1. A type of turtle called a Coastal plain cooter (Pseudemys floridana) is hit by a car near my apartment
2. The injured turtle is brought to my veterinary school for medical care while I am on rotation in the wildlife ward
3. The turtle is assigned to my classmate (not someone I know terribly well) as a patient
4. The turtle is treated for a minor shell fracture and my classmate spends two weeks taking care of the animal (in addition to a box turtle)
5. The turtle with the shell fracture recovers very well and is cleared for release into the wild, in a pond near where it was found
6. While birding at the pond some time later I see a turtle of this species out sunning itself and am excited to think it is my classmate’s former patient
