The Maker: Hollywood

The winter sun began to dip behind the mountains, casting long, dark shadows across the diamond.

”Cut!” Daniel yelled.

The actors stopped. They looked at him.

”That is a series wrap on Band of Brothers,” Daniel announced, his voice carrying over the quiet field. ”And that is a wrap on Easy Company.”

For a second, there was absolute silence.

Then, the roar began.

Caps were thrown into the freezing air. Men tackled each other into the dirt. They hugged—not the polite, careful hugs of Hollywood co-stars, but the crushing, desperate embraces of soldiers coming home. Tears flowed freely, tracking through the dirt on their faces.

Damian Lewis walked over to Daniel. He was holding the baseball.

He handed it to Daniel.

”Currahee,” Lewis said, his voice thick with emotion.

”Currahee,” Daniel nodded, taking the ball. It was scuffed, stained with clay, and perfect.

”Go home,” Daniel told them. ”Go get warm. Go see your families.”

”What about you, Boss?” Lewis asked, wiping his eyes with the back of a dirty glove.

Daniel looked at the mountains. He looked at the massive production he had built, the millions of dollars spent, the mud and the snow he had waded through.

He thought about Florence in Los Angeles. He thought about Stan Lee and the letter from the kid in Queens. He had asked Elena to help the kid. He thought about the factory in Burbank churning out nightmares and dreams.

”I’m going home too,” Daniel smiled, pocketing the baseball. ”I have a date waiting for me.”

He turned and walked away from behind the camera, leaving the war behind him.

These actors would need some time to get back into the society, but what they had given him was a performance the world will have to remember.

----------

A/N: Read ahead on Patreon: /AmaanS