At the click of the closing door the two creatures stopped their bizarre mimicking of Lauren’s cry and were suddenly calm, absorbed in watching her. Did they want acknowledgement? Hear that? Didn’t we sound like you? Aren’t we clever? She shivered, and would have moved away to the other side of the room. But for the camera at her back. She kept her eyes on the facsimiles of her children. What do you want? she wondered. She tipped her head to the side, and both the boys did, too. A whisper, then. One in each of her ears. Plaintive and distant, she could have imagined it: Mother.

The door opened and Pauline came barrelling back in, holding two steaming bottles of water.

“Sorry, love. You OK?” She seemed nervous. The nurse checked the babies, coochy-cooing them under the chin. She glanced up at the camera in the corner. Then Lauren realised what it was that was making her nervous. She’s not supposed to leave me alone with them.

“That CCTV,” said Lauren, holding Pauline’s gaze, “is it recorded?”

Pauline looked away, arranging bottles, teats, the big tub of formula.

“It’s a monitoring system,” said Pauline. “It’s to help us make sure you’re getting better.”

“But is it recorded?”

“I’m not supposed to discuss it with patients.”

“Oh,” said Lauren, “I see. Well, I suppose there are things I could keep to myself, too. If I wanted to. Or I could tell people. Depending.” She could feel her heart beating. This wasn’t her, she wasn’t a bully. But she had reason, and she had to grab every little chance she was given. “Like just now,” she glared straight at the nurse, “when you left me alone with these two.”

Pauline wiped her sweaty hands on her tunic. She took a step back, to just behind the corner created by the ensuite, the only place in the room not covered by the camera. “I was only gone for a second,” she hissed, her face turning red.

“How long do you think it takes to smother a baby?” whispered Lauren, without turning her head. Both twins were paying attention, their eyes travelling between the two women.

“You didn’t do it, though.”

“No. Because I’m not insane. Whatever you might think.”

“Huh,” said Pauline. “You all say that. The ones who deny it the loudest are the most insane, in my experience.”

Lauren took a small step towards Pauline, making it look like she was bending to examine the babies more closely. “You could lose your job for that, couldn’t you?”

Pauline’s whole head had gone beetroot. “Nothing happened. They’re fine.”

“Do they record it?” she asked again.

“OK,” said Pauline, “what does it matter? Yes, they record it. But they don’t watch it all. Only if something happens that’s significant. The footage is stored for a week and then wiped.”