Penny for your Thoughts : A Yellowstone inspired story

s5- You can rest now

As Beth, Rip, and Spencer walked inside the lodge for the night, Spencer stopped, causing her parents to halt and look at her.

"I don't want to go yet," tears welling up in her eyes. 

Beth knelt down to be eye level with Spencer. "That's alright, baby. We don't have to go to bed yet."

Rip sensed Spencer's true meaning gently suggests, "How about we just sit out here under the stars till you're ready? How does that sound, cub?"

Spencer nodded, finding solace in Rip's suggestion.

"Okay, I'll go grab some blankets," Beth suggests.

While Beth goes inside to fetch the blankets, Rip scoops up Spencer and carrys her to a soft patch of grass.

"This is the best spot," he says softly, his voice filled with emotion.

Spencer smiles and nestles into his embrace, feeling the warmth of his love surrounding her.

"When you were a baby, I used to bring you out here all the time. It was your favorite place to sleep. Right here under the stars," Rip reminisced holding her close, resting his chin atop her head.

Spencer looks up at him with kind eyes and says, "I'm not scared anymore, Daddy."

"That's good. You don't need to be, okay?" Rip gazed up at the sky, hiding his sadness behind a mask of strength, "Where you're going, there are so many good people waiting to meet you cub."

Spencer reached up and wiped away a tear from Rip's cheek, her touch filled with tenderness.

Just then, Beth emerges with a few blankets in hand. As Beth joins them in the grass, Spencer crawls over to her lap and snuggles in.

"What did I miss?"Beth asks.

"Just the stars."Rip replies.

"I'll be right back," overwhelmed by emotions, he excuses himself for a moment, kissing Spencer on her forehead and Beth on the lips.

As Spencer starts to close her eyes, Beth gently lifts her up. "Can you stay up for just a little longer, baby? Mama just wants to spend some more time with you."

Spencer nods tiredly, whispering, "Yeah, I'll try."

Beth and Spencer sit there under the stars as Beth tenderly caresses Spencer's head.

"I just want you to know that... that every day with you has been the best days of my life. You are all the best parts of hope, kindness, and love in this world. And I am so lucky that I get to love you."

Tears filled Beth's eyes as she soaks in her daughter's scent. "I love you so so much, sweet P."

Spencer absorbed her mother's words, tears streaming down her own face. She hugs onto Beth, clinging to her with all her strength.

In the embrace of her mother's love, Spencer whispers, "I love you more."

Beth's voice trembling with emotion, replies, "I will always love you most."

She kisses Spencer on the forehead and cradles her gently in her arms.

Rip returns wrapping his arms around Beth and holding onto Spencer's small hand.

Spencer tiredly smiles up at them both, "I'm really sleepy, mama."

Beth looks at Rip, trying to find the strength to say goodbye to their daughter.

Finding reassurance in his nod. Beth turns her gaze to Spencer. "You can rest now, baby. We'll be right here with you." She gently strokes Spencer's cheek, feeling the warmth beneath her touch.

As the night wore on, a heavy silence settled over the trio, broken only by the occasional soft sniffle and the gentle rustle of the wind through the trees. The air was thick with the weight of impending loss, each passing moment drawing them closer to the inevitable farewell.

Beth and Rip held onto Spencer with desperate tenderness, as if their love alone could stave off the cruel grasp of fate. But despite their best efforts, they could feel the warmth slowly ebbing away from Spencer's fragile form.

The stars above seemed to flicker with sympathy, casting a dim glow over the scene below. Their distant twinkle offered no solace, only a reminder of the vastness of the universe and the insignificance of their earthly struggles.

As the first faint light of dawn began to paint the horizon with hues of pink and gold, Spencer's breathing grew shallow and labored. Each exhale was a painful reminder of the precious seconds slipping away, stolen by an unseen adversary.

Beth's heart shattered with each rasping breath, her tears falling silently onto Spencer's pale cheeks. Rip's grip tightened around them both, his silent anguish mirroring Beth's own.

As the sun began to rise on the somber scene, Spencer took her final breath. A quiet exhale, barely audible against the backdrop of the waking world.

Surrounded by her parents' love, Spencer slips away, leaving behind a void that could never be filled. Beth and Rip were left to mourn the daughter they had loved so fiercely, their souls forever entwined with hers under the mourning sky.