Wanting a Child

One Day

This flow follows Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew as the desire to have a child changes from an unspoken hope into a source of intimacy and tension.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Future Is Left Open The Future Is Left Open from "One Day". Family as a Question Dexter’s New Family Dexter’s engagement to Sylvie and her pregnancy make parenthood part of his immediate life.

The Future Is Left Open from "One Day". Family as a Question Dexter’s New Family Dexter’s engagement to Sylvie and her pregnancy make parenthood part of his immediate life.

Family as a Question Dexter’s New Family Dexter’s engagement to Sylvie and her pregnancy make parenthood part of his immediate life. Emma celebrates for him while confronting her own uncertain future. A Different Longing At this point Emma’s desire for a child is not yet a shared plan with Dexter. The contrast makes the future both visible and emotionally complicated.

Choosing a Life Together Choosing a Life Together from "One Day". A Shared Future Partnership First After reuniting, Emma and Dexter build a committed relationship and marry.

Choosing a Life Together from "One Day". A Shared Future Partnership First After reuniting, Emma and Dexter build a committed relationship and marry.

A Shared Future Partnership First After reuniting, Emma and Dexter build a committed relationship and marry. Their domestic life makes questions about children harder to leave as jokes or hypotheticals. Time Feels Limited Emma knows she wants a child and worries about waiting indefinitely. Dexter is slower to embrace the idea, creating a difference in urgency even within a loving partnership.

Trying and Waiting Trying and Waiting from "One Day". Hope Meets Uncertainty A Shared Effort Emma and Dexter try to conceive, turning private hope into a recurring part of their life.

Trying and Waiting from "One Day". Hope Meets Uncertainty A Shared Effort Emma and Dexter try to conceive, turning private hope into a recurring part of their life.

Hope Meets Uncertainty A Shared Effort Emma and Dexter try to conceive, turning private hope into a recurring part of their life. Each failed attempt carries disappointment that neither can fully control. Strain at the Breakfast Table Emma wants medical testing after a prolonged period without success. Dexter worries about what the tests may reveal and reacts defensively to the emotional pressure, even as he insists that he wants a child too.

Seeking an Answer Seeking an Answer from "One Day". A Difficult Conversation Anger Masks Grief An argument about politics and Emma’s period grows into a discussion of the failed attempts to conceive.

Seeking an Answer from "One Day". A Difficult Conversation Anger Masks Grief An argument about politics and Emma’s period grows into a discussion of the failed attempts to conceive.

A Difficult Conversation Anger Masks Grief An argument about politics and Emma’s period grows into a discussion of the failed attempts to conceive. Dexter realizes that her anger is entangled with sadness, fear, and exhaustion. A Practical Next Step They agree to seek fertility testing, potentially privately. The decision does not promise a child, but it gives their shared desire a concrete course of action.

The Future Disappears The Future Disappears from "One Day". An Interrupted Plan An Ordinary Journey Emma cycles to meet Dexter after responding to his conciliatory message.

The Future Disappears from "One Day". An Interrupted Plan An Ordinary Journey Emma cycles to meet Dexter after responding to his conciliatory message.

An Interrupted Plan An Ordinary Journey Emma cycles to meet Dexter after responding to his conciliatory message. Their plans include viewing a house and continuing a shared life that neither regards as finished. Sudden Loss A collision kills Emma before the fertility question can be answered. The tragedy ends both the immediate effort to have a child and the larger future that had given it meaning.

1999

2001–2003

2003–2004

15 July 2004