"Happy birthday, kid," Elias leaned back against the thin hospital pillow, the hum of the room finally fading into the background. "Just make sure you build something fast enough to call me without the lag."

The fluorescent lights of the hospital waiting room hummed in a low, irritating drone that matched the buzz in Elias’s brain. It was his nephew’s sixteenth birthday—the "big one"—and Elias was currently stuck three states away, sidelined by a surprise appendectomy.

The process was dangerously easy. He selected a design that featured a retro gaming controller, typed in Leo’s email, and hesitated at the "Amount" box. He thought about Leo’s ancient, sputtering laptop and the way the kid’s eyes lit up talking about building a PC. He typed in a number that made his own bank account wince, but made his heart feel a little lighter.

Ten minutes later, his phone buzzed. It was a FaceTime call. He answered to see Leo’s face, pixelated and grinning, holding up his phone to show the digital card.

He looked at the clock: 4:45 PM. The party started at six. He had failed the "Cool Uncle" test in spectacular fashion.

"Uncle El! Are you serious? I can get the graphics card now!"