Quark has something to sell to Odo. Odo isn't interested until Quark shows him the merchandise---a baby Changeling.
It's sick and Dr. Bashir determines it was affected by tetrion blasts but manages to bring it back to normal. Captain Sisko allows Odo to nurture it to its full potential, but Odo goes against his advice to contact Dr. Mora.
Too late, Mora has found out and has come aboard the station to help Odo develope the baby. With many arguments on how to proceed, they patch their differences and decide they need to work together, especially after Captain Sisko puts the pressure on Odo to keep a daily log of his progress and ensure there is progress on the part of the baby, otherwise it will become the property of Federation scientists in a lab.
That's the last thing Odo wants and Dr. Mora tells Odo that now he will feel how he felt when he was under pressure from the Cardassians to produce results from when Odo was an infant. Both men are ecstatic when the baby finally takes shape, as Odo! They realize it was their combined efforts---Dr. Mora's scientific methods and Odo's nurturing that brought it so far, far sooner than Odo's evolution with Dr. Mora.
Meanwhile, another baby life is coming into being---Miles and Keiko witness the birth of their son, via Kira's womb. There are funny scenes involving Miles and Shakaar, both men demanding to take center stage as the predominant male during the birth procedures which involve relaxation techniques for Kira. They argue about which one shall witness and assist in the birth and both get thrown out by Kira and Keiko.
"Next time you have a baby, leave my girlfriend out of it" Shakaar tells Miles.
This episode has many ups and downs. The sad part is when the baby dies due to the radiation poisoning not at first detected by Bashir. It succumbs but not before melding its biochemistry with Odo, returning Odo to his natural state as a shape-shifter, allowing him to fly like a hawk--something Odo tried unsuccessfully to persuade the baby to do.
It packs a lot of emotion and plot turns in approximately 45 minutes. There's a great scene with Odo and Quark in the bar, celebrating the new life that "fell into my lap." This was right before the tragic turn of events.
Kira suffers a loss of her own. Miles and Keiko are proud new parents who are celebrating at the end. Kira carried the child and feels the longing to hold the child in her arms. She and Odo go for a walk to share their mutual feelings of loss.
Odo also comes to terms with his feelings of resentment toward Dr. Mora, gaining new understanding of Dr. Mora's reluctance to let him go all those years ago.
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