Still in flashback (hope I'm not confusing anyone – Trixie just gave birth to Katie and Hallie/Regan considering having Daniel)

Regan's POV

"Where did Mart and Di go? I thought I'd seen them here earlier."

Doctor Brian Belden had stolen a moment away from his hospital duties to check in on his sister and new niece, but he had not expected his brother and sister-in-law to be absent from the group of family and friends that had gathered in the hallway outside of Trixie Frayne's room.

"They…um…went for a walk," his cousin Hallie Regan said quietly.

Her husband Bill couldn't keep himself from shifting his weight nervously at her words; he knew why Mart and Di had excused themselves. He knew what they were discussing, and it made him feel dizzy.

Maybe today wasn't a good time to do this, he lamented silently. We should have waited for another time to ask Mart what he thought about our idea.

But, Hallie didn't seem too worried. Nonplused, she gave him an encouraging smile and went back to her conversation with the Wheeler's housekeeper Miss Trask.

Bill Regan suddenly felt out of place in the crowded corridor.

Do I belong here? Am I really a part of this family? How did this all happen?

The guilt he battled daily began to surface in his heart, and he had to clench his fists to resist the temptation to give in to it.

His eyes fell on the door to the recovery room. The beautiful bundle of love that had sparked all of this gathering had already been taken back to the nursery, and the new mother resting on the other side of the door had only been allowed a few visitors for a very few minutes each, due to her fragile condition. However, Regan could still feel a pervading sense of warmth surrounding that room.

He didn't think he deserved to be involved in such happiness without his nephew.

Danny should be here…not me, he thought.

He felt his stomach lurch as he caught a glimpse of Mart and Diana coming down the hall towards them.

Ready or not, here they come.

In an instant, Mart was beside him, but he couldn't read the younger man's face well enough to tell what he was thinking. Bill's anxiety was becoming unbearable.

"Hey, relax," Mart said with a gentle smile. He stepped close and engaged Bill in a private conversation away from the others. "I don't think it's a bad idea, okay? I just needed a minute to process what you guys were saying. You gotta admit; it's a pretty strange concept."

"Does it bother you?" Bill held his breath in fear of the answer.

"Oh no, I think he'd want you to do it. It's perfect, actually. There's nobody else on earth he'd rather have raising his child than you."

The thought made Regan feel warm and scared at the same time.

Bill could now tell that Mart had been crying, and he wondered if there was something his wife's cousin wasn't sharing with him. Something other than his sadness at Dan's absence.

"But?" Regan prompted.

"But, what?"

"Come on, I can tell there's something else." Regan could feel his throat tightening and he suddenly wished he hadn't pressed for more.

"It's just…" Mart seemed uncomfortable.

Oh God, he's right. This is a stupid idea, Regan panicked. He waited for what seemed like an eternity before Mart spoke again.

"What are you going to tell the kid?" Mart continued on nervously.

"What do you mean? We'd tell him the truth, of course. Sooner or later, we'd have to explain that I'm not really…"

"Not about that." Mart interrupted. He paced away from Regan and stuffed his hands in his pockets roughly. The childlike gesture made Bill consider just how long he'd known the man standing before him. He'd seen this look many times when Mart was a young boy. Usually, when he felt embarrassed about something.

"I mean," Mart continued, "it's not just about Dan being the real father, but…about…well…about Dan as a person. How is this child supposed to know who he was? I can't help but wonder if Dan will have any meaning to him…or her. I think it's a great idea…don't get me wrong. It's just that…this kid won't have any connection with Dan. Not like we do."

Mart lifted his pale blue eyes, and Bill could see in them a raw sadness. The tint appeared to have been washed out from his tears and looked something like the weathered hue of a seafaring ship's watermark. Mart's blonde eyelashes, usually so light as to be transparent, were abnormally darkened by their wetness, causing them to stand out against his freckled cheeks. The entire picture of hurt was too much for Regan to look at, and he had to glance away.

"I guess…maybe I didn't think about that. But…if we talk about him all the time…"

Regan stopped himself.

He knew it was no use. Mart was right. It was wrong for them to bring Dan's child in the world when he wasn't going to be there to be a part of its life.

"You know what? Here's the thing." Mart pulled Regan's arm and led him even further away from all the others. "You gotta do this the right way. If you give it his name, maybe the kid will understand better. You know, use Mangan as a middle name or hyphenate it or something like that."

"Wait a minute," Regan felt confused, "I thought we just agreed this wasn't such a good idea."

"No, you have to do this. It's the right thing to do. You know that, don't you?"

"But, you just convinced me that…"

"Forget about all of that." Mart waved his hands in front of his face quickly, as if dismissing all of his earlier doubts. His voice was stronger, and a spark of determination had taken over the intense look of pain in his eyes. "The important thing is to make Dan a part of this kid's life before he learns he's his father. Like you said, talk about him all the time. Things like that."

Bill's mind was turning in all directions at Mart's sudden shift of opinion. He couldn't keep up. Mart's quick intellect often had that affect on people.

"Of course, you have to promise me something," Mart was saying now.

"What?"

"Don't have Dan's kid first. Put him in the middle, if you can."

"What?"

"You know, if you and Hallie decide to have your own children, too. Put Dan's child in the middle of them. So he won't feel out of place, see?"

But Regan didn't see. Put it in the middle? How many kids does he think we're planning on having?

"I think a lot of people are way off about middle children." Mart went on. "They get the impression that those kids act up because they have an identity crisis, but not me. Trix and I didn't have that middle child syndrome because we didn't know who we were. We were complete handfuls because we were secure enough in ourselves to branch out. Think about it. We didn't question our place in the family. And, that made us confident. Albeit probably too confident, mind you…"

"Mart, stop!" Bill interrupted the string of thoughts with a strained chuckle. He wasn't sure if Mart was kidding around with him or not. The usual rash of large words had not been used, but the scientific logic was unmistakable. Was Mart just being Mart, or was he really getting on board with this?

"I'm not sure what we're talking about, now," Regan confessed timidly.

"We're talking about you and Hallie having Dan's child." Mart smiled back with a glint in his eye. "Now, where were we?"

Bill had to shake his head and laugh at the roller coaster ride of emotions Mart was taking him through. He listened as the younger man suddenly took control, chatting on about the idea and planning out how he and Hallie should arrange the births of their children. The whole conversation felt a little surreal.

"…but you'll just have to let the kid know all about Dan every chance you get," Mart was saying.

"And I know exactly who I can call on to help me with that," Bill teased as he put an arm around the smaller man and steered him back toward their family down the hall. "Let's talk about it more another time." He felt emotionally drained and needed a distraction.

"Aw! I was just getting excited about it." Mart protested.

"Hey, this isn't going to happen any time soon. You realize that, right?" Regan suddenly stopped mid-stride. "After all, I wouldn't even know how to be a father. I never actually knew mine."

The younger man gave a wink and nodded. "Time solves everything," he said with a laugh.

But, Regan wasn't laughing. Mart's words echoed something from the past, taking him back to another time when he'd felt guilty and uncertain, and the possibility of a future with Hallie had made him question everything he thought he knew about himself…

Yes, a flashback within a flashback is coming up! Regan's about to tell his side of the whole kite flying day (later that evening)

And…stay tuned for some more stuff about Daniel and Ashley