Looking back down at her daughter, Bree suddenly gripped the pram and closed her eyes, an overwhelming sense of relief hitting her. The keys. Of course, she’d put them under Mia’s blanket. Grabbing them quickly, Bree fumbled and hurriedly put the right key in the lock, opening the outer entrance before rushing over to the door that led up to her flat.

Inside and aware that the clock was ticking, Bree tried to heave the buggy up the stairs, but it was too heavy and quickly she took Mia out, taking the stairs two at a time.

Throwing off the blanket, Bree placed Mia back into her cot before charging back down, dragging the empty buggy up and pushing it into the corner of the room where it was always kept. Checking she hadn’t missed anything, Bree heard her front door open.

‘Hi, only me!’

‘Hi, Fran.’ She could hear her voice on edge as she tried to calm herself, then looking down, horrified, she realised she still had her jacket on. Hearing Franny’s footsteps getting nearer, she furiously tugged it off, throwing it on the floor before kicking it under the chair.

Wiping the perspiration off her face and drying the sweat from her palms on the sides of her trousers, self-consciously, Bree smiled as Franny stepped into the room carrying a large shopping bag.

‘Hey, good to see you. It’s a nice surprise.’ Her voice trilled, and Bree wasn’t sure if it was paranoia, but it somehow sounded too loud for the small space. With all the running around the pressure was getting to her.

‘You look hot,’ Franny said gruffly.

Bree could hardly get her breath and it felt like she’d been stripped of air. ‘Me? Do I? I’m fine. Yeah, God yeah, totally.’

Franny’s gaze was unwavering. ‘If you’re fine, why do you look so flustered?’

Animated, Bree waved her hands around. ‘It’s just Mia, she won’t stop crying. Gets a bit much after a while.’

Cutting her eyes in annoyance at Bree, Franny, unable to deal with having to prop Bree up emotionally on top of everything else, snapped, ‘She’s a baby, Bree, what do you expect? I hope you haven’t just left her there crying?’ She walked towards Mia, scooping her up in her arms, and immediately Mia fell silent. ‘See, that’s all she needed, a bit of TLC. I sometimes wonder about you and where your head’s at. You can be so selfish. Don’t leave her like that, you hear me? And why are her hands cold again? Have you had this window open?’

Bree nodded. She didn’t care what Franny thought as long as she didn’t think she’d been out. ‘Yes … er … it was a bit hot.’

‘Well that’s stupid to have it open by her, she’ll get ill. She’ll get a chest infection. It’s common sense, Bree.’