Helen’s grip on her mobile tightened as her friend’s phone rang out yet again. She became aware of her quickened heartbeat.

‘This is ridiculous,’ she chided herself. ‘I don’t know why I’m getting worked up.’

Eventually, Helen placed her phone down on the kitchen table, but a niggling thought persisted… ‘We did agree I’d ring this time every week, and Laura’s always picked up.’

Sighing, Helen turned her attention to the baby monitor. She could hear her little boy Charlie murmuring as he slumbered in his cot.

‘One thing’s for sure,’ Helen mused. ‘He’s well on the road to recovery.’

Cradling her mug, she looked out over her garden and reflected on the past few weeks. Even though she worked from home, it had been tough juggling her part-time job as a bookkeeper while nursing Charlie through chickenpox and shouldering all the household chores.

Her partner Rob was away on a training course for his new post. She understood he couldn’t avoid going, but it didn’t stop her feeling overwhelmed at times, especially