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Chapter 54
"Is that the plane we are flying on?" Cameron quietly asked his dad. This morning mommy had come into his room and told him they were going on a trip. That daddy had planned something special to celebrate him turning four. Cameron had been wide eyed with excitement. The dinner last week had been fun, and he didn't think they were doing anything else. That was fine, he didn't want a party this year. Honestly the only thing Cameron had wanted was a new dad and he got that.
"Yeah." Jason was holding his son in his arms and together they were watching as the crew did one last check before allowing them on board. For the last twenty-four hours guards had been watching the aircraft after a check for explosives. "Are you excited to be taking your first flight?"
"Uh-huh." Cameron said nodding. "Ben said its fun." Ben said he went on the plane every year. He told Cameron all about the island where they went on vacation. He wondered if maybe he might get to see that too. "Daddy who are they?" He looked over at the two men standing with Milo and Kyle.
"That's Lee and Chris." Jason told his son. "They are guards like Milo and Kyle." Since they were going out of the country Jason just wanted to be cautious. The Brown family controlled Toronto and they assured Jason that his family would be safe during their time in Canada. They also waived the customary meeting between family heads when one entered the other's territory. They understood that this was a visit to celebrate his son's birthday, business could wait until another time.
"Mommy, are you excited?" Cameron looked over his dad's shoulder at his mom.
"I am." Elizabeth said smiling. "I've never been to Canada before." She rubbed Jason's back and he turned and grinned at her. He was excited too. "When we get there we are going to check into the hotel, and then get some lunch."
"When I first started daycare Mrs. Maguire took a trip and she said that she had to reset her watch because the time was different." Cameron told his parents. "Will the time be different in Canada?" He still wasn't sure what that meant. How could time be different?
"No, it is the same time in Toronto as it is here in New York." Elizabeth told him waiting to see if her son had any more questions.
"Where is the time different?" Cameron asked looking at his dad.
"Well it's ten in the morning here, but in California it's only seven in the morning." Jason told the little boy. "In Palermo, Italy where Milo is from it is four in the afternoon."
Cameron looked shocked. "Really?" He wasn't sure if daddy was telling the truth or making a joke.
"Really, in China it's eleven o'clock at night. In one hour it will be tomorrow in Beijing." Jason said laughing at how Cameron was scrunching his face in confusion.
"Where does the time go?" Cameron wanted to know.
"It doesn't go anywhere." Jason told the little boy.
"Then why does California have a different time. The other places are in different countries." Maybe each country had its own time. "But I know California is in America. I saw it on the map puzzle, it's orange." It should have the same time.
"Well, we have time zones so that…it's because…" Jason stopped. How exactly was he supposed to explain how the British invented Railway time, which led to the Italians inventing a worldwide system of time zones, which led to a Scottish born Canadian citizen introducing Greenwich Mean Time, and that was where our current time zones hailed from? Cameron was waiting for an explanation and Elizabeth was trying not to laugh. Even the guards were watching now.
"The time zones are based on how the sun hits the earth when it rotates." He looked at Cameron who nodded. "When the sun is shining on one part of the earth it's dark on the other side."
"Like China?" Cameron asked making that connection.
"Exactly." Jason said smiling. His child really was a genius. "The time it takes for the sun to come up, go back down and then rise again is one day."
Cameron scrunched up his nose again giving this some thought. "So the earth turns and the time changes everywhere at the same time?"
"You are so smart Cameron." Jason said grinning wide. Maybe they should have his IQ tested. He probably didn't even need to go to preschool. He turned and smiled at Elizabeth.
She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "He's not a genius." She said softly before laughing. She knew how her husband thought. "When we get home we should get Cameron a globe and you can tell him more about the time zones." Their son would have more questions.
"Mr. Morgan." The pilot stepped into the terminal. "We are ready to have you board."
"Thank you Ian." Jason responded to the pilot. "Ready buddy?"
"Yup." Cameron told him.
Jason buckled Cameron into his seat as his son looked around the plane trying to see the entire interior at once. When the little boy was secured Jason sat down on his left because Elizabeth was sitting on his right. "When the sign goes off we can take the seatbelts off and look around some."
"Okay." Cameron whispered. "Ben said there is a bathroom on board." He wanted to see that.
"Do you need to go?" Elizabeth asked her son.
"No, I just want to see it. Ben said it's really small." Cameron also wanted to see the blue water.
"After the sign goes out." Jason promised. He flew a lot and no longer gave it any thought. Seeing it through Cameron's eyes was making it exciting again.
"Good morning." The pilot's voice came over the intercom and Cameron immediately looked up. "We will taking off shortly. Please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts. Please remain in your seats until the fasten seatbelts sign is turned off. We will be in the air for approximately one hour and fifteen minutes. It is currently sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit in Toronto, and it is expected to reach a high of sixty-eight with clear skies all day." The pilot wrapped up his pre-flight announcements.
"Cameron, do you think you can hold my hand so that I don't get scared during takeoff?" Elizabeth could tell her son was nervous, and she knew that holding her hand would help.
"Okay." He said softly. Putting his hand in mommy's. He felt the plane move, pick up speed, and as they left the ground his tummy dipped a bit which made him laugh.
"Are we in the air?" Cameron leaned over and asked his dad.
"Yeah." Jason looked up and saw the sign was off. "Want to look out the window?"
