grim.'

'I hear ya,' Sheila said, softly. 'I still remember how I felt when my grandma passed away. I was so depressed about it for a long time, I thought I would never get over it. It really does hurt to lose someone that you're very close to. Anyway, you have a very nice dad. I wish my dad was a little more like yours.'

'Well, I think my dad likes my brother better than me,' Marlene said, sighing. 'I won't deny that he is a very nice man, but I sometimes think he doesn't love me as much as he loves my brother. I mean, he completely ignored me at the hospital, and he only wanted to talk to my brother.'

'Well, Marlene,' Sheila said, softly, 'I don't think you should take it so personally.'

'Well, yeah, that's what everybody says to me,' Marlene said, quietly, 'but I'm not sure if I can really believe it. I mean, how is my dad being sick an excuse for completely ignoring me - while doting on my brother? I mean, it's not like he's mentally ill or anything. He just has a fever.'

'Oh, Marlene,' Sheila said, as she grabbed for Marlene's hand, 'if there's a 20 percent chance that your father might die, then I hardly think he has just a fever. I'm sure it's much more than that.'

'Yeah, Marlene,' Lila added, 'didn't you say that your dad was hallucinating? He may not exactly be mentally ill - but having a high fever can mess up people's minds, and make them not act quite themselves. Do you get what I'm saying?'

'Yeah, I guess I see what you're saying,' Marlene replied, sighing. 'It's just that it seems like my dad preferred my brother, even before my dad got sick.'

'Why don't you try talking to your dad?' Sheila suggested, softly. 'Anyway, consider what might happen if your father did pass away. Of course, I hope that doesn't happen - but lets say that he does. I'm sure you wouldn't want to part with him on bad terms. Isn't it better to try to patch things up, before it might be too late?'

Marlene was quiet for a minute or two, then she began to cry.

oooooooooo

Marty Jr and Harmony had met Marty and Doc by the picnic tables at Hill Valley Park, and the four of them were making plans.

'Okay, Harmony,' Doc was saying, 'why don't you go take Marty Sr to the hospital? Marty Sr, you should pose as your son, until you reach the ward where your older self is staying. At first, see if your older self recognizes you for who you are. If he doesn't, then you should try to gently break the news to him. Meanwhile, Marty Jr should stay here in the park with me.'

'How about taking him back to 1986 with you?' Harmony suggested. 'You'll only have to stay there for a minute or two, then you could come back here in a few hours.'

'Actually, that would not be a very good idea,' said Doc, 'You see, if I took Marty Jr back to 1986 with me - while I left his father here in 2016, it could result in a time parodox. Because technically, since the younger Marty is here, neither the elder Marty or his son should exist in this time. At least, that's the logical conclusion one might postulate. However, it will actually take 24 hours until the ripple effect catches up - then the elder Marty Sr, Marty Jr, and Marlene would be erased from existence.'

'Your younger self is in the future, too,' commented Harmony. 'Would that mean, if you stayed here for 24 hours, I would also cease to exist?'

'Oh, no,' replied Doc, 'because my son and your father, Jules, is still in 1986. Now if my younger self from before I had Jules was here in 2016, then your existence would be endangered.'

'Gee, Grandpa,' muttered Harmony, 'this is heavy!'

Doc then laughed at Harmony's use of Marty's trademark phrase. He knew Marty Jr had taken after his father in that respect - but it was strange to hear that phrase coming from Harmony, too.

'Hey, what's so funny, Grandpa?' asked Harmony.

'Oh, nothing,' Doc said, smiling. 'What I could is take Marty Jr a few hours ahead into the future. That should be pretty safe. I just can't take him back in time, while his father is here in this time.'

'So how did you figure out about the 24-hour ripple effect thing?' asked Marty Jr.

'Well, it happened when Marty and I once went a week into the future to pick up a video game - which wouldn't be released until then - for Verne. I had a problem with fixing the time display panels on the DeLorean. It had taken me a little over a day to find out what was wrong. When a day had passed, our older selves were no longer anywhere to be found, and - and we had been missing for over a week. That was when I realized that the ripple effect must have caught up.'

'I ca't believe you just forgot to flip a switch, Doc,' Marty said, quietly.

'I still feel so embarrassed, when I think of that,' Doc said, sighing. 'Sometimes, I get into thinking complex, that I sometimes forget to think simple. Anyway, it was such a strange sight to see our older selves vanishing in front of us. It was then that I had realized that the timeline had shifted. So that's how I arrived to the conclusion of the 24-hour ripple effect. Of course, a week later, we experienced the same thing again - but in reverse.'

'Okay, then,' said Harmony, 'should Marty Sr and I start heading to the hospital, then?'

'Sure, you might as well go now,' replied Doc. 'The time is now precisely 2:23 PM and 25 seconds. Marty Jr and I will head back into the DeLorean, and we'll travel forward in time to 6:00 PM. By the way, try to pick up some dinner for Marty Jr and I, too. Here is 2,000 dollars for you guys.'

'Whoa, Doc, 2,000 dollars?' Marty exclaimed. 'Oh, yeah, that's right, I forget about the inflation of this era. Sure, Doc, we'll do.'

'Good,' replied Doc, as he and Marty Jr started to head towards the DeLorean.

'So, Harmony, how much does the average dinner cost in this era,' asked Marty.

'Oh, usually around 500 dollars or so,' replied Harmony. 'Could be a little more - could be a little less. It depends on how much you order.'

'Gee, Harmony,' mumbled Marty, 'where we come from, it usually costs only around five dollars - give or take a little.'

'Gee, I wonder what caused the heavy inflation within the past thirty years,' mumbled Harmony.

'I really have not got a clue,' replied Marty.