Heartbeat

Scott (Miracle) returns with the wrenching story of 17-year-old Emma, whose mother, Lisa, had a sudden stroke while pregnant; although Lisa is brain-dead, she is being kept alive by machines to save the baby growing inside her. Emma's stepfather, Dan, made the choice to keep Lisa alive, and Emma hates him for it, also believing that Dan essentially killed her mother by getting her pregnant in the first place. At first, only Emma's best friend Olivia knows her despair, but at the hospital Emma connects with Caleb, who's doing community service after driving his father's Porsche into a lake. Caleb has had his own misfortunes: he feels responsible for his younger sister's death, and his parents also blame him for it. Scott captures the angst and euphoria of first love and the intensity of bonds formed through hardship. At times the story veers toward melodrama, but Emma's emotional conflict%E2%80%94characterized by moments of irrationality, rage, and confusion%E2%80%94is honest, and her eventual ability to see that tragedies can be blameless results in a powerful transformation. Ages 14%E2%80%93up. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (Feb.)