thanks steph

And I like your theory about the tailies all 'destined' to die, which explains why Charlie has Fate out to get him (and maybe Bernard as well).

One more thing . . . to everyone who seems to think that Patchy has a twin and the 'old' Patchy is dead - I highly doubt it. Patchy is alive and well. If you go back to the episode where he supposedly dies from the sonic fence, you can see him breathing on the ground after our Losties pronounced him dead. And second, the producers hinted that he might still be alive in one of their earlier podcasts.

I have no explanation for the blood coming out of his ears, however.