LOST Thoughts and Points to Ponder from "One of Us"

 Why would Juliet be ‘hoarse’ after drinking the spiked oj and the sub ride to the island? Remember Ethan telling her she’d be hoarse for a while?
 When showing the X-rays to Ben, Juliet states there is a tumor on Ben’s L4-vertibrae. He’s immediately terrified. She asks why, he says it’s because he has cancer…She reminds him that she said it was only a tumor. What gives? Did he know all along it was cancerous? Did he plant the X-rays?
 What is this ‘work’ of Juliet’s that must be finished? I don’t think it’s as simple as meets the eye.
 Ben is conning Jack just like Juliet, and Jack is definitely in on whatever the ploy is. Ben dangles the hope of leaving the island and that’s enough to keep them sucked in?
 Desmond is the only one that is not part of ‘the others’ or 815. Is that significant? Or is it that Desmond shares the same prophetic visions as Ben, and Ben wants him out of the picture before Desmond figures ‘it’ out?