It might've been a pretty lame joke, but it did break the tension and made him laugh through the tears, which was exactly what he needed really.
Ritchie was giving him a bit of a nod before he'd even heard who the three people were. He really didn't want to hide it, and he would have been telling his friends around about now if he hadn't been snatched away so suddenly. He just couldn't look his mum in the eye and tell her the truth. It would break her heart.
He accepted the napkins and tried to make himself a bit more presentable again while he listened. Dr. Cuddy, medical bay, that made sense. Geneticist from 2099? He might've given him a bit of a wide-eyed look at that one, but why was it any more surprising than 2021? But then the husband? That got more of a look than the scientist from the future had.
"I was wondering about the ring, but wrongly assumed it might be a touchy subject," he admitted, with a bit of a cheeky smile. So, things really had changed. A lot.
"It's okay with me, that you tell them. You can tell them my name, it wouldn't take too much figuring me out after all." Not just because he was not a quiet, subtle sort of person, but because he was the new boy.
"Oh, I didn't even tell you it, though," he realised. "Sorry, hi, I'm Ritchie."