The minutia of taking care of Bella – of getting her a hot bath, something fresh to wear, a toothbrush and a brush for her hair – was overly all-consuming for Darcy and, to a lesser extent Keith, because it allowed them to focus on something OTHER than each other. For the longest time, while Darcy got her daughter settled, he sat at the island in his kitchen and just listened to the hushed tones, the laughter and the sensation that someone else was in the house with him and that he was not alone and left listening to the noises from outside or from his neighbors.