Sweet Dreams Read Online Free PDF

was hollow and eerie sounding, as if it had traveled a great distance.
    Van picked up Maryruth effortlessly and threw her against a wall. She bounced off the wall and slumped to the floor, stunned, but not unconscious.
    â€œVan!” his mother screamed. “What have they done to you?”
    Van howled like a mad animal, the muscles in his arms and shoulders bunched in fury and massive strength. Spittle oozed from both corners of his mouth. He balled his big hands into fists and advanced on Jerry. He was roaring angrily, speaking in that strange language. The teenager’s eyes were wild-looking.
    Mrs. Bishop reached out to touch her son and the boy hit her, knocking her to the floor. Her jaw was red from the clublike blow. Her eyes rolled back. She was out cold.
    Van looked at Jerry and began speaking calmly, but in a language Jerry could not understand. The teenager held up his balled fists and his smile was ugly and evil.
    Jerry had boxed all through high school and into college as a middleweight. He’d had twenty-five fights as a professional during the two and a half years between college and med school. He had never been any serious threat to Dick Tiger, Gene Fullmer, or Nino Benvenuti, but he’d been ranked and had made enough money to finish med school, with some left over. And he could punch with the fury of a Tasmanian Devil. Twenty-four of his twenty-five fights he won by knockouts. Jerry had picked up a few pounds since those days, but he still exercised daily and was in excellent shape for his age.
    Van lunged toward Jerry and took a wild, roundhouse swing at the doctor. Jerry ducked it, planted both feet on the carpet, and said, “O.K., sucker. Juvenile or not, you’re going down for the count.”
    Jerry then decked the teenager with a combination left and right to the jaw. Van’s two hundred and twenty pounds hit the deck.
    Maryruth looked on, horrified, as the doctor decked the teenager. She struggled to her knees. “Jerry, my God! He’s just a boy.”
    Jerry exploded. “Boy, my ass! He’s got a full football scholarship to MU as part of their front four. Jesus Christ, Maryruth! What did you want me to do, send him roses?”
    Jerry checked Mrs. Bishop. She was breathing normally and her pulse was strong. He left her where she was.
    Maryruth got to her feet and leaned against Jerry. She shook her head. “You’re right, of course,” she apologized. “I’m sorry. You did the only thing you could do.”
    â€œYou O.K.?” Jerry asked. “Anything broken?”
    â€œI’m all right. Just shaky. Good Lord, Jerry. What’s going on here?”
    Jerry smiled and rubbed his knuckles against his legs. “I was rather hoping you could tell me, Maryruth.”
    â€œYou have any Fiorinal?”
    His laugh was genuine. “I expect I could manage a few.”
    Van moaned. He twitched and sat up on the floor. Jerry got set to belt him again. Van looked around him. His eyes appeared normal. He looked at Doctor Baldwin.
    â€œDoctor Baldwin, what happened?” He looked at his mother. “Mother!”
    â€œShe’s all right,” Jerry told him. “You tossed Doctor Benning across the room and then hit your mother. You took a swing at me and I decked you.”
    â€œYou decked me?” Van asked, sitting on the floor looking up the doctor.
    Jerry shook off his urge to resort to a sarcastic remark and said, “How do you feel, Van?”
    â€œI ... well, crazylike, Doc. I mean . . . I don’t remember what’s been happening .. . in here. Does that make any sense?”
    Jerry was still irritated by the boy’s probably unintentional slur on his ability to handle himself. “No, it doesn’t,” he said shortly.
    â€œJerry,” Maryruth spoke softly. She was bathing Mrs. Bishop’s face with a damp cloth. “Ease off, huh?”
    Jerry sighed, knowing she was right. “Sorry,