home run

epilogue

Leigh sighed, toeing off her shoes and sitting back on the sofa. She looked around her trailer, seeing how empty it was of personal touches from herself, but noticing Anthony's influences. On the back of a chair sat his Cubs jersey from his retirement conference, at the small kitchen table there was leftover Chipotle and he had hats everywhere in the trailer.

After he had announced his retirement, Anthony had taken up permanent residence on set with Leigh, shadowing her once she left her position behind the camera. She knew he was still emotional from having to hang up his entire life as a baseball player but she also saw his limp and the pain of being benched another season as the younger kids came up and livened up the organization. He had heard trade talks and announced his retirement in the same season. He lived as a Cub after being traded from the Padres and would retire as one, he said. As if sensing that her thoughts had drifted to him, he entered the trailer and made a beeline to where Leigh was lounging between scenes.

"Hey, bella." He whispered, smiling as wide as his small mouth would allow him. He had let his curls grow out again and he took off his baseball cap, letting them spring back into place. Anthony dropped the cap on the table next to the leftover food and approached Leigh, crouching at her feet with a wince.

"Howdy. Getting used to the busy schedule?" Leigh asked, patting the seat next to her and making him sit down instead of crouch. He took one of her socked feet between his two hands once he sat down and began to massage them.

"A bit. I have no idea how you manage to pick everything up so fast when the location changes. Especially— you know." He tilted his head towards her midsection and she shrugged, looking down at her belly and how far it was protruding now at five months pregnant. She felt the baby shift and she thought that it knew they were thinking of it.

"I finally got this damn script in production after forcing it down every producer's throats in LA. Literally nothing will stop me from finishing this movie." Leigh rubbed a hand up and down the bulge of her belly before resting it on top of Anthony's head before playfully demanding, "Come cuddle me, husband."

He arranged Leigh into bed and curled around her back, instantly soothing Leigh with his breath ghosting over her neck.

"You've got thirty minutes until you need to be back on set for the car chase scene." Anthony reminded softly and she nodded, nuzzling into his hold and letting the thirty minutes slip by with a cat nap.

——

Anthony watched from behind the crew as Leigh waved her arms around, gesturing to the actresses to come closer and watch the monitor with her as they reviewed the shot they took. He smiled, despite himself, content to watch her work and display her passion. The script— the one that she had worked her ass off to get to production— was written by Beth two years ago and based off of a story Leigh had drafted in one of her endless notebooks that she carried. Anthony vividly remembers reading about it and asking Leigh how it ended. She didn't know then, but with Beth's help and some funding, it was realized and the script finalized.

Leigh made sure her casting director kept the roles diverse and relatively unknown. It was actually during the casting process that Leigh discovered that she was pregnant. She kept it a secret until she came home from Los Angeles to their rowhouse in Chicago to go to the doctor and make it official before telling Anthony. He blushes, remembering how he had reacted when she told him. Anthony had leapt up from where he sat on the futon in the editing room, grabbing Leigh and lifting her into the air while screaming nonsensically.

"Is that a good scream?" Leigh had asked, flushed and happy as Anthony spun her in his arms.

"Yes, oh god, yes!" He replied, putting her down and locking their lips for a kiss.