Now, with the DHS wanting to take a significant figure from the FBI, some naturally disagree, and due to the attraction arising from the competition itself, they are also considering bringing Jimmy closer to keep an eye on him. This is why Doctor Jason was assigned to conduct a psychological evaluation on Jimmy.

The matter isn't complicated, but this time it involves quite a few people. To ensure Jimmy stays in Manhattan, Dave and the others have done quite a bit.

The former Agent Association of the FBI is not some trivial association. Giving medals to active agents is a big deal within the association, and Jimmy receiving a high-level medal is a newsworthy event that can expand influence. Even if there are special reasons, it can't be so underwhelming with only two attendees.

This was the result of discussions between Dave, Hughes, and others. Even within the association, the matter of awarding Jimmy the medal had to be postponed before informing others; it couldn't be done with great fanfare.

Jimmy is unaware of these things, but his vacation has become quite prolonged. It lasted nearly two weeks before he got a call from Ruiz, asking him to prepare to return to work.

The long vacation had Jimmy nearly going moldy at home. He understood the reason behind Ruiz's arrangements, so during this time, he obediently stayed at home. He read books, watched TV, went grocery shopping, and cooked meals. Out of boredom, he even bought a lunchbox for Nia, prepared meals for her to take to the precinct, so she wouldn't have to eat takeout for lunch.

Of course, he also made dinner, and he took it upon himself to be creative with the menu. This period inadvertently improved his cooking skills. With plenty of time, he looked up many recipes online to prepare for dinner, so Nia indeed was quite fortunate, even showing some signs of gaining weight.

However, there was some good news. Regarding the matter of children, Nia also agreed. She had visited Kevin's home several times recently, but didn't let Jimmy come along. It seemed she had discussed this topic with Kevin's family. As a result, thanks to Jimmy and Nia's efforts, certain small items in the drawer were on the verge of unemployment, and when they would be put to use would depend on future endeavors.

In any case, Jimmy still very much hoped to have descendants. In the years here, he had always deliberately used protection since there was no guarantee. Now, being married, he naturally hoped to have children soon. The root of his unease is that the potential child is already on someone's radar, and he has no idea what to do next.

However, that's something to worry about far into the future. As long as he's careful, at least no one can force his child. In this sense, he still has a choice.

After getting up in the morning and making breakfast, Jimmy kissed Nia goodbye, took his sandwich and bag, and left home. He arrived at the office before anyone else. Jimmy first took out a display case prepared in his bag, placed the former Agent Association's Distinguished Service Medal on the table, tidied up his desk, and then got up to clean the tea set.

Mark and Julia arrived at the office on time, and were somewhat surprised to see Jimmy there. Recently, Jimmy had been at the office very little—first for his honeymoon, then on a business trip to assist the DHS with a case, and then two weeks of administrative leave. All tasks in their group were left to Mark and Julia, keeping them rather busy and tense, handling tasks even senior or supervisory agents would need to do, all despite being just special agents.

Jimmy invited the two to sit down and have some tea together, chatting about their recent work, akin to a small morning meeting for the team.

Although Jimmy wasn't around, the two did manage to solve a murder case, a significant achievement. Particularly for Julia, as she relied solely on her keen observation to notice anomalies in the surveillance, tracing the suspect from blurred images. Together, through their arduous investigation, they located the suspect's position, making the subsequent capture much easier.

The meeting didn't last long. After understanding their recent work, Jimmy let them continue their tasks, and he also left the office. After being away for some time, he needed to greet Ruiz and others out of traditional workplace courtesy.

What he didn't expect was that Ruiz gave him a surprise, "Jimmy, get ready; in a couple of days you'll head out to Washington D.C. The DHS has a decoration ceremony for you."

Jimmy looked at Ruiz in surprise, "Another decoration? Why? Didn't we already refuse their offer?"

Ruiz: "It's not about transferring you over, just a compensation for the last case. They just notified us yesterday, and Dave sent the invitation this morning."

Jimmy: "They don't have other requests, do they?"

Ruiz: "At least for now, there shouldn't be any. Just be cautious not to say anything wrong."

Jimmy: "OK, I understand."

It seems this case has finally come to a thorough conclusion. Otherwise, they wouldn't arrange for Jimmy to be awarded a medal. Understanding they belong to different systems, this must have been concluded. This closure is good, freeing Jimmy from the worry of getting dragged into it again.

The DHS decoration ceremony was relatively grand, not only awarding Jimmy but also including Agent Raymond and another agent, with the three of them together.

Jimmy received the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Medal of Excellence, awarded to individuals outstanding in the field of homeland security and making significant contributions. Meanwhile, Agent Raymond received the Department of Homeland Security Medal, granted for excellence in safeguarding national security within the department. The other agent got the Dedicated Service Medal. Three people, three different medals, demonstrating unique recognition.

After the ceremony, Jimmy chatted with Raymond for a bit, asking about their following steps. Later, he smoothly returned to New York without any noteworthy events, which was a good thing.

Note:

Previously someone showed curiosity about the GS14 treatment. Here is some additional information.

The general classification used by the U.S. government adopts a three-position system: first-class leader (Executive Schedule, abbreviated ES), second-class senior executive (Senior Executive Service/Senior Level, abbreviated SES/SL), and third-class general scale (General Schedule, abbreviated GS). Among them, the first and second classes are senior leadership positions. Additionally, the federal government has blue-collar positions typically involving physical labor such as handling, installation, and craftsmanship, compensated through the Federal Wage System (FWS).

Government civilian grades are divided into 15 grades (grade), each with 10 steps, where GS-1 is the lowest and GS-15 is the highest. Within each grade, the 10 steps gradually improve based on experience, generally requiring a specific timeframe for each step.

Based on the latest GS data, in 2023, GS-1 ranges from 24,464 to 30,608, GS-2 from 27,508 to 34,619, and so forth, with GS-14 from 116,393 to 151,308.

The starting grades for FBI agents are GS11/12, GS13/14 are senior, supervisory agent levels. Position grades and salary grades do not strictly correlate, as agents of the same level may belong to different GS levels.

FBI agents also receive operational allowances for tasks such as fieldwork, including overtime pay, performance bonuses, regional subsidies, and other benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, and educational allowances. Hence, individual incomes vary greatly.

I didn't explicitly detail Jimmy's monthly income in the novel due to its complexity. Currently, his setting is at GS-13, approximately a 100,000 to 110,000 annual salary. Subsidies, etc., are skipped for simplicity.

Additionally, to explain further, federal salary grades generally correspond to military officer ranks but not strictly; GS1-4 aligns with enlisted ranks E1-4, GS5-6 aligns with NCO ranks E5-E9, GS7-11 matches junior officer ranks O1-3, GS12-15 with senior officer ranks O4-6, and SES aligns with O7-10 in senior executives.

These are fundamental knowledge, which helps understand certain plots, hence won't be explicitly explained in the content later.