Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for the two-episode premiere of Yellowstone Season 5.Now in its fifth season on Paramount Network, Taylor Sheridan's hit series Yellowstone — which revolves around the powerful Dutton family whose reach extends far across the state of Montana — has seen its fair share of ups and downs. While the previous season ended with the Duttons seeing several personal successes — Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Yellowstone ranchhand Rip (Cole Hauser) were spontaneously wed in the front yard, while Kayce (Luke Grimes) and his wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille) discovered they were pregnant with their second child. On the statewide front, family patriarch John Dutton (Kevin Costner) announced his bid to run for Governor of Montana, though it was primarily a spiteful decision made to oppose adopted son Jamie's (Wes Bentley) own aspirations.

Season 5 jumps ahead to several months later after the events of Season 4 — the passage of time is indicated mostly by the fact that Monica is days away from giving birth, and John has just won the election as governor and is taking to the podium to give his official acceptance speech. Of course, longtime fans of the show already know that things don't often remain this optimistic for the Dutton family for very long, and at the very end of the Season 5 premiere, "One Hundred Years Is Nothing," tragedy strikes for several of their own.

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What Happens to Monica, Tate, and the Baby?

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Image via Paramount Network

As of the beginning of Season 5, Kayce is still working in his role as Livestock Commissioner for the state of Montana. Although he, Monica, and their son Tate (Brecken Merrill) officially left the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch last season in order to move into their own house — one that didn't exist on either Dutton land or the reservation with Monica's family — Kayce's job still often seems to keep him away for long periods at a time.

In the Season 5 premiere, Kayce and several other deputies are tasked with retrieving a group of horses that have been stolen and are in the process of being taken up to Canada. Although Kayce and his team are able to apprehend the thieves, as well as retrieve the horses from the custody of Canadian police, wrangling all of the mounts takes most of the day, and after that, they have to wait for the horses' real owners to drive up and collect their property. That means that Kayce has to call Monica and deliver the bad news about being home late — but his wife tells him she might have to meet him in town, as she's been cramping badly all day. It's three weeks before her due date, so Kayce tells her he'll call in an ambulance to meet her on the road to the hospital in Billings.

Monica's cramps only worsen as she gets in the car to drive both herself and an anxious Tate to the hospital. It's nighttime, and she's already driving fast to try and get to Billings before the baby comes. Unfortunately, it's also too dark for Monica to see the wild buffalo standing in the middle of the road — as well as an incoming truck from the other lane — until both cars crash right into it. Episode 2 of Season 5, "The Sting of Wisdom," begins by backtracking to this moment and showcasing the immediate aftermath of the crash, when a terrified Tate calls 911 before finding his mother in the middle of a field, having been thrown from the car during impact and now in active labor.

When John, Jamie, and Beth make it to the hospital in Billings, they find an injured Tate sitting out in the hallway outside the room where Kayce holds an unconscious Monica in a hospital bed. Tate solemnly informs his grandfather that he "had a brother, for an hour anyway," and that his parents had named the baby John.

What Lies Ahead for Kayce and Monica's Family?

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Image via Paramount

In Episode 2, Kayce and Monica are still grieving the loss of their son — Monica thinks they should have a funeral, but she doesn't want it to be a public affair because she doesn't want to have to deal with "fifty people [telling] me how sorry they are." Kayce backtracks to before the accident, though, and says that he should've been home to drive her to the hospital himself, but Monica absolves him of any guilt he might be having because she doesn't want either of them to hold onto "should'ves." Instead, she decides that they'll bury their son on the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch so that they can visit him when they want to.

Monica also references the vision Kayce experienced in Season 4 and asks if this was what he'd meant when he'd said he'd seen the end of them, but Kayce insists it won't be this. He'd have to choose the end of them, he tells her, and he'll never choose that. He also brings up the conversation he'd had with Tate earlier in the episode, where their son had asked if they'll try and have another baby, but Kayce remains uncertain. As of now, it looks like Monica does too — and looking ahead to next week's episode, Kayce might have to make a tough choice between maintaining his responsibilities as Livestock Commissioner and being a stronger and more reliable presence at home for his wife and son.

Yellowstone Season 5 premieres new episodes every Sunday on Paramount Network.