Captain Raymond Holt sat still behind his desk, fingers lightly resting on the paper as his eyes stayed on Ray. "You helped Sergeant Terry Jeffords return to duty when he was ready to walk away from the field. That is not something I will overlook or forget."
Ray gave a small nod, leaning back in the chair like it was just another day. "He did the hard part himself. I just pushed him in the right direction."
Holt then picked up the paper from his desk. He read it once before setting it down. He looked back at Ray, expression unreadable but sharper than usual. "This is a resignation form. You're leaving?"
Ray didn't answer right away. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, hands loosely clasped as his eyes dropped to the floor for a second. When he finally spoke, his tone was calm but heavier than usual. "Yeah."
Holt folded his hands on the desk. "You've been here for a relatively short period of time, Detective White. Most officers do not accumulate a career's worth of impact in that span." He paused, studying him. "Yet you have. I know, you've stayed with us even after completing your mission. But leaving when you're at the peak of your new career... That's unlike you."
Ray let out a quiet breath and leaned back slightly. "That's kind of the problem. I've been doing this for a long time..."
Holt said nothing, giving him space to continue.
Ray glanced down at his hands for a second, then back up. "Russian mafia, cults, cartels, internal corruption. Every time I thought I was done, something else came up. Another mess to clean. Another war to step into." He shook his head faintly. "At some point, it stops feeling like duty and starts feeling like a loop you can't get out of."
Holt's voice stayed calm. "And now you believe you have reached the end of that loop."
Ray nodded once. "I made a promise to myself and my sister a long time ago." His tone shifted slightly, quieter but steady. "That I'd take down the people who took her life. That I'd make sure no one like them could keep operating in the shadows without someone hunting them down."
Holt watched him closely. "And you believe you have fulfilled that promise."
"Let's just say, they won't hurt anyone anymore," Ray said without hesitation. "That promise or revenge or whatever you call it was the only reason I joined the NYPD in the first place. I knew that those criminals were operating in Brooklyn. I just needed a cover-up. The Russian international criminal case just popped up at the right moment for me to enter the NYPD. And after that, you already know the rest."
Holt's eyes narrowed just slightly. "So this precinct was a means to an end."
Ray didn't flinch. "At first, yeah." He exhaled slowly, then added, "But it didn't stay that way."
Holt held his gaze. "You got attached to the team and fell in love with Rosa."
Ray leaned back again, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I fell for her. I didn't expect to care about the people here. Thought I'd do my job, finish my hunt, and move on." A faint, almost amused smile touched his face. "Then I got stuck with Peralta's nonsense, Boyle's food lectures, Santiago's rulebook, Rosa's threats, Terry's yogurt obsession, Hitchcock and Scully's disasters, Gina's wild antics, and your… very specific way of running things."
Holt raised an eyebrow. "Specific is an acceptable descriptor."
Ray nodded slightly. "Somewhere along the way, it stopped being just another assignment. It started feeling like…" He paused, searching for the word, then let it go with a small shake of his head. "Doesn't matter. Point is, I stayed longer than I needed to."
Holt remained silent for a moment, then spoke carefully. "And now that your original objective is complete, you intend to walk away from all of it."
Ray's expression settled back into that calm, controlled look. "I've done enough. Fought enough wars. Seen enough people die for things they didn't even understand." His voice dropped slightly. "I'm tired, Captain."
Holt leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled as he considered him. "Fatigue is not uncommon in this profession. Many officers with military background experience it. Have you considered taking therapies? And maybe a long break?"
Ray chuckled, tapping the side of his head. "I ain't gone that far that I'd need therapy. This isn't burnout. This is… done." He tapped the desk lightly with two fingers. "There's a difference between pushing through and knowing when to stop. If I stay, I'll keep getting pulled into bigger things. That's how it always works."
Holt's gaze sharpened. "And you believe leaving will prevent that."
"I know it will," Ray replied. "No badge means no jurisdiction. No jurisdiction means no obligation." He let out a quiet breath. "For once, I'd like to wake up without thinking about who might die that day."
Holt studied him for a long moment. "You are aware that your presence here has had a measurable impact on this precinct. Your departure will create a gap that cannot be easily filled."
Ray gave a small shrug. "You've got a solid team. They were doing fine before I showed up, and they'll keep doing fine after I'm gone."
Holt's tone stayed even, but there was weight behind it now. "That is not entirely accurate."
Ray tilted his head slightly. "You guided them well. They'll adapt."
Holt picked up the resignation form again, tapping it once against the desk. "You have not informed the rest of the squad."
Ray shook his head. "Not yet."
Holt nodded slowly. "They will not take this well."
"Yeah," Ray admitted quietly. "I figured."
"What do you plan to do next?" Holt asked.
"Honestly? Nothing complicated," Ray said, a faint smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "I want to sleep without alarms going off in my head. Go on dates without checking exits and sightlines every five minutes. Eat food that isn't rushed between cases. Maybe travel a bit if I feel like it." He let out a quiet breath, something lighter than before. "Just… live like a normal person for a while."
Holt's expression didn't change.
Ray's smile grew slightly, more relaxed now. "I might try writing. Books, scripts, something like that. I've got enough stories in my head to fill a few shelves." He shrugged casually. "Or maybe I do something completely different. Modeling, maybe. I've been told I clean up well."
Holt blinked once, very slowly. "That is certainly… a career shift."
Ray chuckled under his breath. "Yeah, well, I'm still young. I'll figure it out." He tapped the arm of the chair lightly. "Money's not a problem. I've got enough saved to not worry about that. For once, I can actually choose what I want to do instead of reacting to whatever crisis shows up. Well, truth be told, all these military things... I simply tried to fulfill my dad's dream. He was my hero growing up and I wanted to honor that memory and his dreams. Thanks to that, I got to meet some great people and even found a family. But now, I think, it's time to finally move on and do what I really want."
Holt held that look for a long second, weighing it, measuring it the way he did with everything important. Then he gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. "Very well."
He set the paper down neatly on his desk, aligning it with the edge as if the act itself carried weight. "I will process this in accordance with protocol. However…" His voice shifted slightly, just enough to carry something more personal beneath the formality. "I expect you to inform the squad. They deserve that much."
Ray nodded once, more serious now. "Yeah. I'll tell them tonight at the bar."
Holt studied him one last time, posture still precise, though something quieter sat behind it now. "For what it is worth, Detective White, your presence here has been… significant."
Ray let out a small breath, something between a laugh and acknowledgment. "Coming from you, that's basically a standing ovation."
Holt did not react outwardly, but there was the faintest pause before he spoke again. "Do not make me regret saying it, and don't tell Jake or Amy that I complimented you."
Ray stood up from the chair, adjusting his jacket as he did. "Wouldn't dream of it, Captain."
He extended his hand toward Holt and they shook hands.
"Thanks for listening to me. I needed someone to talk to. And I'll see you around," Ray said with a smile.
"It's been a pleasure working with you, Raymond White," Holt said with a nod.
--
AN: This is all the chapter I have right now. It was supposed to be the end of vol-2 and the next vol was supposed to be Expendables arc and I wanted to explore MC's relationship with Emma Watson and Emma Stone further. But since I'm ending this one, I'll drop another chapter to wrap up this vol. It'll be an open ending with a cliffhanger that indicates the next volume.
See you all in a day or two with the final chapter.