"I'm breathing fine, thanks."
"Uh-huh," she replied, unimpressed.
The blond boy closed his laptop halfway but didn't shut it fully. The screen still glowed faintly, reflected in his glasses. "If it's cracked ribs," he offered quietly, his gaze dropping to his hands, "coffee isn't going to help much. You'll just irritate the tissue more."
Ransom let out a short, humorless laugh, pointedly taking another drink. "And what are you, a doctor?"
"No."
"Didn't think so."
"But I do read a lot."
"You look like a nerd, of course you do."
The boy didn't bristle at the jab. If anything, his expression sharpened. "You flinch when the carriage tilts left but not right," he went on tonelessly. "That suggests the injury is on your right side. And you're favoring your right shoulder when you move. Combined with the way you're holding your chest, I'd guess contusions at minimum."
The girl leaned back in her booth with a knowing smirk. "He does that."
"Does what?" Ransom snapped.
"Notices things."
~ Ransom: Chapter 1: Toward Neos City