Title: If...
Author: tridget
Genre: Angst, H/C, Gen
Rating: PG
Warnings: Injury with slightly graphic details
Word Count: 308
Summary: Colonel Sheppard is injured off-world. One-shot.
Disclaimer: Stargate Atlantis and its characters are the property of other people/companies, but I am not sure exactly who really owns them. They are certainly not mine. I am not affiliated with any of these entities. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: Thank you to my eager, prompt and encouraging beta reader, kriadydragon. A thank you also goes to alipeeps whose WIP Meme prompted me to write this.
If…
******************************
If it hadn't been raining when they stepped through the gate, Colonel Sheppard would not have had to endure five operations to repair the mess of damaged tissue and broken bones in his foot. They would have noticed the large crimson leaves on the vines snaking their way across the ground. Instead, the gentle drops of rain activated the trigger-hairs on the deadly growths. The leaves clamped shut and folded in on themselves as they attempted to devour a non-existent dinner.
If the sun had not broken through the clouds, the jaws of the plant would not have flung open again, hungrily seeking a meal just as Colonel Sheppard's foot crossed its path.
If the team had not maintained such a brisk pace that day, they would not have been so far from help when the plant's massive spiked trap snapped shut again.
If the team had been able to free Colonel Sheppard's foot sooner, they would not have had to grapple with the dangling shreds of bloody red muscle and sinew, stark against the fragments of white bone. They would not have been assaulted by the odor of the acid as it dissolved flesh. They would not have been haunted in their waking hours by flashbacks of the carnage.
If only Colonel Sheppard had been granted the small mercy of passing out, they would all have slept better. Instead, their dreams were punctuated by memories of Colonel Sheppard screaming in agony.
If Colonel Sheppard's team had not gathered other plant specimens before the accident, Dr. Beckett would not have been able to develop a cure for a disease. An entire village would have been lost. Three hundred men, women and children would have died.
If Colonel Sheppard had known ahead of time the price he would have had to pay, it would not have changed a thing.
******************************
The End