Fran is often out in the evenings, working late in shows, then when she is home, she tries to spend a reasonable amount of time with Laurel, but things often get in the way. Things that she could ignore if she really wanted to. But if Fran is out a lot then Dominic is ten times worse – always working, always at the hospital, prioritising sick patients over his own wife and child, something that comes up time and again in arguments.

At first I used to think Fran was being a bitch, begrudging Dominic time with his patients, but I’ve since learned that it’s not the hospital that she has a problem with. Fran is never one hundred per cent convinced that Dominic is where he says he is (namely at work), her jealousy rising to the surface over any little thing, and she is so obsessed by money sometimes, it’s unreal. They don’t want for anything and she has more than enough, but she is still frugal, bollocking me if I buy the more expensive brands of cereal for Laurel, as if I’m going to waste all their money and leave her destitute.

That said, Laurel never goes without. She gets everything she needs – materially, anyway – Fran loves nothing more than to dress her up in designer clothes that I then have to make sure stay clean. Not easy when Laurel would rather be outside playing in the garden in a pair of old jogging bottoms. It would just be nice if the three of them could spend more quality time together, without the threat of a row about to start, or the bitter aftertaste of one that has been resolved. But I suppose that’s where I come in – it’s my job to give Laurel a bit of stability, a routine. To reassure her that there is someone who will always be there.