Playing with your nuts

This is a hand I was in earlier today:

FullTiltPoker Game #4024283060: Table Miragrande - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em - 13:26:28 ET - 2007/10/31
Seat 1: human eagle ($156.80)
Seat 2: Gilligan115 ($66)
Seat 3: Pardad ($50)
Seat 4: Coattails ($198)
Seat 5: BestCardInDeck ($51.15), is sitting out
Seat 6: premgolf ($222.90)
Seat 7: Rake Feeder ($219.75)
Seat 8: galaktiko ($100.60)
Seat 9: booboo7911 ($238.20)
Coattails posts the small blind of $1
premgolf posts the big blind of $2
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Rake Feeder [8d 8s] <-- I am UTG, but I want to play my small pair.
Rake Feeder raises to $7 <-- Standard opening raise at the 1-2 tables.
galaktiko folds
booboo7911 calls $7
human eagle calls $7
Gilligan115 folds
Coattails folds
premgolf folds
*** FLOP *** [7h 8h 5c] <-- Top set on the flop, but there are flush and straight possibilities.
Rake Feeder has 15 seconds left to act
Rake Feeder bets $16 <-- Only a pussy would check here, I bet out 2/3 of the pot.
booboo7911 calls $16
human eagle calls $16
*** TURN *** [7h 8h 5c] [8c] <-- Now I have the nuts, unless someone rivers a straight flush.
Rake Feeder checks <-- I check to make it appear I had an overpair and was worried.
booboo7911 has 15 seconds left to act
booboo7911 bets $44 <-- This guy has made a booboo.
human eagle calls $44 <-- Wow, I did not expect 2 bettors, someone must have a boat.
Rake Feeder has 15 seconds left to act
Rake Feeder raises to $88 <-- I min raise here, thinking someone is going to jam their boat.
booboo7911 has 15 seconds left to act
booboo7911 has requested TIME <-- He tanked really hard.
BestCardInDeck has returned
booboo7911 folds
human eagle has 15 seconds left to act
human eagle folds <-- Bah, what did he flatcall with that he folds to a min raise?
Uncalled bet of $44 returned to Rake Feeder
Rake Feeder shows [8d 8s] four of a kind, Eights <-- I show screaming DQB!
Rake Feeder wins the pot ($201)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $204 | Rake $3
Board: [7h 8h 5c 8c]
Seat 1: human eagle folded on the Turn
Seat 2: Gilligan115 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: Pardad is sitting out
Seat 4: Coattails (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: BestCardInDeck is sitting out
Seat 6: premgolf (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: Rake Feeder collected ($201)
Seat 8: galaktiko didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: booboo7911 folded on the Turn

On the flop I bet my top set because I always do, and I did not like the straight and flush potential. On the turn I just have to check the nuts. I can understand why one player took a stab at it, but why would the second player flatcall with me waiting to act?

I min raise thinking one of the players must have a smaller set, or maybe the straight. Why not bump it up here on the turn? What could they have bet with or called with that they were not going to look me up?

I could have bet out on the turn, it seems $44 was the right amount. Or I could have just flat called the $44 and then bet out the river. Maybe I was up against pocket 9s and pocket 6's? Overpair and a flush draw?