@airborne-disaster
If Birdie could pay Launchpad a visit then so could he. He missed his son as much as his wife did; his heart ached the same every day. He stayed tough for Birdie and Loopy’s sakes, telling them often that Launchpad was off finding himself in the world out there. He simply needed time away to do that. Many times he told the story his own grandfather had told him of his youth. He’d been a rebellious kid too, had gone globetrotting. He’d come back all the better because of it. Ripcord was sure that was the case with Launchpad too.
Not that believing that made it hurt less when he’d chosen to leave. Not that seeing his son be so hard on himself hurt less either.
Birdie had managed to get through to him somehow. She’d gone to see him a couple of times at McDuck Manor and she’d brought back good news. Not wanting to wait any longer, he took his plane and flew it over to Duckburg, taking a cab to the estate and asking to be let in to see his son. He’d been admitted without much fuss or fanfare, something he was surprised by. But then, maybe Launchpad had told everyone what he looked like, or maybe Birdie had.
Knowing where his son resided, he headed for the garage and knocked on the door. He waited, saying nothing. If he spoke, it was possible Launchpad would choose to hide from him from the get-go. That wouldn’t do.
