The eagle became stronger and increasingly unwilling to tolerate human contact.
The wing opened farther.
The bone healed.
The first flight was weak.
The next was better.
Weeks of conditioning restored what the collision had taken away.
By the time the carrier opened near the preserve, there was no need for a padded hospital enclosure, another X-ray, or a person standing close enough to support the bird’s body. Both wings opened evenly, and the Bald Eagle climbed above the trees under its own power.
For everyone who had seen it standing helplessly beside the road the night it was found, that was the only outcome they had hoped to see.