Damnation Spring

Heavily-pregnant Melody Larson visits Colleen. She is concerned her baby has turned again, and she cannot afford an ultrasound. Colleen reassures her, but feeling Melody’s stomach she senses something might not be right with the child. She reminds Melody to call her when the birth starts and she will hurry to assist her.

Later, she and Chub visit Joanna to buy eggs again. Joanna points out that Deer Creek, which feeds her house, has stopped running.

From there, mother and son visit Enid. Chub is sweet on his cousin Agnes, but her brother Wyatt picks on him. While there, Colleen and Chub spot local man Carl Yancy, husband to Helen and father to Luke, spraying the bushes with more weedkiller. Chub starts coughing and gets a nosebleed.

On the way home, Colleen almost runs over Daniel on one of his research missions. As they talk about the health of a local creek, she remembers how they met on a high-school project and embarked on their romance. Daniel gives Colleen some jam jars and asks her if she will collect some water samples from Damnation Creek for him. She protests that she cannot and drives off. At home, though, she stows the jars rather than disposing of them.

Rich and Chub walk up to the 24-7 together. Rich’s sense of calm fades on the way home, however, when he discovers something in the soil near his house: a man’s boot print.

The Gundersens attend the christening of Enid and Eugene’s youngest, Alsea. After the service, Eugene is in a belligerent mood and says he would happily shoot the anti-logging protesters he blames for closing down the Damnation Grove harvest. Colleen is more focused on her desire for a little brother or sister for Chub. At a celebratory meal afterwards, Colleen also spots Daniel Bywater. A local woman takes offense at something he says and slaps him. Daniel trudges out of the bar, derided by its patrons.

Chub starts school. The school secretary, Gail Porter, tells Colleen another local woman, Elyse, lost her baby.

Colleen is lonely on the way home and in a fit of pique pulls off the road near the ocean. She again bumps into Daniel in the local make-out spot. Colleen’s emotions overcome her and she cries in front of Daniel, revealing some of her pain about her many miscarriages. Daniel’s comforts her, and the two have sex. Afterwards, however, they bicker about the circumstances that led to their breakup in their youth. Daniel storms off. As Colleen drives away, she notices Enid’s daughter Marla, who has had a tryst of her own, and drives her home. Colleen realizes Marla will have seen her with Daniel. The pair make an uneasy pact: Neither will tell Enid what they saw. Colleen feels more alone than ever.

At home, Colleen is brusque with Rich. Chub has another nosebleed.

Colleen rushes to assist Melody with her birth, but when she gets there all is not well: The baby has returned to breech again. It is too late to call an ambulance and Colleen must guide Melody through the difficult birth with the help of Melody’s husband, Keith. Melody does manage to birth the baby boy, but when he lands in Colleen’s arms she is horrified: Part of his skull is missing and his brain is protruding from his head. The baby dies, but Colleen struggles to tell Rich about it when she gets home, the tragedy reminding her of all her lost pregnancies.

Rich takes Chub to see the salmon swimming up the creek to spawn. Father and son wish Colleen was with them.

Colleen drops off a casserole to recently bereaved parents Robley and Elyse. Robley confirms the rumors to Colleen: “Doctor said she was perfect […] Just no brain to tell her to breathe” (133). Colleen dwells on the parallels to Melody’s lost child. Robley also tells Colleen that Daniel has been by the house to tell them the child’s death might have had something to do with chemical spraying. Daniel has also started a petition to stop Sanderson’s use of herbicide. Robley is doubtful anyone can stop Sanderson but points out that the spraying killed all his wife’s irises and that Gail Porte’s bees all died recently.