Beanie calls early, insisting Katie add an item to her “beauty list.” After banter and mock resistance, Katie chooses “ankles,” sending Beanie numerous photos and talking herself into genuine pride. The supportive exchange ends with Beanie noting Katie is getting the hang of the exercise.

Once off the phone, Katie remembers Hutch is arriving soon for a swim lesson. Anxiety spikes when Lieutenant Junior Grade Carlos Alonso emails the date for required SWET training, which Katie learns is the underwater, upside-down helicopter egress drill. She texts Hutch in panic; he calls back, calmly assuring her they will figure it out and that she will not drown, echoing Beanie’s line about being surrounded by rescue swimmers.

Katie plans to minimize embarrassment at the pool, but arrives to find Rue and her friends (“The Gals”) spectating, and Hutch with his dog, George Bailey. The dog barrels into Katie, knocking her fully clothed into the shallow end. Hutch strips off his T-shirt, performs a playful handstand and dive at Rue’s prompting, then helps untangle Katie from her soaked cover-up while the ladies look on.

Hutch begins the lesson gently, asking about Katie’s water history and positive associations. He has her acclimate by walking, submerging, and blowing bubbles. Despite Katie’s apology that this is beneath his skill, Hutch insists everyone starts somewhere. He emphasizes relaxation and buoyancy, teaching bobbing and floating, repeatedly supporting her shoulders and thighs as she learns to trust the water.

Hutch explains lungs as “air balloons” and the role of body fat in flotation, joking about keeping “a few extra biscuits.” With coaching, Katie manages to float and breathe, briefly sinking when she exhales too long, but recovering with Hutch’s guidance. At the ladies’ urging, Hutch invites Katie to feel his midsection to illustrate buoyancy; the moment carries a charged, possibly flirtatious undercurrent, which Katie privately notes and questions.

As the lesson ends and the onlookers disperse, Katie feels a shift from dread to genuine curiosity about Hutch’s life. She asks him to participate in an additional YouTube mini-documentary about heroes, beyond the official project. Hutch resists the idea of added publicity and “deep truths,” and, after brief back-and-forth, declines definitively: “no way in hell.”