Emmerdale has confirmed what the future holds for Joe Tate and Dawn Fletcher in their baby storyline, with one party getting a surprise as the other made a big statement regarding their relationship.

Wednesday’s (18 February) episode of the ITV soap saw Dawn inform Joe that her period was late, intimating that she may be pregnant. Joe jumped the gun somewhat and told Graham Foster that they were expecting, though Dawn criticised him for this.

She subsequently stated that she didn’t want to have a child with Joe, and tonight’s (19 February) instalment began with Dawn promptly heading off to work as Joe tried to understand her stance on parenthood.

Joe later confided in Graham, and pondered the possibility that Dawn may think he wasn’t a suitable candidate to be a father. Graham, however, said that he needed to talk all this through with Dawn.

Joe heeded Graham’s advice and spoke with Dawn, though he got a shock as she confirmed that she wasn’t pregnant. Despite expecting to feel relieved, Dawn said that she was confused over her feelings.

She explained that she felt a sense of “loss” despite never being pregnant in the first place, and reasoned that it may indicate that she did, in fact, want a child with Joe after all. Naturally, Joe was pleased.

“Maybe we let nature take its course and hope for the best,” she added, with the pair seemingly now on the same page regarding their future. Given this, could a baby be on the way soon?

While Joe and Dawn made progress, Graham’s own attempt to speak his mind backfired spectacularly, with Rhona Goskirk shunning him as he attempted to declare his love for her following his time away.

She maintained that she had moved on with Marlon Dingle, and wouldn’t tolerate Graham interfering with her life any longer. To make matters worse for Graham, Marlon caught wind of their meeting, and threatened to kill him…