"Sometimes, you don't," Aaron says, keeping his hands where they are. "Sometimes, the only thing you can do is get up. But it's important that you do. You'll figure out where to go from there."

If Julien doesn't fight him, he'll tug gently upward. It's barely enough to pull Julien's face off of the ground -- it's intended to help Julien get his head up, not to do it for him.

"Come on," he murmurs. "Off the ground with you."