You are by the side of a patient who is complaining of shortness of breath and has a history of heart failure. When assessing the airway, which one of the following observations BEST indicates a patent airway?

A) She is sitting in an upright position because she cannot lie flat.
B) She can only speak in short sentences due to rapid breathing.
C) She easily tells you that she is having chest pain.
D) She is lethargic and confused to person, place, and time.

C