Nicky knew exactly how grounding Gioia could be. There were many mornings when he wouldn't have been able to face getting out of bed if it hadn't been for the dog's weight on his chest. He knew the science of it, of course, but knowing the science and feeling the affects were completely different things.

He smiled and finally took a sip of his cappuccino. Gioia would stay in Andy's lap until Andy was breathing normally again and Nicky was in no hurry to speed up the process. In fact, he gave the waitress a shake of his head when she started heading towards them with his food, mouthing a silent 'Grazie' as she nodded and turned to go back inside.

He was, after all, a regular there. They'd all seen Gioia work.