Lily is almost purple from the effort of screaming now and Heidi is only getting more and more wound up. If she’s unstable there’s no telling what she might do.

‘Lily is getting upset,’ I soothe. ‘You have to calm down. Think of Lily. Look at her.’

She glances down at her distraught daughter and her face crumples.

‘Oh my God, Lily. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’

She looks at me, fear mixed with anger blazing in her eyes.

‘Look what you’ve made me do. She’s so upset. She’s overheated. What if something happens?’

She’s shaking now. I can see the colour drain from her face.

‘Heidi, you don’t look so good. Give the baby to me. Give her to me.’

Heidi shakes her head, but it’s enough to set her off balance and she looks at me, eyes wide.

‘I’m going to faint …’ she manages to mutter before she starts to drop to the ground.

I have just enough time to grab Lily from her before she lands like a sack of potatoes in the hall.

Lily is still wailing, Heidi is as white as a ghost and I’m shaking so hard that my teeth are chattering. I look around, grab my thick winter coat from the coat rack and lay it on the ground so I can place Lily on it. Then I kneel over Heidi, put my hand to her forehead. She’s clammy and still. My panic is building, when her eyes slowly start to flicker open.

With one look at me she descends into tears, tries to sit up, and she is clearly still woozy.

‘It’s okay, just rest there a minute.’

‘Lily?’ she mutters.

‘She’s fine. Can you hear her? She’s fine.’

Heidi curls into a foetal position and sobs. I tell her I’m going to grab a glass of water. I’m scared now but for a different reason. I’m seeing how truly vulnerable Heidi is. I kneel beside her, help to raise her head so she can sip the water.

‘Take your time,’ I tell her. ‘Don’t sit up until you’re ready. You fainted.’

She nods and I lift Lily, try to comfort her. Poor little Lily who hasn’t a notion what is going on around her. She wriggles and pushes against me at first. She looks at me with wide eyes as if she’s trying to make sense of everything and then, as I do my best to soothe her, stroking the soft curls on her head, she quiets, grabs hold of my fingers, and I feel my heart contract.

Meanwhile, Heidi is pulling herself to sitting, the colour very slowly coming back to her cheeks.

‘Please,’ she says, ‘give me my baby.’

She looks scared. Scared of me. Does she really think I would do anything to hurt Lily?

‘I will,’ I say. ‘I just want to make sure you’re well enough to hold her when I do. How do you feel?’

Heidi gives a small laugh, which quickly turns into tears.