two days ago

around 10am, i stood at my kitchen sink washing the leftover breakfast dishes, when i heard a scream from the next room. a scream, like i've never heard before. the scream was from my baby's mouth. i knew that before i started running toward the family room. i found greyson sitting on the hearth of our fireplace with a look of terror on his face. his hand was extended toward me. i scooped up his little body with one movement and found burns on two of his tiny fingers. the pad of his middle finger was almost completely white. i've never seen skin turn white from a burn, until now. at this point i'm completely clueless as to how this happened, because it's JUNE!!! obviously our fireplace wasn't on and there are no candles burning anywhere. there is no fire or flames in our house, so can someone please tell me why my precious angel is enduring pain that he shouldn't have to know exists. but, there is no time for questions. i have to think, act, and remain calm. definitely easier said than done when you're home alone with two children under the age of three, and your entire life in ONE brief second is being held hostage by a tragedy.
next, with greyson in my arms i run back to my kitchen sink and hold his hand under the cold water, as he fights me. he fought hard, and i fought tears.
next, i manage to call our pediatrician office. i felt completely stupid explaining that "i think" my toddler has been burned. who says "i think my child has been burned?" i felt about an inch tall. after some brief questions, they assure me that it will be fine to go to our med. center instead of our hospital's emergency room. i hung up and called jim. he was working out, but immediately dropped everything and was home within 15 minutes. during that time, i keep jordyn calm and held a cool cloth on the burn. as i'm sitting in the family room, i look over one more time at the fireplace... and i see it. a small bluish orange glow coming from under the logs. the same light that caught greyson's attention probably for the first time in his little life. it is the pilot light from our gas fireplace. and there is an opening between the logs, just big enough for one tiny fist. on tuesday morning it happened to be greyson's.
the med center was beyond wonderful. greyson did suffer second degree burns, but amazingly enough it has not slowed him down one minute. not through the bandage changes, not at all. the doctor called him a little trooper. we agree.
i know there was a hand upon greyson two days ago, it just breaks my heart in a million pieces thinking how much worst it could had been.
so to anyone reading this post with small children, i beg of you to check your pilot light on your gas fireplace and turn it OFF until you need it. i wish we had sooner.