Cameron nodded. His mom undid his belt and his dad pulled him over onto his lap. Lifting the stiff shade that covered the oval shaped window Jason scooted back so Cameron would have better access to the glass. "Clouds." He said softly.
Over his son's head Jason smiled at Elizabeth who smiled back at him.
After a very smooth landing they stepped off the plane in Toronto. Three cars were waiting for them. Jason got his family secured in one as the guards dealt with the luggage. Once it was all sorted out all the guys piled into the cars. Lee and Chris took the lead because Lee was from Toronto and knew his way around. Milo and Kyle brought up the rear.
The hotel was twenty minutes away from the airport and Cameron kept his eyes glued to the glass during the entire ride. Since Elizabeth and Cameron had spent a lot of time in hotels since fleeing Colorado, Jason wanted them to experience what it was like to stay in a luxury hotel. Whenever he traveled he stayed at the Four Seasons, he liked that the chain recorded his preferences and no matter where on the globe he was his needs got met. For this trip he had called ahead and told them what he needed for his wife and son.
"Are we staying here?" Cameron asked looking up at the sleek building. It was taller than anything he'd ever seen before.
"Wow." Elizabeth didn't bother to hide the fact that she was impressed.
"We sure are." Jason said smiling. "On the twenty-first floor." He parked his car in the spot reserved for him in the VIP lot in front of the building. The Brown family already had someone in the area to watch the cars. "Ready."
"I'm not sure." Elizabeth said feeling like she was in a fairy tale. When her family traveled, when she and Sarah were kids, they stayed in nice hotels but nothing like this.
Jason picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles. "I want you to have a good time as well." He said softly. "I was thinking that you might like to use the spa before we go home. Cam and I can find something to amuse us."
"We'll see." Elizabeth didn't want this trip to be about her. They were here for Cameron.
Jason just grinned as he got out of the car. He'd book her a spa day tonight. The bellhop came over to get the luggage. While he watched, Milo went into the hotel and came out with all the key cards.
"I'm going to go up and do a walk through." Milo was the senior guard on this trip, and it was a responsibility he took seriously. "I'm taking Lee with me."
"We'll be up shortly." Jason still had to officially check in. The general manager was more than likely waiting to welcome them.
"Yup." Milo signaled to Lee and they walked back into the building.
After handing over a credit card to cover incidentals for all the rooms Jason took his family, with the remaining guards upstairs to check out their home for the next week. "Oh my." Elizabeth said stepping into the suite. "Jason this is amazing. Look at that view!" She exclaimed walking over to the window.
"Just leave the bags here." Jason told the bellhop and passed him a one hundred dollar tip. Yesterday he had gone to the bank and gotten some Canadian dollars. Most of the trip would be on the credit card, but Jason needed cash for tips.
"Thank you sir." The bellhop was grinning at the huge tip.
"Where are the guys?" Elizabeth asked coming back over. Cameron was still over by the window looking at the city.
"There are four suites." Two on either side of the hall. "Between us and the elevator, they are in those rooms." That meant they had this entire side of the hotel floor to themselves. "Cameron, want to go see your room?"
"Okay." Cameron came back over to where his parents were standing. This place was almost as big as back home. He hoped his room wasn't too far from mommy and daddy's. He might get scared staying in a new place by himself.
They walked down the hall. The first door they came to was the guest bathroom. Then was the first of the bedrooms and Jason mentioned it having its own bathroom was well. The next room had a plaque hanging on the closed door. "What does that say?" Jason asked smiling.
"It's my name." Cameron said getting excited again. "Does that mean this is my room?"
"I think it does." Jason said grinning. "See that door down the hall?"
"Uh-huh." It was a bit further from the other rooms.
"That's where mommy and I will be sleeping." Jason would show them that next. "Ready to see your room?"
"Okay." Cameron wiggled to get down and when daddy set him on his feet he turned the knob on the door. "Oh wow!"
Elizabeth smiled and looked at Jason astonished. There was a banner across the back wall over the bed that proclaimed. 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAMERON!' on the bed itself was a gift bag festooned with streamers. "I wonder what's in the bag."
Cameron ran across the room and crawled on to the big bed and looked inside. "It's Charlie!" He said grinning.
"Let's see buddy." Jason had no idea what was in the bag, it was a gift from the hotel for the birthday boy. He had told the reservation agent that his son loved Chuggin Charlie and they took it from there.
"Look!" Cameron pulled out an engineer's cap, followed by large wooden train whistle, a set of Chuggin Charlie pencils, but the best thing was at the bottom of the bag. A Chuggin Charlie thermal lunch bag complete with a refillable juice container. "I can use this for school!" Cameron was so excited he was ready to burst.
"Thank you." Elizabeth said softly.
"That's not from me." Jason wouldn't accept credit he didn't deserve. "The manager knows we are here to see Charlie for Cameron's birthday."
"I will thank him tomorrow, but we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. So thank you." She said leaning into him. Cameron would never forget this as long as he lived.
"Ready to have some lunch?" Jason wanted to take them out to see the city.
"Can I wear my new hat?" Cameron wanted to know.
"Absolutely." Jason told his son.
"Come on." Elizabeth said holding out her hand. When Cameron came over and took her hand she led the chattering little boy to the front of the suite.
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