I ran into Aaron in the hospital lobby, and he was carrying a bag that looked like it was packed with ointments.

“Where’s Lena?” I asked, skipping over any formalities. Calling him “Mr. Ace” felt too stiff, and “Uncle Aaron”? Yeah, no. He wasn’t much older than me or Lena, so that was a hard pass.

“She’s upstairs getting checked,” Aaron replied, glancing at his watch. “She should be done by now.”

“I’ll go check on her,” I said, heading toward the elevators.

“Wait.” Aaron held out the bag. “Her wrists and ankles are bruised. Use this.”

I took the bag. “You’re not coming up?”

“No,” he said. “I’ll wait in the car. When Gabriel and Carol are done, can you help send